POLICE have charged a 54-year-old man over the sexual assault of an eight-year-old girl in the troubled West Australian town of Fitzroy Crossing.
Inspector Phil Clews said the man had been charged with two counts of indecently dealing and two of sexual penetration after he allegedly took the eight-year-old girl into the bush as her little sister waited nearby on Saturday afternoon.
"The accused … was in the company of an eight-year-old girl and her three-year-old sister," Insp Clews said.
"They went for a walk into the bush and there he has allegedly sexually assaulted the eight-year-old girl, with the three-year-old nearby."
Men and juveniles across the Kimberley have been charged with the sexual abuse of young children in recent months, when a crackdown by WA police began.
Insp Clews said the latest offence was "tragic".
"This charge flows on from the issues we looked at in July," he said.
"The operations we have running at the moment, a lot of the cases are historical but this one happened on Saturday so it’s just tragic really."
Police have released figures showing a marked drop in crime in Fitzroy Crossing since restrictions were introduced on sales of alcohol.