A fast food worker is behind bars after he allegedly pushed an 11-year-old girl off her bike and choked her unconscious in an "abhorrent" attack described as "every parent's worst nightmare".
Anthony James Kenyon, 23, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court with a swollen right eye on Thursday, when he was formally charged with common assault and choking.
The Calwell man pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Police documents, tendered in court, say the alleged victim was riding her bike through Fadden Pines on her way home from school on Wednesday, when she noticed a man with a golf umbrella staring at her.
This man, alleged to be Mr Kenyon, shoved her off her bike with both hands and dragged her to the side of a path.
Police allege the assailant then got on top of the 11-year-old and placed both hands around her neck, squeezing hard for about 10 seconds while sitting on her stomach.
The girl tried to yell for help and offer the man money to let her go, but she could not make any noise.
"[The girl] could not breathe and thought she was going to die," police say.
She eventually lost consciousness.
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Police say a man walking in the area subsequently spotted Mr Kenyon trying to hide among some trees and behaving in a "strange" way.
This man then found the 11-year-old girl lying, unconscious, on the ground.
He later told officers the girl was "inconsolable" when she woke up.
The "distraught" girl ended up phoning her mother and "screaming" about the incident.
Her father came to pick her up and, as they were leaving Fadden Pines, she saw Mr Kenyon walking towards Chisholm Shops.
The girl identified Mr Kenyon as her assailant, prompting her father to assault the 23-year-old, take his phone and snap a photograph of him to give to police.
The 11-year-old girl, who was bruised and scratched, eventually went to Canberra Hospital for assessment.
Mr Kenyon was taken there as well, having been found by paramedics with a black eye after he was assaulted.
Police attended the hospital late on Wednesday afternoon and arrested the 23-year-old, who "made complete denials" when he was interviewed by investigators.
In court on Thursday, prosecutor Julia Churchill described the attack on the young girl as "extremely violent" and "inexplicable" as she argued bail should be refused.
"Protection of the community is paramount," Ms Churchill said.
Defence lawyer Andrew Byrnes applied for Mr Kenyon to be released on bail, proposing a series of conditions and telling the court the 23-year-old McDonald's employee had a history of "severe" mental health issues.
He conceded the prosecution case was "concerning", but said there was "a possibility my client is not the perpetrator as alleged".
Mr Byrnes added that while Mr Kenyon insisted he was innocent, mental health "investigations" may shed light on the reason for the attack if the 23-year-old was indeed to blame.
These would occur more easily in the community than in custody, the lawyer said.
Ms Churchill countered that any such investigations could be performed at the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
She also responded to Mr Byrnes' suggestion that Mr Kenyon be bailed to live in Crookwell by saying this would make it hard for police in the ACT to monitor him.
While magistrate Beth Campbell acknowledged jail was "not an ideal location" for a young man with mental health issues, she said courts were obliged to protect the community.
Ms Campbell said Mr Kenyon was accused of "abhorrent conduct" that appeared to be random and opportunistic, leaving her unsure any bail conditions could ameliorate the likelihood of the 23-year-old reoffending or endangering others.
"The allegation against the defendant represents every parent's worst nightmare," she said as she refused bail.
Mr Kenyon is due back in court on April 7.
