I’m so sick and tired of the hysteria about paedophilia. The recent ‘outrage’ and ‘concern’ about Dennis Ferguson drives me batty. Come on people! Have we lost any sense of proportion? Not to mention any sense of human decency and compassion? We need to get our priorities sorted out.
Dennis Ferguson was convicted in 1982 for kidnapping and molesting three children. He was jailed for 14 years and served the full sentence. Since then he has been pushed around Australia by various governments who have been unable to find him a place to live. Time and time again he is ‘outed’ and moved on by concerned and/or outraged parents who don’t want him in their beautiful lives. Most recently, the 62 year old was ‘discovered’ trying to live in a suburb of Sydney and is once again being subjected to Trial by Telegraph. Or the Sun Herald or the Sydney Morning Herald, or the Australian or the Fin Review. Take your pick. All of them are tabloids now. Why bother with any distinctions?
Cries of moral disgust and ’sex fiend’ are being spread all over the place. Brilliant, imaginative and sensitive commentators suggest that Ferguson should be given the death penalty or sent back to prison so he can be raped and beaten etc.
The lynch mobs are being hastily assembled. Pitchforks are being polished. It’s tabloid driven madness.
But, for me, the dumbest oaf of all the hysterics is David Borger, the NSW Minister for Housing. Upon being told by 2Day FM or The Telegraph that he should be concerned about Dennis Ferguson, Borger immediately responded by informing everyone the guy would be moved out ‘as soon as tonight’. Someone forgot to tell him that Ferguson had legal rights and because he hadn’t actually done anything wrong he could not be ‘moved out’ just like that. So Borger was back on the airwaves telling everyone it was a “complex issue.” And to bear with him while he and his crack team of legal aids figured out a legal way of abusing Ferguson’s rights. That’s good populist governance for you right there. Be proud Australia. Surely Borger, a Minister of Parliament for God’s sake, should have been leading rather than acting impulsively off the back foot? What’s more, he should have been defending the legal rights of the man and attempting to stop all the insanity. Instead, his idea was to be the most foolish on the ship of fools.
WTF was he thinking???
Sure, Dennis Ferguson doesn’t do himself any favours. In fact, if paedophila were a boy band he’d be a real paedo poster boy. If you’re looking for the classic image of a paedophile then Fergo is your man. He’s not so pretty. He’s angry. He sticks his tongue out at photographers. He sells children’s toys. He’s your basic Nightmare On Elm Street.
But so what?? Really. So what?
The man has rights.
Yes. He’s got civil liberties. Remember those? Those silly old things that got thrown out just after 9:11?
But forget Ferguson. Really we should. Leave him to all the hateful, vengeful Miranda Devine’s of this world. The commentators and politicians who see perverts lurking in every corner. Ugly, ugly columnists and radio stars who have normalised paedophilia to the point where we can’t take a photograph of our kids in the bathtub unless we’ve checked with DOCS first.
The problem for me is the craziness about paedophilia in the first place. We have got to get our priorities right. Recently, UNICEF reported that 11.6% of Australian children are currently living in poverty. That’s over two hundred thousand kids, folks. There’s a real problem with public education developing here. Something that ol’ Kevin 07 hasn’t been able to deal with – despite his celebrated revolutions.
In fact, across ALL the key indicators for childhood disadvantage in Australia, the Brotherhood of St Laurence has set their barometer of Children’s Chances at ‘dangerously high’.
There are really important issues facing the children and parents of Australia – real problems affecting real lives – and I’ll be damned if anyone can convince me that paedophilia is one of them.
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I completely agree with you. This whole Jerry Springer-type mob mentallity is ridiculous, and WHY is this kind of drivel making headlines on national TV news (which in my opinion is the biggest trash-peddling culprit today)? The way this kind of “news” is shoved in our faces every 15 minutes, you’d imagine a lot of people find this crap fascinating.
I have yet to meet any of them…
Thank you Emily. At least you get my point. I am arguing mostly about
trial by media and a fair justice system. I’m arguing against populist
politicians and extra-legal hit squads. Some people reading this just
don’t seem to get it. You got it. And for that I sincerely thank you.
I totally agree with you. No one wants him living in their neighbourhood, so where is supposed to live? On an island in the middle of no where? Either he is rehabilitated or not. If not then he should be back in prison. If he is then leave him alone.
Yes! Yes! Yes! MY GOD, Tanya, YES!
I am afraid whilst I agree there are a lot of urgent issues surrounding children I think you are dismissing the danger this animal poses too lightly.
