‘Dangerous and predatory': 62yo followed group of young girls through Bondi for 3 days
Mark Coker, a stranger to the young girls, was sentenced to a community corrections order of 12 months and fined $220 in Waverley Local Court on Tuesday after he was found to have followed the girls through Bondi earlier this year.
A community corrections order is a term of imprisonment served in the community.
Court documents obtained by news.com.au revealed how police argued against Coker's bail, which was granted, calling him a 'repeat offender' and labelling his actions 'dangerous and predatory'.
'Police hold extreme concern that the accused will continue to reoffend and target further children,' the documents state.
'The accused committed these acts over a span of three days with a clear modus operandi.'
The police facts detailed how on January 24, Coker sat next to the girls as they ate at Bondi Westfield McDonald's and 'giggled along' as they spoke to each other.
Court documents state that Coker 'left the dining area and waved at the victims' and yelled out: 'Bye guys'.
He then followed the group through Westfield, making the girls 'uncomfortable' with the group quickly rushing down an escalator into a store.
On January 25 at 6pm, Coker blocked the girls from walking across a pedestrian crossing with his car at North Bondi.
Court documents state Coker yelled out: 'Hey girls. You don't remember me, do you? I'm the guy from McDonald's' before laughing and driving away.
Two days later – on January 27 in the afternoon – the girls were swimming at the north end of Bondi Beach when they spotted Coker on the sand.
'From the water, the victims saw the accused start to take off his shirt as though he were going to enter the water,' the documents state.
'The victims were concerned that he would swim towards them, so they went back to the shore and left the beach.'
They matter was reported to the police, with the young girls fearing Coker would cause them 'physical harm'.
'The frequency of the interactions made the victims feel that the accused was intentionally following them,' the court documents stated.
Following a police investigation, Coker was arrested on January 30.
He was taken to Waverley Police Station and charged with four counts of stalking or intimidation and one count of stopping on or near a pedestrian crossing.
Magistrate Michael Barko handed down a 12-month community correction order for the stalking charges and a $220 fine for the driving charges.
As part of his order, he cannot commit any offence and must comply with any mental health counselling or rehab directed by his case manager.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
26 minutes ago
- The Australian
Salim Mehajer shares update after release from prison
Salim Mehajer has shared a personal update after being released on parole after almost five years behind bars. Shared to his Instagram story overnight, Mehajer revealed a glimpse of his new-found freedom with a selfie. Sporting his new haircut and a grey tracksuit, the 39-year-old former Auburn deputy mayor wrote only his initials in the top corner of the post. The selfie comes only weeks after Mehajer was released on parole after spending five years in jail for back-to-back sentences and multiple convictions. Shortly after his release, Mehajer made stops at Service NSW to apply for a new driver's licence and a cosmetic dentist in Hornsby. It has been reported Mehajer was hoping to get his teeth fixed after his time behind bars, with teeth-whitening services offered at $549 and a full mouth implant starting at $24,990 per arch. On Monday, Mehajer – who has ditched the man bun he was sporting when he walked out of prison – announced he would be represented by Zali Burrows in his appeal. His appeal argues the domestic violence conviction and sentence were 'defective' and unfair. He was jailed in November 2020 after being found guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice, and one count of making a false statement under oath. In 2023, he was found guilty in separate trials for domestic violence and fraud matters. He was sentenced to a maximum of seven years and nine months' jail, but was released on July 18 after his non-parole period expired. He was convicted of punching his ex-partner in the head, squeezing her hand and crushing her phone during an argument inside his car. Mehajer was found guilty of suffocating her by putting his hand over her mouth and nose until she collapsed, and threatened to kill her mother. A jury found him guilty of six charges – including assault, suffocating and intimidation – and was also found guilty of forging signatures of his sister and Ms Burrows, who was his solicitor at the time. As part of his parole, Mehajer must report to a community corrections officer, participate in domestic violence programs as directed, receive ongoing treatment by a private psychologist and undergo alcohol and drug testing. Breaking News Two men have been seriously injured in an incident involving concrete equipment at a worksite in Sydney's northwest. Breaking News Collingwood could welcome a pair of key premiership players back this week but the wretched run of another has taken another twist.
