A MAD, BAD LAW
 
This is crazy. This is what my court case next month is all about. The ridiculous, and dangerous, practice in our courts to suppress the names and photos of serial sex offenders after they have been subjected to an Extended Supervision Order. It happened last week when a child rapist disappeared from his supervised home outside Ararat Jail. For several days Police did not, could not, tell the public because the rapist’s name was suppressed.
 
They finally went to court, got the Suppression Order lifted, and within hours the man was found.

But Noddyland continued. After the arrest of this man, who raped a 13-year-old girl during a burglary, his lawyer went back to court and had the Suppression Order reinstated.  And the Department of Justice did not object.
 
 Who is looking after the children?
 
As I said on 3AW on Friday:
 
What the hell. At the risk of hurting my own court case next month I cannot, in good conscience, ignore what has happened in Melbourne over the past couple of days.
 
It is further proof of the madness and badness of a law that protects convicted paedophiles in this state.
 
In the early hours of Wednesday morning a child rapist disappeared from his supervised home outside Ararat Jail. He was considered such a risk to the community that he was under an Extended Supervision Order following his release from prison after serving nine years for the rape of a teenage girl.
 
He had an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet but it was not equipped with GPS.
 
In County Court last September a judge suppressed all information about this man’s name, photo, address, everything.
 
And so today the Herald Sun – reporting on the escape of this dangerous child rapist—could not mention his name or publish his photo.
 
As the headline said: Madness. And I couldn’t name him or describe him on this program if a court had not belatedly lifted that suppression order today.
And if I had gone ahead and named him in the public’s interest I would face even more charges than the ones I face next month. Charges that could see me in prison.
 
This is the scenario I predicted. It is why I have campaigned so long and hard against the abuse of this law by the worst sex offenders in Australia.
 
This is madness. The way these serial rapists and paedophiles are given more legal consideration than their victims is a disgrace. And it’s usually funded by you through Legal Aid.
 
Surely, while this bad law exists and this legal loophole remains unplugged the courts should be trying to help Police do their job. Surely, the minute a criminal breaches his parole or breaches an Extended Supervision Order the suppression order should be instantly null and void.
 
It is a disgrace, a sick joke, that, 48 hours after a child rapist went on the run out there, Police looking for him could not seek media help to circulate his name, description and photo.
 
This child rapist’s name, not incidentally, is (again censored). He was finally arrested, again, this morning.
 
Who’s looking after the children?
 
A lot of questions here. The man had fled parole last year and was arrested in Brisbane. Showed what sort of person he was and yet in September he was still granted a Suppression Order. And a few months later he’s breached the terms of his parole.
 
Did the Department of Justice oppose his suppression application? If not, why not?
 
Why didn’t the Police Minister go into court for a lifting of the order on Wednesday? That’s when Police Minister Cameron says he knew about the escape.  Police say they had a covert operation going. The fact is they didn’t get him until they went public.
 
And why didn’t the Department of Justice oppose the second suppression application?
 
This story is not over. This issue is not over.  See you in court.
 
Monday, February 1, 2010

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2010