A Canberra man accused of touching a 12-year-old boy on the bottom at a busy shopping centre allegedly told police he had been acting on an impulse and that it had made him feel good.
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Mark Jones, 49, was granted bail on Friday when he appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court via audio-visual link from the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
He is charged with committing an act of indecency on a child. He has not entered a plea to the charge.
Prosecutor Sam Bargwanna told the court the alleged victim was Christmas shopping with his family at Kmart in the South.Point Tuggeranong shopping centre on December 22 when he noticed Mr Jones in the bicycle section.
Mr Jones allegedly reached out and touched the boy on the bottom. Mr Bargwanna said the boy felt Mr Jones make contact, but initially thought it had been an accident.
Mr Bargwanna said the boy then moved to the toy section, but Mr Jones followed him and touched him on the bottom again, making the boy realise the first time had not been an accident.
The boy told his grandmother what had allegedly happened and pointed out Mr Jones, who by that point had been hanging around the store exit.
Mr Bargwanna said that when Mr Jones was interviewed by police, he said he "did things on impulse sometimes", and that it made him feel good.
"He does not dispute the allegation," Mr Bargwanna said.
"He touched a young boy he did not know about twice on the buttocks with a finger."
The prosecutor also said CCTV footage from the store would form part of the evidence against Mr Jones.
Mr Jones' lawyer Kate Gunther told the court there was "an extremely narrow dispute" about the police allegations, but she expected it to be resolved.
Ms Gunther applied for Mr Jones, who had spent the past month in custody, to be freed on bail. Mr Bargwanna opposed the application.
Mr Bargwanna said the admissions Mr Jones allegedly made to police indicated that he had no impulse control, which meant he was a risk of re-offending.
He said if a busy shopping centre could not deter Mr Jones from acting on impulses, neither would bail conditions.
Magistrate Beth Campbell said the allegations were "very concerning", but that Mr Jones had no criminal history and it was unlikely the charge would result in an immediate jail term.
She granted Mr Jones bail with strict conditions, including that he live at a Fisher address and be there at all times he is unless travelling to and from work or is accompanied by his parents.
Ms Campbell also told Mr Jones to seek treatment from a psychologist.
Mr Jones is due to appear in court again next month.
