A Reid man has been arrested and was refused bail on Wednesday accused of assaulting two women in Civic.
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Police will allege Ammon Mitiau, 26, followed one woman into a clothing store at the Canberra Centre on Monday at about 3pm where he touched her genitals under her pants.
They will also allege that minutes earlier outside the shopping centre he had touched a woman's thigh and told her he was coming home with her and they were going to have sex.
The woman allegedly indecently assaulted in the clothing store had grabbed his arm and said "Don't touch me" then pushed his hand forcefully away, court documents say.
He left the store and was not seen again.
The woman said she felt shaken and scared about what happened and was worried he could do the same thing or worse to another person or child.
While investigating the incident police heard about a Facebook post made by another woman and later went to speak to her.
She had published a Facebook post describing an incident earlier on the same day at about 2.30pm while sitting outside the Canberra Centre at a bus stop on Ainslie Avenue.
A man had approached asking to sit with her even though there were plenty of seats around.
Police will allege the man was Mr Mitiau and that he sat next to her and put his hand on her thigh, saying he was going to come home with her and they were going to have sex.
The woman moved away and sat with an older woman before getting on the bus.
She told police she saw the man talking to other women as the bus left.
During the incident she took a photo of the man on her phone.
Mr Mitiau was arrested Tuesday and charged with a count of indecent assault and a count of assault.
He told police he had been drinking wine in the city and had only asked the woman outside the centre for a cigarette. He denied going into the Canberra Centre or touching the other woman.
His bail was opposed by prosecutors who cited a risk of his reoffending and not appearing in court.
The court heard from his Legal Aid duty lawyer that Mr Mitiau was a labourer on the light rail project and had been in Canberra about two months.
He was being treated for mental illness and receiving fortnightly depot injections.
He did not enter pleas.
But Magistrate Glenn Theakston refused the man bail without hearing from the prosecution.
Mr Theakston said even if he banned Mr Mitiau from going near the Canberra Centre there was a real risk he could offend at some other public place and interfere with other young women.
He is due to reappear in court on January 10.