It isn’t just this old crime where he stole three children, kept them prisoner for three days abusing them, where he was convicted of 19 charges including kidnapping, sodomy, gross indecency, indecent dealing and carnal knowledge that concerns me the most. It’s not even knowing he was also charged for allegedly sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl in 2005 or even the fact he breached his parole and gained employment that would expose him to children that concerns me the most
– it is the fact that he failed to complete a rehabilitation program or even admit his guilt. This man thinks it is ok to abuse children.
We lock up the mentally ill to prevent them from harming themselves and others – a man as twisted as this should never be allowed to live in mainstream society for his protection and ours.
Yes he has rights – but so do our children and I think the rights of innocents outweigh the rights of a repeat child sex offender who has shown no remorse for his actions.
I do not approve of the way his community and the media are acting but I have a feeling if I were in their place I would do anything to protect my children too.
What to do with him now – I have no idea -(in my opinion the man should never have been released in the first place) but where ever they place him – it should be far far away from potential victims.
THINKIES
You think that the rights of an innocent ‘outweigh’ the rights of a
sex offender. Interesting. This is a whole new conception of human
rights that you’re developing here. Do the rights of a young man
outweigh the rights of an old man? Or the rights of a foreigner
outweigh the rights of an Australian? The rights of a Muslim outweigh
the rights of a Christian? You get my point. Human rights ARE human
rights regardless of who you are, man, woman, child, Kevin Rudd or a
sex offender. That’s what human rights are all about. Thanks for the
long list of offenses that Ferguson committed. But so what? I already
recognized that he is a nasty piece of work. My point was that he
should be treated in a just way, as EVERY human being deserves. That
is the whole problem about LAW, Thinkies. It has to work in a
UNIVERSAL sense. It’s the opposite of opinion and tabloids and your or
my ANGER. It’s the rock solid foundation upon which this society
should be based.
i stumbled across this website looking for some thing else and this story just grabbed my attention straight away… as i have children and when you have children and you see the word “Paedophilia” it doesn’t mix well.
I TOTALLY agree with THINKIES… and as a matter of fact… WHO WOULDN”T.. Thinkies had FACTS. FACTS win everything for me… AND if you think I would let anyone with STATS like that live even in a 20km radius, i too would do everything in my power to let my children live free, happy lives without having to worry or watch over their shoulder to make sure THAT BAD MAN isn’t there!!!!!!!
How foolish to say this man needs to be left alone !!!!! YOU LET HIM LIVE NEXT DOOR TO YOU IF YOU FEEL DENNIS F SHOULD BE GIVEN A FAIR GO, YOU HAVE HIM WITH YOU. and if you have kids or grandkids or nephews etc… yeah lets see how close you will let him near your children
You’re big on facts aren’t you Lisa? How do you KNOW that the facts
Thinkies quoted are correct? Did you check them? Doubt it. Anyway what
Thinkies wrote is irrelevant to my argument. The FACTS are this: The
man did the crime. The man served his time. Until he commits another
offence he has done NOTHING WRONG. It doesn’t matter what you or I
think! It doesn’t matter if I like him or you hate him or he has a
nasty past. He has a right to be treated in accordance with Australian
legal code. Sorry but that’s just how it is. You are lucky to live in
a society that has a decent legal system. Don’t abuse the privilege.
I completely agree with you. Well written.
The Press (and public) all too easily become hysterical as soon as the P word is mentioned. Whilst I was living in the UK, the same issues and responses were happening. I recall a PAEDIATRICIAN who had her house graffitied by some ignorant F**K!
For a perfect satire of this response by idiots, Google “Brass Eye – Paedophile Episode”. Sums it up perfectly (sort of UK Chasers).
Needless to say, there was “public” (by the press) outcry when it was first shown – highlighting their point beautifully.
Well look this guy is a pedophile and repeat offender, whilst in government housing now tell me that putting him in a normal suburb isn’t going to feed his psychological disorder of pedophilia. There is no way of fixing his disorder and putting him within a few 100 metres of a school, will just rape another child of a life. In my honest opinion, I think the government has already wasted enough money on him and they should send him to a mining town, somewhere in the outback. If you feel this man has rights , go find it because he lost his sense of decency when he started abusing children. However with your 2nd point of child poverty, I totally agree with you, but the reason for it is dole budging Australia gives to high an incentive for people to just be supported by the government, the parent’s have a mentality of, Why work? I’ll just get public housing, then take dole money and start reproducing (if you don’t already know Australia pays 5k when you first have a baby). This will just create a cycle
You suggest Dennis Ferguson should be placed in a “mining town
somewhere outback”? Brilliant! I always thought those stupid “outback
people” deserved less respect than we city folk. Seriously, this
“normal suburb” of which you speak doesn’t exist. Here’s something
interesting for you to consider – the overwhelming majority of sexual
abuse of children is INCESTUOUS. Sorry to tear your playhouse down
AussieParent but that “normal” suburb of yours probably has more child
abuse going on than you can imagine. It’s NOT the sleazy lone predator
like Dennis Ferguson that most little boys and girls have to worry
about – it’s their father or their grandfather or their uncle. Fact.
