A court has heard that a man accused of urinating on produce at a CBD Woolworths in front of shocked shoppers had already been banned from the store.
Lochlan Ebejer, 22, appeared in Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday, hours after being charged with contaminating property with intent to cause public alarm.
He was also charged with entering unprescribed closed land without lawful excuse and offensive conduct while on unprescribed closed land.
Ebejer allegedly urinated on shelves of raw meat in front of at least four customers at a Woolworths on George Street in Sydney’s CBD on July 1.
The “28-second” incident allegedly caused more than $300 in product damage before Ebejer was caught on security cameras leaving the store while tying up his pants.
Police were told that staff carried out extensive work over several hours to decontaminate the area.
The court also heard that the Toongabbie man had previously been banned from attending the Woolworths store, Daily Telegraph reported.
New South Wales Police released the Woolworths CCTV footage last Thursday as part of a public appeal to locate the suspected offender.
Lochlan Ebejer, accused of urinating on raw chilled meat at Woolworths, was granted bail on Sunday afternoon.
The images showed a man wearing a backwards cap, a black jacket and black trousers on the supermarket escalator.
Ebejer was arrested in Hunters Hill at 1.40am on Sunday and taken to Gladesville Police Station.
He appeared in court via video link from police custody.
The court heard Ebejer was on medication and receiving NDIS assistance after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
The police prosecutor opposed bail, calling the alleged offence “quite alarming”.
CCTV footage showed the man wearing a backwards cap, a black jacket and black trousers on the supermarket escalator on July 1.
Among his reasons, he cited Ebejer’s risk of reoffending and his history of failing to comply with court orders.
Magistrate Robert Rabbidge said the alleged incident was “unusual” and could potentially compromise the integrity of Woolworths.
“The facts indicate that it was either a protest or as part of his mental health issues,” he told the court.
Ebejer was released on strict bail conditions.
He must report to police daily and not enter any Woolworths stores.
Ebejer, wearing dark sunglasses, a backwards cap and a Tommy Hilfiger T-shirt, made no comment to media waiting for him as he left the courtroom.
He is due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 16 July.