A man has been charged with slashing a 13-year-old girl’s throat during a sex attack in a Newcastle shopping centre.
The same man is also suspected of a botched attempt to steal a woman’s car as she strapped her baby into a pram in the underground car park of a leagues club.
The sex attack took place about 5pm (AEDT) on Sunday in Blue Gum Road, in the Newcastle suburb of Jesmond.
Police say a man approached the victim inside a shopping centre and sexually assaulted her while armed with a knife.
She suffered a wound to her throat and was taken to John Hunter Hospital for surgery.
A 25-year-old man was arrested at Telarah station near Maitland, northwest of Newcastle, just after midnight on Monday.
He has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder and aggravated sexual assault of a person under 14.
He was refused bail and is due to appear at Maitland Local Court on Monday.
Police are investigating whether he was also responsible for the attempted carjacking, which took place about 11am (AEDT) on Sunday.
The effort failed because the car did not start, police said.
No charges have yet been laid over the incident.
