What to do with Australia’s least wanted man

tony says:

07:00am | 15/09/09

back to jail,and let him out when hes 99

Liz says:

07:53am | 15/09/09

The difficulty here as the public know is that paedophiles are never rehabilitated.Serving time is one thing for offences but once a paedophile always a paedophile so the parents are right, he’s a danger and always will be.You wouldn’t free a psychopath would you and this is similar.Perhps he needs securing in an institution for his own protection.

Charles says:

08:09am | 15/09/09

I was under the impression (and a very quick glace at Wikipedia “confirmed”) that paedophilia is a psychological condition, in which case serving time in jail would not cure him.
So any parent is really justified in not wanting him anywhere near their children.
He may have served time, but he has not been cured of paedophilia.

Does anyone else know anything more about this?

RT says:

08:30am | 15/09/09

The media love him - the creepy kiddie fiddler from central casting. Ferguson should hire himself out to the media and agree to be relocated, for a hefty fee, to various locations around the country where his presence is guaranteed to produce the required moral panic and exaggerated fears.

Government Ministers seeking to be seen to take decisive action could arrange for him to be moved on. A grateful community gives thanks to the authorities and flocks to watch the story on 6:30pm trash current affairs TV, boosting ratings for a week. Everyone’s happy.  Repeat in three months.

jonathan says:

08:30am | 15/09/09

Tory, just noticed you were enjoying “Farmer Wants a Wife”. 
Here’s a concept, and you can have this one for free:  “Paedophile Wants a Suburb” in which Ferguson gets to meet different suburbs, go on a few dates, just try it out for a bit to see if they’re compatible. 
I think the public would really get behind this.

RT says:

08:36am | 15/09/09

I have another suggestion. Noting that Elton John has been denied permission to adopt a Ukrainian child, perhaps he could adopt Ferguson instead. Here is one man in need of nurturing (however late in life) and another wanting to exercise his nurturing instinct. Two birds and all that.

Jane says:

08:46am | 15/09/09

Tory, I must argue with you on one point. You say Ferguson is “slightly crazed looking”. I say he’s fully crazed looking, in a very serial killer kinda way.

jonathan says:

08:46am | 15/09/09

Ooh ooh. I’ve got another one:
In the spirit of “From Ladette to Lady”, we have “From Paedophile to Principal”, in which Ferguson gets sent to the stately manor house in the English countryside where he is bullied and abused by matronly old crones until he is completely reformed.
I think the public would really get behind this.

Steve S says:

08:56am | 15/09/09

I’m sure for a reasonable sum of money, slightly in excess of a carer’s pension, a position for minding Ferguson and those of his ilk would be a satisfactory solution…........given the real unemployment rate I’m sure a number of people would be champing at the bit to get this sort of gig…........three people could be ably full time employed minding this grub.  Short of a bullet or incarcerating him in a Point Piper mansion, I can’t see too many other solutions.

Amy says:

09:04am | 15/09/09

Excellent article. What if the man is rehabilitated (and chances are he is)? What if he was your brother, son etc? You would want him to be able to have served his time and maybe have the chance to give something back to the society he has violated.

I’m so sick of the outrage surrounding this man. It’s easy and weak to go on a rampage against a convicted paedophile and insist “not in my backyard”...

Rae says:

09:05am | 15/09/09

This article is brilliant, I think it opens us up to the idea that Ferguson, although psycologically deformed, is human. He served his time in prison, which given his crime, would have been no walk in the park. Many of you are saying that pedophelia is a psycological condition, which it is, but Ferguson has been rehabilitated. He would not have just been released back into the public if he was showing signs of turning back to his old ways. Now I’m not saying for a second I would be comfortable with him in my neighbourhood, but im also not comfortable with the homophobes, religious folk and other people who live in my neighbourhood. Its not like the government is telling you to leave your children in free day care with the guy!!!

I sincerely hope that Ferguson finds a home where he can live his life, his new rehabilitated life, hassle free.

BTW Jonathan = Hilarious!