Murderous mothers and incestuous fathers are infinitely more
widespread than paedophiles.
The cause of child poverty is “dole bludging”? Are you coming the raw
prawn? Are you winding me up here Aussie parent? Child poverty in
Australia is a seriously worrying condition. It does not have a single
cause I’m afraid.
This man lost all rights the moment he harmed a child. There is no such thing as a reformed paedophile. If i found he was living anywhere near me I’d be the one leading the lynch mob. Like a previous person said, if you’re so concerned about his rights, let him live next door to you and your children.
Sorry JoJo but the man did NOT lose ALL his rights when he molested a
child. Really sorry. But that’s not the case in the Australia you and
I live in. The basic principle is that ALL human beings have rights –
even prisoners and people accused or convicted of crimes against
society. This is how we have become an evolved society. This is what
separates us from societies in which there is no rule of law. This is
what makes us human beings with an ethical conscience. That’s the way
it is. And that’s what we should be fighting to protect. NOT the kind
of pre-historic vigilante lawlessness of the jungle that you so
eagerly invoke.
Why are childrens rights insignifigant to you? children have a right to be free from predators, more then predators have a right to be free.
yes he has served his sentence, however almost 100% of convicted paedophiles reofend.
let’s try and make sure that paedophiles get harsher sentences from the get go. Moreover to never be dismissive of childrens rights would also be a good place to start.
Childrens rights aren’t “insignificant” to me? When did I say that?
Please, Jane, point out the part where Iwrote “I don’t care about
children’s rights”? Will you? OF COURSE I’m VERY concerned about
childrens rights – and adults rights – lets just call them human
rights shall we? My point is this: I think that the hysteria about
paedophilia is creating a situation in which human rights (including
the rights of children) may well be ignored. What I am calling for is
a REASONED debate about these things that worry us. Not lynch mob
hysteria or para-legal hit squads. Or do you prefer the para-legal
death squad solution?
Now. Your “fact”? “Almost 100% of convicted paedophiles reofend (sic)”
Where did you get this information from? Please let me know. In the
stats I have looked at, the recidivism rate for paedophiles of the
Dennis Ferguson variety is 43% – significantly lower than your “almost
100%”. Check this: http://tiny.cc/PLzuP
“…send him to a mining town,…”
Out of sight, out of mind, eh?
I am left speechless by your ignorance and hippocracy. This man has to live next door to someone.
Thanks for the tip off about Brass Eye Paddy. Never heard of it. Loved
it. Brilliant stuff. You are a wise, wise man.
What i think is anyone who takes the innocence from a child should be locked away FOREVER. Never to return to mainstream society coz once a paedophile always one(i agree with jo jo, there is no such thing as a REFORMED paedophile).
I want to know how many people will have Dennis Ferguson live with /within or next to their house… Please reply if you would…I might be waiting an awful looooong time for someone to come forward as most people have children or have some sort of dealings with children…. This ought to be interesting to watch !
I can tell that you’re angry about this Lisa. I’m sorry you’re so upset. Let me say first that I agree with you that Dennis is a nasty, nasty bad man. And his crimes are really abhorrent.
Nevertheless. As I keep having to say. We live in the kind of society that has advanced beyond dungeons and be-headings. At least a little. We live in the kind of society that believes in DUE PROCESS. As I have already said to someone else – Jo Jo is WRONG. It’s just not the case that once you’re a paedo you’re always a paedo. There are many paedophiles who are themselves deeply sickened by their actions and yearn for change. So many (well over 50%) have managed to rehabilitate. That’s a FACT. Above all the shouting. That’s a fact.
