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Sex offender can work with children |
Author: CHRISTIANA JONES
Publication: The West Australian (15,Mon 09 Jul 2007)
A Salvation Army minister who once committed sex offences against a young girl has been allowed to keep working with children, after a Department for Community Development decision to stop him was overturned. In a judgment delivered last month, WA’s State Administrative Tribunal said there were "exceptional circumstances" that should allow the middle-aged man to keep working with children. The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has two convictions in Victoria for indecently assaulting a girl in 1980 when she was aged five or six. He is a minister with the Salvation Army in WA, coming into regular contact with children through his congregation work.
The man has been in the role for some years, but because of legislative changes that came into force in 2006 aimed at weeding out likely child sex offenders from roles involving children, he had to apply for an "assessment notice" to continue his work. Salvation Army divisional commander Major Iain Trainor said yesterday he had not seen a more dedicated person try so desperately to live down their actions. "I believe rehabilitation has been effected and he has worked extremely hard to help other people," Major Trainor said. "It would be a terrible miscarriage of justice if this person were stopped from doing that type of work." A DCP spokeswoman pointed out that SAT had been given extra information about the applicant when it reviewed the departments decision. The department has already issued the assessment notice ordered by Judge Chaney. |