Hitchy says:

09:09am | 15/09/09

I’d be more than happy to have him live next door to me. I could also guarantee that the taxpayers wouldn’t have to put up with ‘footing the bill’ for much longer

Toddzilla says:

09:10am | 15/09/09

One word: castration. The only appropriate action for any chester.

ShaneO says:

09:14am | 15/09/09

I disagree with you Tory; this guy has crossed the line and will never be acceptable as a citizen in our society - regardles of how much time he spent in prison.

Peadophilia is the ugliest crime you could commit and is unforgivable.

I can’t find one gram of sympathy for this guy and I won’t say what I really think should be done to him as it would be unprintable.

It gives me cold comfort that he spent time in his prison cell cowering in fear for his life like the pathetic piece of scum he is.

What about his victims and their family; how do they feel? Do you think they have moved on Tory?

Russell says:

09:31am | 15/09/09

There are plenty of “non family” suburbs where people who stick their tongues out like lizards would not be noticed. Newtown and Darlinghurst come to mind… Also, really affluent places like Mosman, Woolhara, Hunters Hill only have old people, so no temptation at all for Fergo

Stephen Pickells says:

09:42am | 15/09/09

Given that the majority of child sexual abuse is carried out by somebody who is known to the child, it seems that the onus should be on parents to protect their children by way of education and close monitoring, just as they would do in any other situation where danger is present. There are plenty of Dennis Fergusons out there, they are not only active but they are anonymous. Evicting the poster boy of paedophiles gives everyone a false sense of security and I can’t help drawing a comparison to the Government’s filternet. Frankly, it’s just not workable.

David says:

09:41am | 15/09/09

If homosexuality is not a crime then why is pedophilia a crime . Pedophilia is incurable and so is homosexuality . The crime is committed when a child is hurt and the pedophile is dobbed in . How many closet pedophiles are out there . There must be millions of them and it has gone on since ancient times . Sexual abberations abound and some are just worse than others .
Also , there are a lot of sleazy individuals around who look as though they could be anything .
The decent looking ‘‘suit ‘’ could be a pedophile .
I say that they should be kept away from society in some humane way until nature takes its course and God has his way and takes them to heaven so they can be amongst the cherubim .

jonathan says:

09:43am | 15/09/09

Ok, this is my last one:
With the recent passing of Mike Leyland (TYFBAF),  and in the spirit of “Ask the Leyland Brothers”, we have “Ask Dennis Ferguson” in which viewers write in and ask Dennis to visit a part of the country they’ve never seen before and which is a long way from their home.  It has the double appeal of showing undiscovered parts of the country and knowing that (for at least a week) Ferguson is nowhere near your family.
I think the public would really get behind this.

Sadhbh says:

09:48am | 15/09/09

I do wonder, when the shouts of kiddy-fiddler start, is the hatred and scorn directed towards paedophiles the last legitimised form of racism available to us in society? Do we need a bottom rung on the ladder that badly, someone we can all feel morally superior to matter what we do?

“Well, I cheated on my spouse and hit them a few times, and I’ve half-heartedly stolen cash from my office and the ATO where I can, but hey – I’m not a kiddy fiddler!”

Ferguson deserves a chance to rehabilitate himself and lead as a normal life as someone this well known and reviled can. Otherwise we are saying that no one can change. And if that’s the case, we may as well all book ourselves into prison right now and throw away the key.

http://www.sadhbh.blogspot.com/

LOL says:

09:51am | 15/09/09

hahaha Russell…. Just made me choke on my coffee!
Apart from newtown & darlinghurst, plenty of people on the north side stick our their tongues like lizards.

DA says:

10:01am | 15/09/09

isnt paedophilia a genetic condition? I’m pretty sure i read they can be identified by FMRI scans now (would be good to make those madatory for school teachers).
If true, then he is no more ‘curable’ than a heterosexual, becuase the attaction to children is as hardwired into the structure of the being as my attraction to women.
So he will always at least be tempted to re-offend in one way or another.

