Accused of molesting his daughter and step-daughter for 17 years, a NSW Central Coast man has been granted bail days after his arrest.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly sexually assaulted his two underage children on multiple occasions from 1998 to 2015.
He was arrested on January 6, charged with two counts of indecently assaulting a person under the age of 10 and six counts of aggravated sexual assault of a person under the age of 16.
"(The allegations) entail repeated sexual offending against the complainants at times on a regular, weekly basis, sometimes more than three times a week. In other words, the allegations are extremely serious," said NSW Supreme Court Justice Mark Ierace on Wednesday.
One woman came forward to her mother in February last year, resulting in a police investigation into the alleged abuse.
One alleged victim has obtained an apprehended domestic violence order against the man while the other's application for an AVO is progressing through the courts.
Initially granted bail in the Newcastle Local Court, the Crown then filed a detention application in the Supreme Court to keep the man behind bars.
Justice Ierace raised concerns about the man's release, including risks he would not appear in court, could commit further serious offences endangering the community, and could threaten the alleged victims and his wife who is a crown witness by attempting to compromise their evidence.
"In my view, those bail concerns constitute unacceptable risks. However, the proposed conditions of bail mitigate those risks to an acceptable level."
Granted bail, the accused will be required to live at his parents' home in Sydney and is barred from travelling further north than the suburb of Brooklyn except to visit the Wyong Local Court where his case is being heard.
Requests by his lawyers that he be allowed to continue his employment on the Central Coast were rejected by the judge because his job required him to travel around the region.
Moving about in this way for work could mean the alleged child abuser would inadvertently bump into the two complainants, the judge noted.
Under his bail conditions, the man is also required to hand up his passport and will have strict restrictions on when he can be in the company of children under 16 years old.
His father has also paid a bail surety of $5000 to ensure his son's attendance at court.
The matter will next come before the courts on January 19.
