Police say there is “no evidence” a two-year-old girl believed to be sexually assaulted at a Penrith play centre was attacked at all, and the injuries she suffered may have been innocently acquired.
The young girl was missing for at least 20 minutes last Sunday while at Lollipops Playland in Penrith with her family. A child heard her distressed calls from a storage area under the play equipment and told her mother where she was.
Detectives initially believed she may have been sexually assaulted, but an exhaustive investigation, which included CCTV footage, and a forensic examination of the play centre showed no evidence this occurred.
Lollipop’s Playland issued a statement revealing nobody had approached the girl during her visit to the play centre, and confirming she was behind the play frame, not in a storage room.
“Following an exhaustive investigation police have confirmed today that no sexual assault of a child took place at Lollipop’s Playland & Cafe Penrith,” the Facebook post read.
“Our thoughts and concerns have always been with the child and family and we wish them well after what has been a harrowing few days. Thankfully we had cameras operating in this area, as they are throughout our centre, and police were able to review this footage to determine that no one had approached the child during her visit.
“We have owned this business for over 10 years and have always placed customer safety as one of our highest priorities. We would like to thank our customers and staff for their loyal support and understanding during these extremely difficult few days.”
Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commander Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec told reporters on Monday the young girl was found in an “extremely distressed” state and taken to Westmead children’s hospital with several injuries.
She was released shortly after into the care of her family.
Supt Kerlatec on Monday said the girl’s injuries had been sufficient enough to cause serious concern.
“We’re going to keep a very open mind and treat this at its worst,” he said. “The child was obviously very distressed. All parents would be concerned, firstly that the child went missing, and finding your child in a distressed state.”
A statement from NSW Police issued on Wednesday said investigations by the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad are “continuing”.
“Following a review of CCTV footage and a forensic examination of the location, there is no evidence at this time to confirm initial reports that a sexual offence has occurred within the play centre.”
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMijwFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9uc3ctYWN0L2NyaW1lL25vLWV2aWRlbmNlLWdpcmwtMi1zZXh1YWxseS1hc3NhdWx0ZWQtYXQtcGxheS1jZW50cmUvbmV3cy1zdG9yeS9kYTJmMTcyYzhmNDIzNThkMDgzNzU5MGI3ZGEwZDg2OdIBjwFodHRwczovL2FtcC5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9uc3ctYWN0L2NyaW1lL25vLWV2aWRlbmNlLWdpcmwtMi1zZXh1YWxseS1hc3NhdWx0ZWQtYXQtcGxheS1jZW50cmUvbmV3cy1zdG9yeS9kYTJmMTcyYzhmNDIzNThkMDgzNzU5MGI3ZGEwZDg2OQ?oc=5
2020-07-29 07:45:38Z
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