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A VIGILANTE group headed by an Adelaide man that "outs" paedophiles has mounted a national campaign to warn communities about child molesters. Movement Against Kindred Offenders has delivered letters into the boxes of 500 houses in a Brisbane suburb advising a man convicted of three counts of indecent dealings was living in the area. Residents were given a telephone number to call if they wanted the offender's name and location. But the practice has been condemned by civil libertarians and prompted a warning from the South Australian Attorney General Trevor Griffin. MAKO, admits alerting thousands of households in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Gold Coast over 18 months. The group is establishing links with US organisations which pushed for the controversial Megan's Law allowing paedophiles to be named in many states. Mr Morell said the organisation had notified 42 communities of known paedophiles. Of the 35 outed, 31 were living within 50m to 500m of a playground or a kindergarten. "In one instance one was a school caretaker and living next door to the school," Mr Morell said. "Another was renting rooms to single fathers and would babysit children." A Catholic priest in Melbourne who was convicted in the civil courts and whose victims received a cash settlement was also outed. "We are strongly opposed to anyone using violence against these people - we just believe the community should be told they are there," he said. He said many people across Australia were joining the movement and assisting in dropping letters into boxes. Mr Morell said he had not yet been contacted by police and said the practice was legal. "People want this - we believe it is time the focus was put back on the victim rather than the offender," he said. But civil libertarians are outraged by the practice. Australian Council of Civil Liberties president Terry O'Germ has described it as tantamount to harassment. He has called on governments to provide protection for paedophiles who might be the subject of such activities. Mr Griffin said those naming paedophiles could face charges. In SA, truth was a defence in defamation, but in some other states there had to be a proven public interest as well, he said. There was also the matter of court-ordered suppression of names. Courts often suppressed the name of the offender in order to protect the identity of the victim. Adelaide Advertiser Michael Madigan |
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