A 13-year-old boy has been charged over a series of alleged sexual touching incidents involving women and girls using walking trails around Narrabeen Lagoon and surrounding Northern Beaches suburbs.
The teenager faces 11 charges following reports of sexual touching, inappropriate comments and harassment. Police allege the incidents involved females aged between 13 and 54, with most of the reported encounters occurring during the late afternoon. The charges include eight counts of sexually touching another person without consent and three counts of behaving in an offensive manner in or near a public place or school.
Afternoon Encounters Along The Lagoon Trails
The allegations centre on incidents between 1 and 12 October 2026, when several women reported being approached while walking or jogging around the lagoon. Police were told that a person riding an e-bike had allegedly touched women on their buttocks, while other reports involved inappropriate sexual remarks and harassment. Most encounters occurred between 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm, sometimes with several incidents reported on the same day.
One woman alleged she was sexually touched near South Creek Road at Wheeler Heights at approximately 4.30 pm on 1 October. Two further incidents were reported on 12 October, involving separate women allegedly touched between 5.00 pm and 5.30 pm. Investigators also linked their inquiries to an earlier incident in Cromer, where a woman was allegedly spoken to inappropriately near the intersection of Waroon Road and Carawa Road at approximately 6.45 pm on 7 September.
The first complaints reached police on 7 and 8 October. After an appeal for information on 12 October, three more reports emerged, including the earlier incident at Wheeler Heights.
Extra Patrols On A Well-Used Walking Route
The reports prompted Northern Beaches Police Area Command to establish Strike Force Mexvo, working in consultation with the State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad. Police increased their presence along the lagoon’s walking and jogging tracks, deploying uniformed and plain-clothes officers as part of the investigation.
At a press conference beside Narrabeen Lagoon on 17 October, Superintendent John Duncan described the area as generally safe but expressed concern about women being harassed while using the trails. He also acknowledged the challenges of monitoring the approximately eight-kilometre route, which passes through substantial stretches of bushland with limited lighting and CCTV coverage. The reported encounters, however, had largely occurred during daylight hours.
Police released CCTV images of a person they wanted to speak with and appealed to anyone who recognised the individual to assist investigators. Later that evening, a 13-year-old boy attended Mona Vale Police Station at approximately 7.30 pm, where he was arrested. He was subsequently taken to Manly Police Station and charged over the 11 alleged incidents.
The boy was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at a Children’s Court on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. Police have encouraged anyone with information about the incidents, including relevant footage or previously unreported encounters, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Published 18-October-2026