Maybe lifetime institutionalisation is the answer, not neccessarily in prison though, because society needs to be protected, but its actually not his fault. We need to recognise that he is a victim of his condition too, and have some compassion (not much), and provide a reasonably comfortable place for him and others like him to live out his alotted time while maintaining the protection of society from people who suffer this tragic genetic deformity. Perhaps an oil rig could be refitted?

steve says:

10:23am | 15/09/09

If you had a choice of knowing a paedophile and where he lives verses not knowing, what would you choose? The simple FACT is that children are more likely to be abused by a family member or friend. If I had children, I would love to know who the grubs in my community were, not so I could chase them out of town, but so I could ensure that they were never part of my family life and have no interaction with my child. And lets not forget that statistically there’s at least 1 paedophile in almost all communities - we just don’t know who they are.

Graham Stevens says:

10:43am | 15/09/09

If Australia had a Federal Penitentiary system where if a crime is committed in two or more states it becomes a Federal crime and the Australian Government takes over then this guy could be locked away for life, no parole, in a detention facility at Christmas Island, Outback SA or WA or similar. The facilities are in place, prisoners are a long way from civilisation and problem solved.

Fol says:

10:45am | 15/09/09

Has he paid his debt to society? If it were my child he hurt then at least 50 yrs behind bars before any freedom is to be considered. The child is damaged for life, has anyone considered that fact? He still has alot to answer for.

Stephen Pickells says:

10:47am | 15/09/09

To DA, I would be interested to know where you read that thing about the FMRI scans. It makes more sense than the current wisdom that abusers were previously abused and are continuing the “cycle of abuse”. The big hole in this argument is that the majority of abusers are men, whereas the majority of abused children are girls. Of course it could be argued that most child abusers are not true paedophiles and are driven less by the need for sexual gratification than the desire for power and the feeling of domination, as in other forms of rape. But this is just academic and doesn’t address the issue. If the attaction to children is as hardwired into the structure of the being as your attraction to women, that’s unfortunate but it doesn’t excuse the offense. We are all capable of violence but we don’t all go around bashing people. Not all psychopaths are serial killers. If the paedophile is aware of his (or her) condition, they should seek treatment.  Possibly in the form of antipsychotic medication or perhaps Electro-Convulsive Therapy or even a lobotomy. You say the genetic condition is not [their] fault, but the willingness to act on the impulse despite knowing the damage it will cause, certainly is.

Heléna says:

10:53am | 15/09/09

my problem with Ferguson is that he has never expressed any remorse for his actions, there is a still an outstanding case against him which will now never be tried,

unless he can admit the horror of his crime, accept chemical castration, if he believes he cannot control his pedophiliac urges, (I have never reasearched chemical castration - so may be presuming that this is a failsafe option) then frankly I would be the first with a pitchfork if he moved into my suburb

surely people like Ferguson should not be held in prison for a fixed term, but rehabilitated in an institution that can address his psychological issues, and only released when they are seen to be cured of their condition

Chris says:

10:58am | 15/09/09

I am surprised David Borger didnt put him in a safer Liberal seat after all that is how the NSW government operate.

K says:

10:59am | 15/09/09

DA - while I see some of the point you are trying to make, there’s a problem with that argument I cannot get past.
If a paedophile’s attrraction to children is not different to a heterosexual’s attraction to the opposite sex etc, that still doesn’t give them the right to abuse a child, just like a man isn’t given the right to abuse a woman - simply because he is ‘attracted’ to her.
That’s the sinister & unforgiveable thing about many paedophiles. They manipulate children, earn their trust, and take full advantage of an innonence that society must protect.
If your argument is true about it being a genetic condition, that doesnt excuse the pure evil to deiberately then hurt & ruin a childhood. Their urges & atrraction are NO excuse. They still have a choice to make, like the rest of us. If they choose to harm a child, they deserve no sympathy.

Zeta says:

11:01am | 15/09/09

Tors is right, there is no right answer (although there might be a couple of capital R - Right answers). Especially when we look at what’s just happened in the United States.

