printer friendly version

DRAPER THE RAPER
I want to go back to something I said –or actually didn’t say – on MY Melbourne radio programme earlier this month.

A talkback caller asked me why I had gone quiet on serial child molester Keith Richard Draper. And I said something like “I can’t talk about that right now”. I know it sounded a mite suspicious. But it was for a reason.

Off-air people asked me if I was under a court suppression order or if had taken legal action against.

I can now reveal that neither of those things was true. I had had contact with the authorities – off air – and without giving too much away knew that Police and the DPP were desperate to serve new papers on Draper to get the charges of sexual assault against his 11-year-old niece either re-heard or the light sentence extended.

To do that they had to find Draper who had left his Cranbourne home. In fact had sold it.

Through calls I had off air I knew where Draper was living and the brand, colour and registration of his new car. And I gave everything I knew to the Police.

And that listener’s call came on the very morning when Police were about to swoop on Draper to serve him with papers before a court deadline.

And they did. And now I can talk about it briefly because things are now becoming sub judice and things like prior records get a little murky and that is why I went to jail over a priest whose name I cannot mention this morning without risking going to jail again for contempt of court.

But in the case of Keith Richard Draper…. let me refresh your memories.

Last month the 67-year-old former schoolteacher pleaded guilty to sexually molesting his niece when she was eleven years old.

He was fined 200 dollars and placed on a good behaviour bond because it appeared it was his first offence and the magistrate applauded him for being such a law-abiding citizen.

What the magistrate did not know and what incensed people – and Draper’s victims – is that through a legal quirk Draper’s record was kept secret.

His assault on his niece treated as a first offence.

Magistrate Paresa Spanos told Draper (and he and his lawyers didn’t contradict her) that he appeared before the court “without any prior history at all” and was entitled to be treated as a person of good character.

What the magistrate didn’t know was that Draper the raper had pleaded guilty to sex offences five times in the past three years. Including attacks on a seven-year-old girl whose father came on this programme last month.

When this story broke I made a pledge. I said Draper -- I am coming to get you. You can run but you can’t hide. You can put your Cranbourne house on the market but somebody will tell me where you have moved to. And they did. And they did.

And I appealed to other victims to come forward and lay charges and maybe this time we will get him behind bars.

And maybe I shocked some people when I also said:

And, Draper, if you find the pressure too great as you approach 70 and if you decide you can’t face court again and decide to kill yourself then that is great. You would be no loss to society at all. In fact it would be one more vote for a cleaner, safer Australia.

I started building a profile on this vile creature in recent weeks I have talked to victims, to his son, to his family and to police. I even talked to Draper himself who called me early one morning.

He started to tell me that it all happened so long ago – until I pointed out that he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a seven year old only four years ago.

To that he replied—after a pause – “I will never try to excuse my disgraceful behaviour”. And when he started to protest how his family was being affected by all this media attention I reminded him how his vile behaviour had affected so many other families.

I now know of four children close to Keith Richard Draper who were molested by him and for those crimes he was never charged. And on the phone Draper seemed surprised when I told him I believed he will face more charges in the future.

This man, this former teacher, has been a serial paedophile for forty years.

And I wonder Keith Draper how good is your memory? Remember the time when your daughter Jeanette brought a girlfriend home from kindergarten and she was invited to sleep over?

I’m not sure exactly what happened that night but whatever it was it upset that little girl’s father. Whatever she told him when she got home upset him so much that he came around and beat you up and broke your arm.

Keith And Eva Draper had three children – daughter Jeanette and two sons.

Strangely they then adopted two young girls. Were they safe from your perversions Draper? And they were adopted after the kindy incident so your wife obviously knew by then about his proclivities.

Did Draper or his wife sue me over those comments? Nope. And I have more news for you this morning Keith Draper.

YOU are going back to court for the offences you committed against your niece. You are not home free after all. That 200-dollar fine and the good behaviour bond should start looking like a mirage around now.

And if the courts have any guts – because you DID plead guilty remember -- you will be locked up for a long time.

Sex offences against family members. Sex offences I believe in India when you went there five or ten times for Unicef - the children’s charity.

Sexual offences against children probably, possibly, in: Colac, Cobram, Mildura. You also spent time in Oakley, Alvia, Numurkah, Elmore, Horsham, Seymour, Benalla.

You also used to visit South Morang primary school where your brother Rodney was the principal.

Plus child pornography on your computer. You actually tried to sell some on the Internet. How many Indian kids on that as well as your Australian victims?

I said last month Keith Richard Draper. I’m coming to get you. You will wish you were dead. You will wish you were dead.

Tuesday, September 24, 2002