Christian O’Brien, the guitarist of Melbourne indie band Alpine, has been charged over the alleged sexual assault of a teenager, newly released court documents confirm.
As per The Age, court documents state that 36-year-old O’Brien likely fled to Brisbane after a public appeal featuring his photo went viral in relation to an alleged sexual assault of a child under 16 earlier this year. It is also believed that he had intentions to flee the country to further avoid apprehension.
The documents, which were released during a hearing of his case at the Magistrate’s Court on Monday, reveal that O’Brien was charged not long after both the public appeal for information and a police informant had requested a warrant for his arrest. The documents also stated that O’Brien “intentionally sexually touched the complainant, a child under the age of 16, in circumstances where the touching was contrary to community standards of acceptable conduct.”
It is alleged the incident occurred on August 2, 2019, on Little Bourke Street in Melbourne’s CBD.
Christian O’Brien is next scheduled to appear in court on February 18, where a contest mention will be held and he has the chance to enter his plea on the charge.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