Phillip Garrido, the alledged abductor of Jaycee Dugard who was recently discovered in a makeshift cell behind his house, moved to the Californian town of Antioch in 1988 after being released for a previous sexually motivated kidnapping. Thanks to Megan’s Law, towns like Antioch have become slums for sex offenders, with the small town being home to over 100 at the time of Garrido’s arrest. They’re far from schools and churches, and with housing prices plummeting by 40 per cent in the area thanks to the influx of sex offenders, the residents aren’t asking a lot of questions. The combination of bad town planning, the failed implementation of the sex offender’s registry, and the fact that released sex offenders need someplace to live effectively makes towns like Antioch a no-go zone for children.

Is that the best we can hope for? To implement a Megan’s Law type provision here and see whole districts given over to sex offenders due to them being far away from schools?

But before we look closely at how we manage released sex offenders, the judiciary, and their legislative masters need to take a good hard look at how we sentence sex crime in Australia.

That rape, and the rape of children especially, carries diminished sentences when compared to other crimes suggests that rape is a lesser crime. So the court’s are enforcing the cultural view that destroying someone’s sexuality and their self worth is not a crime on par with say bank robbery, car theft and serious fraud.

Ferguson kidnapped three children and raped them in a Brisbane motel room, for which he served 14 years gaol. Brenden Abbot, the rogueish Postcard Bandit, who stole more than $5 million at gun point and escaped gaol twice; is also serving 14 years. When he’s completed that sentence, he’ll be extradicted to Queensland to be charged with further armed robberies, and is unlikely to ever leave prison. In total, Abbot has served 23 years, without ever firing a shot.

Does society really beleive that Brenden Abbot, the cheeky crook who sent postcards to the cops on his tail, and whose most serious crime was escaping custody, should be in gaol longer than a man who raped there children?

So what do we do with him? And since it’s the State’s fault he’s even free, the State that we elect, why are we so angry and calling for ‘something to be done’?

I don’t believe in the death penalty, because I don’t think the State has the right to institutionalise murder; but somewhere along the line, someone needs to take personal responsibility for these crimes. Ferguson won’t, because if he did, he’d have done the world a favour and checked himself out.

The thing that makes me wonder about disgusting crimes, is why doesn’t anyone ever exact any degree of revenge? Why doesn’t someone take personal responsibility and make sure scumbags like Ferguson don’t have the opportunity to offend again? If you walk into a Sydney pub today, every bloke at the bar will tell you ‘If it was my wife, or my daughter, I’d kill the bastard’; but that cannot be true, because every victim is someone’s wife, and someone’s daughter, but you don’t see the docks full of parents and husbands being charged with killing the criminals who wronged them.

People like Ferguson disgust us, I think, not because of what they did, but because they highlight how powerless we are to stop them.

ray ray says:

11:08am | 15/09/09

What happened to sticking him in one of those one horse towns out in regional Queensland? No kids, nothing but desert, etc.

Brian Ward says:

11:10am | 15/09/09

Death penalty for repeat violent and sex offenders. Easy.

AdamC says:

11:42am | 15/09/09

The idealism some of the commenters have displayed here, such as Amy’s “what if [Ferguson] was your brother, son etc” is admirable. Indeed, we have a criminal justice and corrections regime based on this same idealism: that offenders can be convicted, punished, see the error of their ways and be ‘rehabilitated’. While Ferguson’s case, involving as it does the hot-button issue of child abuse, get the headlines, there are myriad cases where the reality of recidivism cruels the ideal of redemption-based justice.

We need to be realistic. Many criminals are simply incorrigible, too caught up with their own urges or the criminal lifestyle itself to ever really be rehabilitated. Perhaps a system of super-parole, involving frequent surveillance and intensive support for serious and repeat offenders would restore some public faith and solve the Ferguson problem.

iansand says:

11:49am | 15/09/09

Put him in a retirement village.  No one under 55, and most a lot older.

Bee says:

11:48am | 15/09/09

David, I fail to see how you can make the comparison between homosexuality and paedophilia. Homosexuality involves sex between two consenting adults who just happen to be of the same gender. Paedophilia involves an individual targeting an innocent child and abusing them mentally and physically. You claim “homosexuality is uncurable” - well, so is heterosexuality! Why do you have to tarnish homosexuals with the implication that their “condition” is as deviant as paedophilia?

cathy says:

11:58am | 15/09/09

Where’s Dexter when you need him?

