Rapist rehab struggle
Child protection veteran says there’s no single answer
A QUEENSLAND child safety expert commenting on the rape of a nine-year-old girl in a Cairns park has warned there is no single solution to the torment caused by recidivist child sex offenders.
As a previously convicted sex offender, Samuel Gaulai Misi was required to adhere to strict reporting conditions before absconding from Mackay to abuse a little girl that had gathered with family to celebrate her birthday in 2020.
Misi will have seven years behind bars to contemplate his crime after being sentenced in Mackay District Court. But the terror will be replayed in the mind of the nine-year-old victim forever.
A 17-year child protection veteran and adviser to the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council, Jo Bryant, said how to deal with repeat sex offenders had proved a minefield for lawmakers and the court system.
“One of the issues is rehabilitation services; it’s really difficult to rehabilitate (offenders) in prison,” she said.
“That’s why getting in early and special programs (are important) to identify those harmful behaviours early. And get people off that path of recidivism.”
In response to community outrage at the sentences imposed on child sex offenders, laws enacted in 2012 were designed to get tough on sex offenders.
The Two Strike Child Sex Offenders Amendment Bill applies when an offender previously convicted of a sexual crime punishable by life in jail is released on parole and then commits a like offence again.
But Bravehearts founder and child safety advocate Hetty Johnson said the law was rarely exercised by judges.
“There is scientific evidence to show (victims suffer) actual brain damage,” she said.
Ms Bryant said it was a complex issue and there were often extenuating circumstances.
“We expressed real concern about how you judge the two strikes,” she said.
“The important message to the public is it’s not a onesize-fits-all solution.”