ABC News
40 minutes ago
- ABC News
Kmart denies sourcing any products from factories linked to forced labour in China
An Australian-based Uyghur group has filed legal action in the Federal Court against Kmart, alleging the retail giant is sourcing some of its products from factories linked to forced labour camps in western China. Kmart has denied the allegations. Ramila Chanisheff, representing the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women's Association (AUTWA), has sought documents from Kmart — requesting the retailer prove its public claims of operating a "sustainable" and "ethical" company, with products free from slavery or forced-labour. The court action is seeking preliminary disclosure of documents relating to Kmart's supply chains that could be linked to labour in the Uyghur homeland, now known as the Xinjiang. Australia, unlike the United States and some European nations, does not prohibit goods imported from China's Xinjiang region. The US has banned goods from that region since 2021, over credible evidence that many products are manufactured there using forced labour — particularly involving Uyghur Muslims and other minority groups. Jennifer Kanis, a solicitor from Maurice Blackburn representing AUTWA, said the legal case was designed to compel Kmart to, "prove their public position". By cross-referencing Kmart's supplier list with "numerous credible reports" connecting companies in the Xinjiang region to forced labour, the plaintiffs say they will allege they found a match for at least two factory suppliers. The application alleges at least two garment suppliers are linked to the use of Uyghur forced labour in the Uyghur region. In a statement, Kmart said it was disappointed AUTWA took this course of action and had invited the association to meet with them "several times" to understand their concerns. "Kmart has been in correspondence with the applicant's lawyers for over 12 months and has provided extensive details of our Ethical Sourcing Program," the spokesperson said. "For over 15 years, we have had in place an Ethical Sourcing Program, which helps us to identify and mitigate modern slavery risks, including the risk of forced labour, in our operations and supply chains. "Suppliers in the Kmart Ethical Sourcing Program are regularly monitored through activities including our site visits, audit programs and investigations if we receive any reports or complaints of concern." The spokesperson also said it was the first Australian retailer to publicly disclose its factory list on its website for transparency. Human rights groups and the United Nations have previously accused China of committing crimes against humanity and possible genocide against the Uyghur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in the north-western region of Xinjiang. The Chinese Government has repeatedly denied these claims. Freya Dinshaw from the Human Rights Law Centre, said alarm bells had been "ringing for a long time" regarding forced labour risks, especially in the Chinese garment industry, and pointed out that "85 per cent of the cotton in China comes from the Xinjiang region". Australian retailers, she said, "have been on notice for some time" regarding these risks. The allegations against Kmart also sheds light on the potential shortcomings of Australia's current Modern Slavery Act. Professor Justine Nolan of the Australian Human Rights Institute said while Australia was considered a leader when it introduced the Act in 2018, the law primarily imposed a mandatory reporting obligation for large companies (those with over $100 million in annual consolidated revenue) to identify modern slavery risks, but not an obligation to act on those findings. And a quarter of Australian companies were not complying with their basic reporting requirements, because there is "no significant enforcement framework," according to a Federal Government review led by John McMillan in 2023, "A non-compliance rate of 25 per cent just by false reporting or not reporting: that shows that the law that we currently have are not sufficient and that we really do need reforms," Professor Nolan said. She said other jurisdictions, such as the European Union and the United States, have moved further, adopting laws that mandated human rights due diligence and implementing forced labour import bans, which Australia lacks. A 2023 independent review of the Act confirmed deep inadequacies and found that "no meaningful change had been shown for people at the greatest risk of modern slavery." Last month the Australian Government released a consultation paper aiming to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act, focusing on streamlining existing mandatory reporting criteria (link here: "The reforms they are proposing are useful, not sufficient," Professor Nolan said. "We're still not tackling the root causes of the problem and we need to think about introducing an obligation to act, not just an obligation to report." Australia continues to import an estimated $27 billion worth of goods at risk of forced labour into the country every year with no laws that would prevent the importation of such goods, according to a 2023 report from human rights group Walk Free, an arm of Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Foundation. Ramila Chanisheff said if Kmart could prove beyond doubt that they were not linked to forced labour, the association would be satisfied. However, if links were found, AUTWA's call to action would be for Kmart to "divest" from those suppliers. "You can get your cotton from elsewhere," she said. Ms Kanis, said a successful outcome would be greater transparency and accountability in relation to being able to make claims about ethical sourcing, ensuring these were not "empty claims". Ms Chanisheff, who was born in East Turkestan/Xinjiang, but raised in Australia, still has family and friends in the province. She believes Australians do care about how their products and that "consumers can make a difference". Professor Nolan said without stronger laws, Australia risks becoming a "dumping ground" for goods made with forced labour if other countries implement effective import bans. She also noted a "willingness among Australian companies to go further" and align with global standards, but the current modern slavery law, introduced to federal parliament in 2018 is "not sufficient". "Seven years is a long time to wait for people who are working in modern slavery every day," she said. In a statement, the Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the federal government "is committed to combating modern slavery" and "its immediate priority is implementing its response to the statutory review of the Act to strengthen its operation." Minister Rowland also said the public consultation process "will inform the development of balanced measures to support and incentivise Australian businesses to take actions to eliminate modern slavery risks and practices, and combat them in their supply chains."
News.com.au
40 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Aus caravan homeowners warned of horror trend
An expert has warned caravan owners of a 'simple' trick that can be used if thieves attempt to steal items from their van. Luke Weber, owner of Affordable Caravans Service & Repairs which sells and repairs vans, told Yahoo News that the tactic is used to lock travellers inside their caravans. Mr Weber explained to the outlet a 'crazy story' of a customer who revealed they had their camping gear stolen in front of them by the cunning act. The thieves used a piece of paper to disable the latch lock on their caravan door. Trapped inside, the travellers apparently couldn't do anything but watch as their belongings were taken away from them. According to Yahoo, a majority of caravan doors manufactured from 2000 onwards have a lock mechanism involving a latch. The latch needed to jut outwards in order to open the door. However, a metal ring also found on the door handle — which is used to hook the door open when required — can be used to prevent the door from opening. In a recent video, Mr Weber demonstrated the trick with a piece of paper that can be used to block the space where the latch juts out, preventing the system from unlocking. 'It's very, very simple and it'll lock people in,' Mr Weber explained to Yahoo News. 'I've been fixing caravans for a long time, and it has been well known for a long time that a thief can just use a sheet of paper, or even sticky tape, to stop those doors from opening. 'It's such a common problem, people get their gear stolen in the middle of the night. 'People even get their barbecues taken and their fridges taken … 'They just have to sit in the caravan until it's over, then climb out a window or something.' Mr Weber explained there is an 'easy fix' to avoid being locked inside a caravan 'It's an easy fix, you just take the little metal ring off where people put the paper,' he said. 'It just clicks right off, and you can put it inside your caravan, and the problem is solved.' Removing the metal ring, which serves as a functional hook to keep the door open, does not affect the door's locking mechanism. Therefore, caravanners can still securely lock themselves inside overnight.
