‘No evidence’ of sexual assault on two-year-old at Sydney play centre

Following reports that a two-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at an indoor play centre in the Western Sydney suburb of Penrith on Sunday, NSW Police have advised that there is “no evidence” that the incident occurred.

With the incident having been widely reported in the media, NSW Police have advised that despite an exhaustive investigation they could not find evidence that the girl was attacked at all, and the injuries she suffered may have been innocently acquired.

The young girl was missing for at least 20 minutes on Sunday while at the 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.

On Facebook, the operators of the facility advised “following an exhaustive investigation police have confirmed today that no sexual assault of a child took place at Lollipop’s Playland & Cafe Penrith.

“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.”

NSW Police Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad 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.

DS Kerlatec said the girl’s injuries had been sufficient enough to cause serious concern, noting “we’re going to keep a very open mind and treat this at its worst.

“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.”

NSW Police have advised that investigations by the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad are “continuing”.

Image: Lollipops Playland Penrith.