SR says:

11:59am | 15/09/09

What I find odd is that society has dealt with crime/offences for millennia with which for many generations imprisonment has been the preferred method of punishment, protection and reform with the exception of death, torture and banishment (and probably a few of others).

The issue that strikes me is that in fairly recent times society has “discovered” a crime that it does not know how to deal with. This leads me to believe that there may be something more at play. Of course the crimes committed by Ferguson are abhorrent, however I do not see the amount of lynch mobbing regarding the likes of Martin Bryant, Ivan Milat, the Moran family etc. (however David Hicks is still somewhat of a societal pariah). I wonder now if murder is no longer considered the most serious crime by society. If that is the case we may need to recalibrate our own values on what any person life is actually worth.

Kate says:

12:09pm | 15/09/09

I was suprised to see Today Show show footage of his house, interview the neighbours and do a live cross outside the complex. Not sure that’s helping anyone involved in this and made for pretty average content for viewing.

Brad H says:

12:13pm | 15/09/09

Here’s an answer, let the man be truely free in this case. This way, we the people are NOT forking out hundreds of thousands of tax payers dollars to rename and relocoate this unwanted insidious predator.
His true freedom will be just like everyone elses where HE.. has to pay to relocate himself, HE.. has to deal with the fallout of people knowing what he really is and HE.. has to manage the fallout from his past, not the taxpayer. I think in the end he’d just top himself and we’d all be done with the cost and worry of this man in our community.  not to mention a well placed lesson for other would be paedophiles.

Al says:

12:15pm | 15/09/09

How about paying Nauru to take him. Having run out of bird poo to sell and with a per capita GDP of only $2400 per person and an empty detention centre to house him in it all looks like it could be pretty win-win.

Vicki PS says:

12:30pm | 15/09/09

A big problem in trying to sensibly consider the whole issue of how we as a society should respond to sexual offences against children is the misuse of the term ‘paedophilia’.  As some people have already pointed out, paedophilia is a specific psychosexual disorder, and not in itself a crime.  Acting on paedophilic impulses to commit sexual acts on children is the crime.  It may be impossible to cure paedophilia, but people can learn to control their impulses.
Not all child sex offenders would be classified as paedophiles, by the way.  If every dad, stepdad or grandpa who ever ‘interfered with’ (strange euphemism) a child in their family was so classified and condemned to life in custody, all our jails and institutions wouldn’t be enough to hold them.

andy says:

12:32pm | 15/09/09

A short drop with a sharp stop is a cheap and certain remedy.  If he is seen to be an unremorseful repeat sex offender, why should society cut him any slack?

DA says:

12:34pm | 15/09/09

Bee, If you re-read my post you will realise that I compared paedophilia to HETERO-sexuality! This was purposefull.

Further to those posters saying that paedophilia is a psychological condition, i think you will find that this 1970’s idea of victims of abuse becoming abusers is pretty much dead in the water, by the simple argument that if it were true there would be a lot more abusive people in the world.

Some people are just wired up in a way which makes them intolerable to society (pyschopaths,paedophiles spring to mind), its not primarily about environment or upbringing, its genetics. Some people will be strongly tempted (to the point of obsession) to commit acts which the rest of us find abhorrent, and while its not neccessarily fair in a strict philosophical sense that they be held to our standards, practically its the way its going to go down, that there are some things we cannot tolerate no matter how PC we may become as a society, and I hope paedophilia is one of those things.

K, I never said it gave them the right, just that they should be considered in a slightly different light to some other offenders, including that there is no possibility for rehabilitation (violent psychopaths also fall into this category). They need to be put somewhere permanently, with no hope of parole. Because its permanent, I think that they shouldnt be kept in prisons since that would be cruel, and expensive. I was serious about recomissioning an abandoned oil rig somewhere. I agree that these people are just as deserving of punishment as any other rapist, but for rapists there is often some possibility of rehabilitation, for kiddie fiddlers there is not.

