Police recognised Robert Jason Turnbull immediately when they viewed security camera footage from a nearby shop on February 2, a police statement said.

One officer informed his colleagues that Turnbull was a suspect in a similar attack at the Newcastle West shopping centre on January 13, prompting detectives to arrest Turnbull at his Fowler Street, Hamilton South, home within minutes.

Turnbull, 38, pleaded guilty in Newcastle Local Court yesterday to two counts of indecent assault and will face Newcastle District Court next week.

He has a criminal record for sexual abuse and has been refused bail since his capture, court documents stated.

The girl was at the shopping centre with her mother on February 2 when she ran to the toilet block on the Parry Street side of the building.

She was in the women's toilets when she noticed Turnbull peering over the toilet door at her and looking at her through a gap between the door and the stall.

Turnbull told the girl to let him in because he needed to fix something, but once inside he locked the door and told her to pull her skirt down.

She didn't so Turnbull did before assaulting her twice.

A witness in the stall beside them became suspicious when she heard Turnbull say, "Be quiet or I'll kill you" and the girl say "I don't like what you're doing to me".

The witness said, "What's going on," and then came out of her stall to see the victim standing there upset.

She took the girl to her mother and they went to centre management, where police were called.

Turnbull denied being at the shopping centre, but police found a matching palm print on one of the toilet doors.