An Iraqi refugee who came to Australia illegally by boat has been jailed for sexually assaulting a three-year-old child at a shopping centre in Sydney’s west.

Mohammad Al Bayati was a security guard at DFO in Homebush Sydney at the time of the assault on the young child.

The court heard he grabbed the child’s hand and led her into a fire escape corridor for up to 13 minutes.

The girl’s mother had left both her daughters in the playground as she went shopping.

When the mother returned, Al Bayati lectured her about the dangers of leaving children alone.

Al Bayati’s DNA was found on the child’s underwear. He was convicted of three charges; taking and detaining with intent to obtain advantage, committing an act of indecency with a victim under ten years old, and indecently assaulting a person under the age of sixteen.

Judge Pickering took into account his ‘tragic’ upbringing and only jailed Al Bayati for a minimum of two and a half years.

With time already served, Al Bayati will be eligible for parole in July 2021.