Stephen P, I havent got the link handy, but FMRI is likely our best weapon to identify these people early on, same with psychopaths. Goggle it

AdamC, yep I agree that if it was my brother, I would want him treated humanely, but not at the risk of children in society, I would want him put somewhere he cant hurt anyone, but where he can be comfortable and have some semblance of a life and as much freedom as can be safely allowed. We already have ‘super parole’, what do you think Ferguson is in? It doesnt work, these people should never be released into society.

DA says:

12:42pm | 15/09/09

I agree with the post which describes the insine case whee a person who steals $5million is put away for longer than someone who rapes 3 people. We do really need to recalibrate our values on these lines, where sexual offences should be much more harshly punished. Also random murder is a worse crime than child molesting, although somewhere a serial child molester becomes worse than a one time murderer.
I think the reason for this is a ‘dont ask, dont tell’ , or ‘it was good enough for me so who are you to complain’ mentality stemming from centuries of abuse of the ruling class by Catholic Priests, but thats just my crazy theory.
Also that rape and violence against women has only recently (last 50 years) even been considered a serious crime, so there a lot of blame to lay at the feet of the same old abusive white men we can blame everything else on

miles says:

12:44pm | 15/09/09

..so i guess he will have these problems following him for the rest of his life
good, that sounds fair!

Rock Lobster says:

12:57pm | 15/09/09

Can we define a suburb that isn’t ?
“Last night on the ABC news people from the “family suburb” of Ryde, in Sydney’s north west, described their suburb as a “candy shop” for Ferguson.”

He needs to be placed in a very remote town, to fend for himself .
Although he’d be a lot safer back inside !

LB says:

12:57pm | 15/09/09

Fairbloodydinkum! There are some maggots in this life we should never forgive….but everyone to their own views and opinions..
mine? the only support i’d give this maggot is to help hold him up to put a noose round his kneck..
and the ‘be a good christian and forgive angle’? bullshit…..when an act is done, it is done….he rapes or molests your child..that is never forgotten…never…their is no forgiveness…

sorry to the churchies on here… but ferguson deserves all he gets from irate people and upset mothers and fathers, and those that have been abused..

I for one can never forgive or forget those that do wrong by me, my friends or those i love…...that might mean i might carry a lot of baggage around…but i’m not one that can turn the other cheek…some might say thats a pretty sad view at life….tough…
The big question….if it was your child he messed with?....has he still done his time and paid for what he did to your child? whatever their age…has he paid for the lifelong pain that you will carry in your heart and your memory for the rest of your life?..

AdamC says:

12:59pm | 15/09/09

DA, how would you propose that offenders like Ferguson somehow be incarcerated indefinitely? I note, in an earlier comment, you suggested institutionalisation, but that wouldn’t work either. How would medical staff determine whether an offender had been ‘cured’? I am unconvinced that child abusers have genuine psychological conditions anyway. They may have urges and fantasies which society regards as inappropriate, but that is not equivalent to being mentally ill.

Therefore, imprisonment is the only correctional option, and you can’t imprison someone for what they might do once they have served their sentence. While it may not be good enough, intensive parole is all we have.

Phil says:

01:13pm | 15/09/09

Capital punishment, Death, although that lets him off easy and people cant show him for the rest of his life what they think of his actions. It solves the problem of what to do with him, an unmarked grave in the middle of nowhere - no more time or attention spent on him. Shame that doesnt undo what he has put those kids through, that will be with them for life. 

This should be the same ending for most rapists, paedophiles, etc these people are a pest & are just a waste of time, space & tax payer money.

ileum says:

01:17pm | 15/09/09

The rate of sexual recidivism varies from as low as 2% to 35%. Much lower than the general prison population. I have written more on this here 

This shows that we should be more worried about the child sex offenders we don’t know about.

Jason B says:

01:17pm | 15/09/09

Wow, some people are so closed minded and have no grip on reality. Do you really think this man chose to have an attraction to children? no, he was born with it, it is a mental illness. He can’t just switch it off, that is like me asking a straight man to stop liking women, he couldn’t do it. Could you live your entire life with no sexual gratification at all because society rejects your desired sexual partner? is that not enough to tip many people over the edge?

