ONE SICK PUPPY

About fifteen years ago I received an irate phone call from a woman because I had said some unsavoury and insulting things about her brother or ex-husband. I can’t quite recall the relationship.

I had attacked him on radio and television because he carried the nickname the Silver Gun Rapist or the Armadale rapist.

His name was Mark Anthony Jewell. He had been involved in a series of violent sex offences against women in the Armadale area.

In 1990 Jewell was jailed for 16 years for rape and other violent sex offences against ten girls and women. The youngest was nine. For some reason – and why should this surprise us – he only served eight years of that sentence.

Jewell was freed in December 1998. He quickly re-offended but wasn’t sent back to serve the rest of his sentence. Just another 18 months.

Blind Freddy knew this creature would commit more sexual crimes. And he did. Within six months of being let out of jail.

This time he pleaded guilty to two charges of committing an indecent act against a child under 16 and committing an indecent act in front of another young girl.

He also stole girl’s clothes and sports gear from several girls’ schools and when arrested he was reportedly wearing a girl’s bathing suit.

This is one sick puppy. But the system is also sick. A serial rapist jailed for 16 years back in 1990, gets released, reoffends, goes back to jail, gets released, reoffends. What happens to him?

Does he get twenty years this time? Does he even get another sixteen? No way, Jose.

Judge Carolyn Douglas jailed him for six years with a minimum of five. What a joke.

If he had served all of his original sentence for multiple rapes he wouldn’t have been out the first time until 2006. The latest punishment is a disgrace.

Mark Anthony Jewell will be back on the streets in a few years. And more young girls will be his victims.

My question: How come the eight years he did not serve of his original sentence were not added to his latest penalties after he re-offended yet again?

Wednesday, April 30, 2003

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2002