Apparently we live in a DEMOCRACY. If you think the penalties for paedo’s are not cruel enough – if you wanna see em hangin’ high or guillotined or put on the rack or whatever. Then you should activate yourself to try and change things. Start a “we MUST be-head the paedophiles group”? Campaign for the death penalty? Lobby your local member of parliament etc. That’s how things are done in this country. You can try to change the laws. But I cannot abide the populist chaos of vigilante death squads. OR people deciding on the basis of questionable “facts” that paedophiles must be sentenced to life. Thats for legal professionals to decide.
Lastly, Lisa, I have two children and I would AS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE accept that Ferguson has the RIGHT to move into my neighbourhood. Wouldn’t worry me. As I have already said, you and I have more to fear from our relatives than we do from Dennis Ferguson. Statistically speaking.
Angry Dad,
Haven’t you realised yet that most of the hang em high brigade on the message boards are either members of the abuse industry, cops or others just seeking to promote the pedo myth to further their own interests
Well Angry Dad! Thats great. Parents do not meed to worry (well against 1 predator any way).
Please, if you would make contact with housing department and try and make arrangements for dennis to live by you as i’m very sure NO ONE else wants the man near them so seen as though you are the first (that i’ve heard) to openly print that ” As a matter of principal” (WAT CRAP) let him move right into your neighbourhood..Let him with pleasure. It means he’s not near my kids.
And how can you say the man has RIGHTS… people are saying to you that dennis lost his rights when he abused childREN… How could your brain (especially as you said… you have children)feel this man has any rights… CHILD MOLESTERS,MURDERS,incest dads and uncles etc etc etc.. Yes the list can go on but WHY should they get another chance in mainstrean society when he abused them rights… And people like you allow them back near our children.
YES you are right i am MAD about this how ever can you imagine jo jo and me if we lived in the same neighbourhood and we got dennis in our street….????????????????????????????
MAinly what i’m sayin is…… your not as concerned about dennis living by you where most people are so get him by you and your family…. I’ll be reading the papers waiting for him to re appear in the media and who knows some one who wants to give him a chance and has kids… Doesn’t sound like a good mix!!
Lisa:
You talk of rights. I agree paedophiles are lothsome creatures, but what do you suggest we do to them? Lock them up for life? Kill them?
Ok, say we kill all convicted paedophiles. What if one of them is innocent? What if the legal system makes a mistake? (it has been known). What if that mistake occurs to someone you know, or love? How would you feel if your husband was wrongly convicted of being a paedophile and executed?
Ok, so lets agree not to execute paedophiles. How about locking them up for life or a really long time. Sounds like a good idea. What about rapists?…Life? sounds reasonable. What about someone who is convicted of rape but was only 18 and was a drunk immature boy? Life? It becomes less clear. What about someone who exposes themselves to woman in a park? Life? What about a streaker at a football game? Life?
How can you tar everyone with the same brush?
“CHILD MOLESTERS,MURDERS,incest dads and uncles etc etc etc..”
What/Who are your “etc etc”? What about the rights of people who are wrongly convicted? What about the rights of people who “do their time”?
Everyone has rights. There is no ’scale’ with only 50% rights to people who “quite” bad and no rights to evil people. All people must have all rights. It is the only way to ensure a civilised society and, more importantly, to protect innocent people from errors and the prejudice of others.
I am agree you may not like living near a paedophile, but you cannot move him simply because you do not like him and because he has the potential to commit crime. Would you support a group of residents who wanted to evict a neighbour who was a convicted burgler? Or what about a convicted shoplifter or pot smoker? Or what about getting “those Muslims” off our street because they might be terrorists?
Countries cannot be run based simply on the “likes” and “dislikes” of groups of their citizens.
@ Jo Jo
“If i found he was living anywhere near me I’d be the one leading the lynch mob.”
Then get busy – the average ped is a middle class, middle aged white professional man.
What’s that I here? Crickets? Thought so…
“Lisa… you may not like living near a paedophile…”
She doesn’t have much choice. Most peds are white, middle class professional males. Sound familiar?
Interesting debate. I think what hasn’t been acknowledged is that while everyone has human rights, those rights only exist to the extent that they don’t impinge upon the rights of others. So yes, Dennis Ferguson has rights, but the people of Ryde also have a right to live free of fear and to express their concerns.
Personally I understand that Dennis Ferguson has served his time and that he has to live somewhere. However, I live near Ryde and while I initially took the view of Angry Dad, that he has to live somewhere, I started to change my mind when I heard that he had actually kidnapped children. Prison generally doesn’t rehabilitate people, there’s been lots of studies that show that the rates of reoffending are high. But prison does have other roles (punitive, protection of society) as well as rehabilitation goals. I don’t know what the answer is, but I don’t think doing prison time necessarily cancels Ferguson’s debt to society. Maybe extensive monitoring would be good idea or a housing arrangement that wasn’t close to schools and pre-schools. And while I agree that Ferguson should have access to a fair justice system, it doesn’t mean that the justice system is above critique. If the public feels that the sentences for paedophiles are too light, then that should be up for discussion. Let’s reject the hysteria though!