Think before you whip up a lynch mob, this man his served his time, he is regularly hounded now while he just wants to live and keep to himself.

I am not defending his crimes, I am defending his right as an Australian to live without being hounded for crimes he has served the time for.

Chris says:

01:30pm | 15/09/09

Chemical castration for sex offenders?
Problem solved..

Bee says:

01:33pm | 15/09/09

DA, I wasn’t referring to your post. I was referring to David’s, whose post was a bit above yours, the quote was “If homosexuality is not a crime then why is pedophilia(sic) a crime . Pedophilia(sic) is incurable and so is homosexuality” . I didn’t want you to think I was attacking what you said, it was a different post I was referring to, making an entirely different point.

LB says:

01:37pm | 15/09/09

Jason B says:
I am not defending his crimes, I am defending his right as an Australian to live without being hounded for crimes he has served the time for.
—————————-
There are some crimes that are paid for by time served…and rightly so…but those that mess with kids do not deserve the same forgiveness like ‘all is forgiven attitude’..
A bank robber may be forgiven when he’s done his time…but not these maggots jason B…even though i see where your coming from…but like those in certain countries that cut off heads and blow innocent people up…(and these types of beings classed as human also),  really shouldn’t be allowed to breathe the same air as the rest of us.

Jason B says:

01:45pm | 15/09/09

LB, it was not too long ago that homosexuals were locked up and hated by the community for their ‘evil ways’. It is now a well-known fact that homosexuality is incurable, as is paedophilia. He did not have a choice in who he was attracted to, he was born with it, would you like it if you were locked up tomorrow for engaging in heterosexual intercourse and shunned in the community for being a heterosexual?

This is incurable and not his fault (his condition), as for his crime, he has served his time. Unless you fancy funding the purchase of a bunch of land in the middle of nowhere and building houses for pedophiles, then we must find somewhere for him to live in society.

Hamish says:

01:44pm | 15/09/09

I can’t understand why chemical castration is not considered an option.  Surely someone who has a preference for children has an illness - an illness that needs treatment.  I heard a story of a paedophile in Germany a number of years ago, who said he was ill, and that he made the decision to move deep into the countryside so that he would be away from children.  I know it’s difficult to look beyond the heinous nature of their crimes whilst trying to come up with a solution, but I really believe we would best protect society by treating paedophilia as illness.

DA says:

01:52pm | 15/09/09

Bee, my mistake, sorry.

AdamC, these crimes are a special case. They strike at the very heart of what it is to be human, they threaten our ability to protect our children at a fundemental level.

We can all understand murder for revenge (or from passion) and who would argue that Hitler or Stalin being drowned as children wouldnt have been a good thing? Rape is a tragic, desperate act which can potentially be forgiven, after the offender has been punished and rehabilitated.

Sex crimes against children are a whole other kettle of fish, they are alien to the healthy human being, and those carrying the genetics for attraction to children should simply be put down. But I dont believe in capital punishment (although I would happily make an exception for serial child sex offenders and a few others). I am not talking about being kept in a mental insitution to be rehabilitated or cured, because I dont think there is any hope for that. I am talking about a specially constructed and legislated permanent detention. Also we do have legislation for permanent detention, its ‘at Her Majesties Pleasure’, this guy should be kept in a cage until he is no longer a danger to children (i.e. till he is dead).

CF says:

01:53pm | 15/09/09

I agree with Hitchy (9:09am) Move him next door to me.  I promise he will dissapear rapidly from the public eye ... never to return.

Phil says:

01:54pm | 15/09/09

Im backing LB on his comments that Jason B made,

To be an adult and take advantage of a child who has done nothing wrong and was just at the wrong place and wrong time and scar them for life because you think they have a “mental issue” which they shouldnt be deprived of because of “sexual urges?” You are just as sick as they are.
Your statement of “Could you live your entire life with no sexual gratification at all because society rejects your desired sexual partner?”
Thats just wrong on so many levels, In a regular relationship you are both consenting adults, this is not the case with these types, they are forcing themselves on to children who are trusting of adults as they arent aware of the harm that might be done to them by these people all for their OWN pleasure ..

