Broome McDonald’s predator granted bail after being found guilty of attempting to lure girls into bathroom

A Broome man who attempted to lure five young girls into a fast-food restaurant bathroom to engage in sexual acts has been granted bail before his sentencing after a jury found him guilty of his crime. Johnny Bell appeared before Broome District Court on February 5 where it took a jury four hours to find him guilty of five counts of encouraging a child under 13 to engage in sexual behaviour. The court was told on May 21, 2022, five young girls between the ages of seven and 10 entered the Broome McDonald’s and sat in the dining area across from Bell after receiving their food order. More than an hour of CCTV footage, obtained from the Broome McDonald’s, was played in the courtroom, and showed an intoxicated Bell engaging with the girls and following them between the dining room, the playground area and the bathroom. He can be seen going into the toilets multiple times for an extended period. A young McDonald’s employee who testified during the six-day trial said she saw Bell lurking near the girls and talking to them during her shift before one of the young girls approached the employee and asked her to call the police to take them home. The employee said the children looked “scared” of Bell and told her the man was “acting strange”. With the youngest clinging to her leg, she handed her mobile phone to the eldest child after dialling Broome police. The girl can be heard saying to the police officer “the man is trying to rape us” in an audio recording of the phone call played to the courtroom, with yelling in the background — believed to be the other four girls — saying “get away”. A second employee who also testified said he had also been keeping an eye on Bell throughout the day, who was a regular customer and often disruptive, before approaching Bell during the incident. Bell told the employee he was the young girls’ “grandfather”, which the girls strongly denied. In their statements, the girls told police Bell was trying to encourage them to engage in sexual behaviour with him in the bathrooms, motioning with his hands what was described as “rude” and “rape” signs. He tried to offer them a $50 note, but the girls ran away when they thought they saw a knife in his back pocket. In their closing statements, Bell’s defence lawyer Sally Oliver argued there were gaps in the stories of all five girls on what he was encouraging them to do and lied to police so they could get a lift home. State prosecutor Edward Fitzpatrick said it was “impossible” for the girls to make up what they saw, with CCTV footage and McDonald’s employees’ testimonies supporting the allegations of Bell’s actions. He said Bell’s charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years jail. District Court Judge Vicki Laura Stewart granted Bell bail after Ms Oliver stated the need for a neuro-psychological report for his pre-sentencing assessment, recognising he had already served 13 months in custody straight after the offences. Judge Stewart ordered him to reside in Fitzroy Crossing until his sentencing in June and imposed strict bail conditions, including not to consume alcohol or live with children under 16.