Hell of a column, Angry Dad. I completely agree with your points. There’s not an easy solution to an issue like choosing where to house a guy like this Dennis, but it’s not helped by him being re-tried in the court of public opinion every few months.
Hell, I’d be angry and nasty and playing up to the image too if that’s what I got wherever I went for something I did twenty years ago, having already paid the price society demanded.
Ferguson has indeed served his time, and as the law stands he is free to move where he chooses assuming he does not breach parole conditions, if any.
I understand that research claims to show that pedophiles are incurable, if this is so maybe there should be special legislation applicable to them on release. – a special gated community perhaps.
The protection of the community’s children takes precedence over a convicted pedophile’s rights.
This is all starting to sound like a meet-up group for paedophiles. I’m outta here!
get busy – the average ped is a middle class, middle aged white professional man.
What’s that I here? Crickets? Thought so…
The difference is, i don’t KNOW that he is. So far he hasn’t done anything wrong. Ferguson HAS, repeatedly. Someone said that a lot of paedophiles express strong remorse for their actions. This one hasn’t. He STILL doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong. Yes, the question of what to do with these people is a hard one. Yes we’re supposed to live in a democracy, fact of the matter is the system is imperfect and needs constant change. Wasn’t that long ago that slavery was considered normal. What happened? The system changed. Just because something IS, doesn’t mean it’s right or should be. It’s all very well to say he’s human and has the same rights of everyone, what about our children? They’re helpless innocent and naive. They are also our future and should be protected at all costs.
JoJo,
I agree that the system should be changed. I wish I had the answer. I also agree that children should be protected from the monsters of the world.
I do think people should be careful with the language that is used, especially in debates as emotive as this one. (remember it is a debate, Maria!)
Language such as “…at all costs”. You probably did not mean exactly that (or did you?). What does one sacrifice for a particular cause? At what cost are willing to “protect” our children.
Do we sacrifice what it means to be a democracy and Australian (or British or American or whatever) in order to try to safeguard groups or ideas?
I am not sure what the answer is when it comes to what to do with pedophiles after release from jail. Of course no one wants them living in their neighbourhood but I reluctantly agree that they have rights and I would hate to live in a society where one’s rights were not upheld.
But what I find equally as exasperating is the obsession with the government and their police checks and working with children checks and many parents’ terror that every lone male is a pervert when most children suffer abuse at the hands of a trusted family member of friend. I personally know several people who were sexually abused as children and their abusers were an uncle, father, step-grandfather and grandfather. People should look into their own families first.
of course there are many perverts out their preying on children but keep your fear in proportion to the facts.
Hello, I have just read all this babble. You seriously need to have a chill pill. I AM ANGRY. I have just been informed that my 68 year old father has been moving around for the past 40 years and preying on young children and exposing himself, and touching them up. How do you think I feel when I read “stuff” about Dennis fucking bloody Ferguson. I wish he was dead. Or put somewhere where parents can get their hands on him. He should not be out in society. What do you think I am supposesd to do with what I have found out??? Nobody wants to listen. I am a mother of a six year old and wish to protect other children. What do you do?
What about the fact that Ferguson has recently made contact with his partner in crime… the man who helped him kidnap children. If you were trying to start a new life, you wouldn’t be tracking down fellow child molesters. Doesn’t sound like a rehabilitated and remorseful man, does it? And then you have to consider that he hasn’t only been to goal once – the man is already a reoffender. I’m not too convinced that he’s no longer a danger to society. Unfortunately under our legal system, he has to be released when he’s done his time, whether he’s ‘better’ or not.
Hmm, I can see your well made point.
I just don’t think it’s going to help me get over the fact that a sick individual abducted my kid and did horrible things to him against his will. Try as I might I can’t stop wanting to take the culprit fishing…. and use them as bait.
Angry Dad, I agree with you, this is a trial by media, and one trial that is missing a particularly important statistic. 94% of children who are abused in this country are abused by someone they know and trust.
So, realistically, who should we be protecting our children from? This menace to society who is clearly the vast minority, or getting some perspective on the argument. And before you come after me with the tar and feathers for not understanding what today’s parents are up against, I was one of those children who was abused. By people that my family knew. And had I had the self confidence and self worth to believe that something would have been done, I would not have endured it for as long as I did. Stranger danger- yes, it’s important, but what is more important, insight of those statistics is empowering children.
