Home
About MAKO
Services
Contact
Prevention
MAKO/Files
Community Notification
Report
Referral
Profile's
Facts/ Stats
Online Dangers
Child Safety
MAKO Petitions
Research/ Resources
Books
DNA Info
Safety For Women
News/ Articles
Your Comments
Australian Politicians/ Contacts
Join
Sponsors
Donations
Links
|
The Queensland Government has warned people against taking the law into their own hands, following community outrage towards released paedophile Dennis Ferguson. Mr Ferguson, who was released from jail in January 2003 after serving 14 years for sexually assaulting three children, fled the small town of Murgon after his location was leaked to the media by a local National Party MP. Protesting locals surrounded the house, demanding Mr Ferguson leave the town immediately. Later, Mr Ferguson was driven from a house in Ipswich by similar protests. In Murgon, locals were upset that Mr Ferguson had been living 200 metres from a child care centre. Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said his Government was looking at suggestions that convicted paedophiles should not be allowed to live within a certain distance of kindergartens, child care centres, schools and other places where children gather. "However, people may ask: would such a restriction achieve anything?," he added. Mr Beattie said Queensland already had tough laws against paedophiles and Ferguson was being watched and monitored by police. "I urge people to realise that the police are doing their job so they should not take the law into their own hands," he said. "Let's not have some sort of stupid vigilante-type approach fanned by the media for very stupid reasons." His comments followed those of the Minister for Police and Corrective Services Judy Spence, who warned that community vigilante behaviour would not solve the problem of paedophilia. She said that the Government kept a confidential register of all serious sex offenders. "The reason this information is kept confidential is because if people know where paedophiles are, they will hunt them down, like what we saw happen today," she said. "When this happens, it could force these paedophiles to go into hiding, and that will make it harder for police to monitor them. We want these people watched by police, and watched closely." Ms Spence also criticised Opposition Leader, Lawrence Springborg, for using the media to criticise Queensland's child protection laws, saying that Mr Springborg had not said anything when the Australian National Child Offender Register legislation went to Parliament in November. "In November the Opposition Leader had such scant regard for the legislation that he didn't even comment on it," Ms Spence said. "However, shadow Police Minister Vaughan Johnson congratulated the government for putting this legislation in place, and even gave me his 'total support' for the legislation and said he'd work with me very closely on this." But Opposition Deputy Leader Jeff Seeney, whose electorate includes Murgon, defended his action in revealing Mr Ferguson's place of residence, saying paedophiles should be permanently institutionalised. He encouraged all communities in similar situations to protest, even if it were against the law, so that the laws would be changed. Queensland Council of Civil Liberties vice-president Terry O'Gorman said the law was there to protect Mr Ferguson, not to harass him, and that police should investigate any stalking offences committed against him. "Everyone is equal before the law," Mr O'Gorman said. "Mr Ferguson has done his time. He has certain basic civil rights, and the law is there to ensure that his civil rights, as well as everyone else's, are properly enforced." AAP (3-2-2005) |
Australian News
About Child Pornography
Sex Offenders- Electronic Tagging
Chemical Castration
Community Notification
-2005. All Rights Reserved.
Legal/Disclaimer/
Privacy/
Terms Of Use.