This is the shocking video that will send chills through parents everywhere: Sydney shopping mall security guard Mohammad Hassan Al Bayati leading a three-year-old girl away from a play area, to be assaulted.
Now the man is facing a stretch in jail. He will spend at least two and a half years behind bars for the kidnap and assault of the girl – one of the customers he was hired to protect at a busy Sydney shopping mall.
WATCH: Sydney security guard kidnaps child at busy shopping mall
Security vision shows Al Bayati led the child away from the children’s playground, down a fire exit into an area unmonitored by cameras, where the assault took place.
Adding to the brazen nature of his offence – the man even berated the girl’s mother for leaving her alone, after he returned the child following the assault at DFO Homebush.
A court found Al Bayati exposed his genitals and touched the girl’s underwear – where his DNA was found – during the 11 minutes he was not on camera.
‘The gall of the offender to lecture the mother about the dangers and risks of leaving her in the play area, when he ended up being the greatest risk, is one of the most curious parts in this matter,’ Judge John Pickering said.
Police were alerted after the girl told her father what had happened. The Judge praised the girl for her bravery and strong recall of what happened, despite her young age.
Despite the damning video and DNA evidence against him, Al Bayati still denies the crime and declined to comment further when confronted by reporters outside court.