A security guard who found a lost child at the Sydney shopping centre where he worked allegedly exposed himself to the girl before returning her to her parent, police say.
The 27-year-old security guard will face court on Thursday charged with committing an act of indecency against the three-year-old girl at the DFO Homebush shopping centre on Sunday.
A NSW Police spokeswoman said the girl was with one of her parents at the shopping centre on Underwood Road when she became lost amid the Christmas crowds.
Her parent immediately alerted shopping centre staff, who started searching for her.
Police will allege in court that the security guard found the girl but, rather than returning her immediately to her parent, he took her to a corridor at the shopping centre where he exposed himself and committed an indecent act.
He then returned the girl to her parent, who later alerted police.
Police could not immediately say whether the alleged incident was captured on the shopping centre's CCTV cameras, or whether the girl was able to tell her parent what had happened.
Officers from the Flemington Local Area Command launched an investigation into the incident.
About 1.40pm on Wednesday, police arrested the security guard at a house on Central Park Drive in Bow Bowing, near Campbelltown.
He was taken to Macquarie Fields Police Station where he was charged with committing an act of indecency with a person under the age of 16, and taking or detaining a person with intent to obtain advantage.
The man was refused police bail and is due to face Campbelltown Local Court on Thursday.
A DFO Homebush spokesperson confirmed the shopping centre was assisting police in relation to the alleged incident.
"As the matter is the subject of a police investigation, we are unable to provide any further detail," the spokesperson said.