Fears sex offender abused vulnerable children
A high-level investigation is under way into how a notorious sex offender supposedly under strict monitoring came to be housed in a motel, where it’s suspected he may have abused vulnerable children.
The Press understands Ronald Jeffries, who was subject to a 10-year extended supervision order after a lifetime of sexual offending, was placed in a motel in the lower North Island by the Department of Corrections.
Extended supervision orders are for the worst sex offenders and mean the person can be closely monitored in the community, but Jeffries has complained that it is like ‘‘enslavement’’ and ‘‘torture’’ and has allegedly breached the conditions several times.
The probation service decided to place him in a motel, a practice that has become increasingly common, after residents flagged concerns about his community-based accommodation.
It is understood Jeffries came into contact with a vulnerable family who had been housed in the same motel by the Ministry of Social Development.
There are concerns Jeffries may have abused one or more of the children and police are investigating.
Jeffries has since been recalled to prison.
It is one of two similar cases being investigated by authorities.
The Press is aware of another sex offender, Steven Kendall, who is also being investigated for possible offending relating to children while under Corrections supervision. He’s back in custody after allegedly breaching his release conditions.
‘‘Corrections is carrying out separate reviews of the placement and management of these offenders.’’ Corrections statement
The Jeffries incident is likely to put senior Corrections officials who made decisions around his supervision under intense scrutiny and raise serious questions about the practice of housing offenders in motels.
Corrections said in a statement both Jeffries and Kendall had been charged by the department with breaching the conditions of their court-imposed orders, and been remanded to prison. ‘‘Corrections is carrying out separate reviews of the placement and management of these offenders.’’
The statement said finding accommodation for offenders was one of the department’s ‘‘most significant challenges’’.
‘‘The use of motels as emergency accommodation may be approved for a very small number of offenders as a last resort, where no other suitable options can be secured. The alternative is that these offenders would be homeless, which would present an unacceptable safety risk to communities.’’
Safety checks were undertaken to ensure potential risks to children or others were minimised, which included consideration of other occupants and discussion with proprietors.
Last month a convicted paedophile warned that placing child sex offenders in motels was asking for trouble. The man told The
Press he was staying in a Waikato motel with children next door. ‘‘For me, personally, it’s not a big deal.
‘‘I’m not about to go and reoffend. But you put a freshly released prisoner into that situation and it might be a different story.
‘‘It’s only going to be a matter of time before someone slips up. Probation is doing nothing to help us.’’
Police and the MSD refused to discuss the cases.
Asked what action it took after learning of the incident with Jeffries, and whether the children were safe, Viv Rickard, MSD’s deputy chief executive of service delivery, said: ‘‘We’re not able to help you with this further.
‘‘Any police investigations would be a matter to discuss with them.’’
Police said in a statement they couldn’t say whether an individual was under investigation, ‘‘however, police take allegations of offending against children very seriously and will thoroughly investigate’’.
Jeffries, 65, got out of prison in March last year after serving 51⁄2 years for sexual offending against a girl between 12 and 15 years old. He would stupefy her, abuse her, then photograph her. Before he was released, the Department of Corrections applied for an extended supervision order so he would be monitored and managed while back in the community.
The orders are for offenders who pose real and ongoing risk to the public but Jeffries is alleged to have repeatedly ignored the conditions and is scheduled to appear in the Palmerston North District Court this month on three charges of breaching the order.
In 1973, Jeffries, aged 20, was jailed for two years for attempted rape. In 1981 he was sentenced to six years’ jail for a brutal episode of offending against two victims during which he raped one victim four times.
Jeffries met with the Parole Board in February, when Corrections applied to impose special conditions on his supervision order.
A psychologist report showed he was at high risk of reoffending and he was untreated for sexual offending.
Jeffries challenged the board’s power to impose special conditions, claiming they amounted to ‘‘enslavement’’, and went all the way to the Court of Appeal to have them overturned. The court dismissed the appeal this month.