A MAN arrested in Bendigo over an alleged sexual assault of a school girl has been refused bail.
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Matthew Ryan, of Seymour, appeared at Bendigo Magistrates Court for a bail hearing on Thursday charged with assault with intent to rape, indecent assault and unlawful assault.
The court heard Ryan, 25, approached a 16-year-old girl in a Seymour railway underpass on May 29 this year and grabbed her around the face and neck.
He allegedly told her to "shut up" and pushed her face into the wall, pushing his body up against her and putting his hand up her school dress.
The court was told the girl managed to scratch his face, causing him to loosen his grip and allowing her to flee.
A forensic examination of her fingernails provided a DNA sample which was later matched to Ryan.
Ryan was interviewed at Bendigo police station on Wednesday and allegedly told police he could not recall the incident because he was affected by the drug ice.
The court was told he had been using ice for seven years and would regularly spend between $900 and $1000 per week on the drug.
It heard Ryan had spent the past several weeks at an intensive Bendigo rehabilitation centre but had been asked to leave the program over concerns for vulnerable woman at the facility.
Police opposed bail on the grounds the man was an unacceptable risk of reoffending.
Ryan, who appeared without a lawyer, told the court he wanted bail so he could spend some time with his partner and young child before the next court date.
His body shook in the dock as he offered to report to police up to two times a day so they could "keep track" of him.
Magistrate Richard Wright refused the application and remanded him to appear at Shepparton Magistrates Court in November.