Man in custody after boy assaulted in loo

A man has been refused bail after he allegedly dragged a young boy into a toilet cubicle during an attempted sexual assault inside a Sydney shopping centre.

Fouad Hasna allegedly pulled the 12-year-old boy into the cubicle as he tried to leave a public toilet in Bass Hill on Saturday night.

Police say the 47-year-old hit the boy in the head during the ordeal.

The 12-year-old managed to escape when two other men entered the toilet and startled Hasna, police allege.

Hasna was charged with assault with intent to have sexual intercourse with a child between 10 and 14. He was denied bail at Bankstown Local Court on Monday.

He's next scheduled to appear at Burwood Local Court on June 21.