A 50-year-old man has been charged after allegedly directing a racist and Islamophobic tirade at a 13-year-old schoolgirl on a bus in Sydney’s inner west.
The incident allegedly occurred on September 10 as the girl, who was wearing her school uniform and hijab, was travelling on a bus after departing Strathfield Railway Station. Police said the bus was carrying several other passengers at the time.
Video footage of the confrontation was later circulated online. According to reports, the man allegedly called the teenager a “terrorist” and an “immigrant dog” among other insults. A separate video reportedly captured him making a threatening comment during an exchange with another passenger.
The confrontation allegedly began after the teenager intervened when she believed the man was taking photographs of another girl wearing a hijab. The 13-year-old later told media that she repeatedly reminded the man that she was born in Australia and told him she was only 13.
Following a police investigation, officers from Police Transport Command Northwest arrested the man at a home in Greenacre at about 2.20pm on September 15. He was taken to Bankstown Police Station and charged with stalking/intimidating with intent to cause fear of physical harm, an offence carrying a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.
The man appeared before Bankstown Local Court on September 16 and was refused bail. During the hearing, he represented himself and disputed the allegations, claiming he had not threatened or intimidated anyone. The court heard concerns about the alleged victim’s vulnerability and the man’s previous criminal record.
The matter remains before the courts, and the allegations have not been tested at trial.