Be realistic, these people are humans. They need help. And our worth as fellow humans is in question when our actions aren’t congruent with our morals in challenging times.
Thank you for this article. I knew on reading it that if you’d allowed comments, you’d have some serious backlash.
I too would allow Dennis Ferguson to live in my neighbourhood, although I don’t have children. Even if I did, I would at least in his case, know that this is a man not to be trusted alone with my children. I feel that it is appropriate to inform kids that there are grownups that they can’t trust, and that if a grown up ever makes them uncomfortable, that they can and should try to get out of the situation.
At least this paedophile is recognisable. On top of this he has repaid his debt to society.
I’m pleasantly surprised by this column and the number of people with an enlightened attitude. Although I could never blame people who have had bad experiences for wishing this Ferguson guy ill, the rest of us have no right to judge. If you don’t know anything about paedofiles or molesters, have never been affected, and want to live in our democratic society, then put up or shut up. The law’s there for a reason. Two wrongs do not make a right.
Thanks for such a refreshing point of view, Angry Dad
The guy has to live somewhere. The only alternative is to lock him forever, or execute him. Neither make sense in the broader interests of a society with a legal system intended to bring about order and rehabilitation. It’s not about vengeance. If it was my child, I would want vengeance. I’d probably move heaven and earth to get it. However, without the grief and shock and motherguilt of being in that position, I am able to take a broader perspective and try to think about what’s in the interests of the greater good. The system isn’t perfect, but it’s the best that we have, and is better than the alternative. I hate this person, I think he is despicable. I have two young children and the thought of someone like him being near them strikes fear in my heart. However, I would not be joining a lynch mob if he was to live near me. Why? Because I don’t trust anyone at all with my children. As far as I can tell, it’s the pedos that we don’t know about that we should be the most concerned by. They are the ones that scare me the most, I’m not going to waste my energy worrying about someone who is already in the spotlight. It will just distract me from seeing those that have not yet been caught. It’s not an ideal way to live, but I will be bringing my young children up with a healthy mistrust of all adults, including those that they know and are related to. I can’t protect them from absolutely everything in the world. But I can try, and as far I can see, tightly controlling the environments they are in and teaching them that adults are not always right is the best use of my energy. I need to spend just as much time teaching them to cross the road carefully, not to go near a swimming pool without an adult , not to eat or drink things they find around the house. Mistakes on any of these fronts are more likely to cost my children their life, not just their innocence. I agree that pedophilia hysteria is out of control. Be pissed off about it, hate the guy. But take responsibility for protecting your children, and see this threat in the greater scheme of threats that we face everyday. Being a parent is so hard and so terrifying. I understand the fear that many others have of this man. He has come to personify all that is out to hurt our beautiful children. But the truth is he is just a pathetic and very sad person who may have even been abused himself when he was a kid. We’ll never know what happened. We can’t control everything. All we can do is our best.
Why do people insist on insolation being the best? Away from society and away from normal things, deny the man normal things and from leading a normal life and where will that lead you?
He’s paid for his mistake. Im not saying he won’t be a danger or that he has reformed, but surely being aware of him and perhaps even helping him to get gainful employment where he can contribute to society.
Perhaps some normalcy (while you keep your eye on him) will help him move away from the terrible things he has done.
And what if he has actually reformed? So many criminals are capable of reform, if he has truly reformed (which you could determine through psychoanalysis etc) then denying him his rights and moving him on is a grave injustice.
The sad fact of the matter too, is that it probably won’t be him you’ll have to worry about, but Fred Jones down the road who no one suspected as he hasn’t been caught yet.
Nick I totally agree with you on more worried about Fred Jones down the road. But ok a team of psychologists do a range of test on Dennis to see if he is “reformed” and a green light flashes. if you put a naked innocent child in front of him, u think he won’t get an erection? sorry it’s in his and every other paedophile’s nature to, even if they have served their oh so lenient sentence. their victim’s are scarred for life and it changes their lives completely. if u have not been a victim of one, u will NEVER understand. they should serve life for the life they took. an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. it may sound primitive but it is justice for the children and their families. who are you to argue otherwise? i haven’t seen one post that mentions justice. really shows how the democratic UN style thinking works… everyone has rights. but there is no justice for the victims.
what about their rights huh? forget about that one ay Angry Dad pfft…