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State's web of evil exposed
Robyn Ironside/ Greg Stolz/ Rosemary Odgers
Courier Mail (5-4-2008)

THIRTY serious sex offenders are still living in Queensland communities - despite the State Government's fears that they will reoffend.
Authorities yesterday said there were no guarantees they would not attack again after a 59-year-old man, who cannot be named under Queensland law, was arrested for breaching his supervision order.
The accused man appeared in Brisbane Magistrate's Court today charged with rape, assaulting a person over 60 years and administering a stupefying drug with the intent to commit an offence.
Police said the victim was allegedly attacked at her Palm Beach home on Wednesday.
Magistrate Noel Nunan remanded the man to reappear in Southport Magistrates Court on April 14.
A second serious sex offender has also been interviewed by police over the alleged rape.
Convicted pedophile Mark Anthony Foy is believed to have been in a Palm Beach unit on at the time the alleged rape occurred.
Foy and the alleged offender are among five serious sex attackers who are back behind bars after breaching strict supervision orders in the past fortnight.
However 30 other former inmates remain free after the government unsuccessfully fought to keep them in jail.
Foy was arrested on Wednesday night – after the alleged rape occurred – for breaches of his supervision order relating to his alleged failure to attend probation and parole appointments on time, positive drug tests and wilful damage.
It is understood the pair were regular visitors to the unit block where the woman was allegedly raped.
A neighbour said the two men often visited the woman and drank alcohol together.
"(They) had been here off and on for the last six months or so – more often lately," the neighbour said.
A past victim of the accused rapist said she felt "ill" when she heard the alleged rape took place about 2km from where she was living.
She slammed "bleeding heart" judges and politicians for allowing sex attackers back into the community.
"I cried, I just cried," she said.
The victim said she always believed the accused would reoffend.
"I don't call people like him sick because sick people can be cured. He is just evil," she said.
The recent spate of breaches has raised questions about the effectiveness of supervision orders made by the Supreme Court under the Dangerous Prisoner (Sexual Offenders) Act.
Convicted pedophile John Bragg and violent sex offender Darren Francis failed drug tests last month, and just over a week ago repeat rapist Shane Harvey was charged with attempted murder after allegedly bashing a woman, 54, with a walking stick.
The laws were created by the State Government to allow repeat sex offenders to be jailed indefinitely where necessary.
But of the 46 offenders taken to court so far, 16 are currently behind bars, while 30 have been freed and are living under various restrictions including curfews, are banned from interacting with children and undergo regular drug tests.
Eleven of the offenders are forced to wear electronic tracking bracelets.
Corrective Services director-general Frank Rockett yesterday launched a thinly veiled attack on the Supreme Court judgments, saying he was concerned that every one of the offenders posed a risk to the community.
"Every time we have argued to the court this person should not be released to the community," he told ABC Radio. "Arguments are put strongly using the best possible legal defence. In most cases, the Supreme Court chooses to release them on very strict supervision orders."
Mr Rockett said that in the past four years there had been 25 breaches of supervision orders.
"But we haven't had anyone on a supervision order reoffend sexually, until now," he said.
Corrective Services Minister Judy Spence said the laws were currently under review and the Government was considering ways to close loopholes.
"We are frustrated that the courts will not allow us to keep people (like the accused man) behind bars indefinitely," she said. "He has shown through his past behaviours that he is a despicable human being.
"We can't give any guarantees. The only place we can guarantee these people won't reoffend is if they're behind a prison gate."
Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg demanded Ms Spence be sacked if the rape allegations were proven.
"One of the major responsibilities of any government is to protect its citizens, and if these allegations are found to be proven, the Government is failing to protect the most vulnerable Queenslanders," he said.
He supported changes to the laws which would keep sex offenders behind bars indefinitely.
Hetty Johnston, from child safety group Bravehearts, said courts were not using the laws as they were meant to be used – to keep dangerous offenders out of the community.
"We have to keep these people locked up," she said.
But Queensland Council of Civil Liberties president Michael Cope said the laws should not exist at all.
"What we object to in this legislation is that they've served their time, but they're being locked up on the basis of what they might do," he said.
Earlier in the day, the accused rapist appeared in the Supreme Court on two alleged breaches of his supervision order.
Despite protesting his innocence through defence barrister Dan O'Gorman, he was remanded in custody.