A woman had to jump out of a moving car to escape a man who detained her for several hours and sexually assaulted her, a court heard.
Paul Kelaita, 48, was arrested in dramatic circumstances in Sydney’s east last year when he allegedly led police on an hour-long foot chase that ended when he was cornered on a rooftop.
He appeared in the High Court in Sydney on Wednesday and made an unsuccessful application to be released on bail.
He was arrested in November after being approached by police on Roscoe St in Bondi while wanted in connection with alleged sexual offenses against a woman on the Central Coast.
Kelaita allegedly fled on foot from officers, leading to a massive chase involving a police helicopter.
Police eventually arrested him about an hour later on the roof of a house in Curlewis St and dragged him away in maroon rugby league shorts.
At the time he was wanted for alleged sexual crimes committed earlier that year.
The court was told Kelaita had allegedly become obsessed with a woman before detaining her for several hours.
Paul Sargon Kelaita is pictured being arrested on a rooftop in the Sydney suburb of Bondi.
The court was told he allegedly sexually assaulted her and had non-consensual sexual contact.
It is further alleged that he took control of her car and that led to her jumping out of the vehicle to escape.
“It is alleged that your conduct caused her to jump from a moving vehicle, causing her to suffer some injuries,” Judge Belinda Rigg said on Wednesday.
Kelaita is charged with four counts of aggravated sexual assault while in custody and eight counts of harassment and intimidation.
In addition, he faces three counts of sexual contact without consent, one of inciting another person to touch him without consent and careless driving.
Separately, he faces one count of common assault and three counts of entering a building to commit an indictable offense and entering enclosed grounds.
He has been in custody, on remand, since his arrest, and the court was told he had several bruises on his face after being involved in a fight in custody.
“I was just defending myself,” Kelaita announced to the court as he watched the proceedings via videoconference from prison.
Kelaita (pictured in maroon shorts) appeared at the Sydney Supreme Court on Wednesday and made an unsuccessful application to be released on bail.
The court was told he had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by a psychologist.
However, Judge Rigg said the report provided to the court was of “such poor quality that the court could not understand how the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder had been made”.
Kelaita proposed to be released on bail under conditions including electronic monitoring and home detention.
But Judge Rigg said there were concerns for the safety of the alleged victim and the community, as well as the risk of failing to appear and interfering with witnesses.
“Accordingly, bail is denied,” he said.
Kelaita will appear at Gosford Local Court on Thursday.