I dont know how anyone in their right mind can think these sickos should be allowed out once they have served their time, That jail sentence wont change anything for the people who have to live with what has been done to them will it?
So many lives ruined because of these sickos

Jason B says:

01:59pm | 15/09/09

DA, you are one sick puppy. You are advocating murder for something that they have no control over, how would you like to be ‘put down’ because of something you have no control over and were born with?

You can attempt to use emotional blackmail to strike down any logical argument all you like, but anybody with a bit of intelligence will see through your smoke and mirrors.

I agree protection of children should be paramount, but these are human beings, they have a right to live in society just like everybody else providing that they don’t offend against children (which there are already laws to combat and this man has served his time for his crimes).

It sounds like you are the one in need of some mental help.

LB says:

02:05pm | 15/09/09

Jason B says:
He did not have a choice in who he was attracted to, he was born with it.
————————————————-
that i will never accept…
I can accept there are people born with male/female identity issues..gay people are accepted today more than ever…but pedo’s will never be accepted, whether it is a mental condition, or as you say, a genetic condition, pedo’s are not homosexual/gay people, they cannot get satisfaction from an adult or mature aged person..male or female..
Only from children…thats my view and opinion..

James McArthur says:

02:08pm | 15/09/09

Assign him an Island to live on and i will personaly take him there by boat myself, he does not belong in society and if there is no other option and he must he should be castrated and lock up in a retirement home

im says:

02:09pm | 15/09/09

I don’t understand the focus on Ferguson. He’s not the only pervert in the village.

Littleozzybloke says:

02:20pm | 15/09/09

im says:
I don’t understand the focus on Ferguson. He’s not the only pervert in the village..
————————
He’ll do till the next one comes along…you have a list of more?

Michael says:

02:23pm | 15/09/09

Australia is a big country, why not build a heh Pedo retirement village somewhere out in the bush, if we can’t find some magic pill to cure the problem, how about a nice big fenced compound?

They get to live out the rest of their days with out being hunted by parents, our children are slightly safer, it might cost a bit of money, but would it work out any more then tying up 20 odd officers to deal with 1 pedo?

I suppose it would be just throwing them into another prison, but if its set up right, perhaps it would seem more of a commune then prison.

Paul E says:

02:34pm | 15/09/09

This is the ugliest crime alive in our communities.  Do-Gooders say “he’s served his time…” Not enough time - lock them up and throw away the key is the just penalty for abuse of children. I have seen what it can do to a family.
Not their fault? - They know it’s wrong because they hide it - they know it’s wrong but they still do it - There are normal but lonely people in our society without a partner, but they don’t go out molesting other’s because they have an itch they feel needs scratching. There is no excuse!
And here’s another one for the DO-Gooders. Whose rights are they protecting? Abused children and their families can struggle with themselves the rest of their lives, and I’ve seen it. What are we doing to our communities?  Protecting our children and the future of our society is paramount. Any paedophile’s freedom is not worth the safety of just one child. There is a greater cost to letting them run free than the price of bed and breakfast in a cell.

SR says:

02:40pm | 15/09/09

Perhaps this would accurately reflect public sentiment with regard to mandatory punishment for these offences:

Murder of a child under 18 = imprisonment for life
Rape of a child under 18 = imprisonment for life

(Based on average of current state laws for murder and aggravated rape)

Murder of a person between 18 and 65 = imprisonment for life or for 25 years

Aggravated rape of a person between 18 and 65 = imprisonment up to 20 years

Murder of a person over 65 = imprisonment for life
Rape of a person over = imprisonment for life

Keep in mind that it does cost about $50 000 per annum to contain one full time prisoner for societies benefit.

Daniel says:

03:08pm | 15/09/09

It is a real serious question of what to do with this sicko. I wouldnt want him living around me if I had kids. We have to remember though that this guy should have thought about this when he was doing these henous crimes. I am against a vigilante witch hunt though which seems like it is bubbling towards.

LCD says:

03:35pm | 15/09/09

Just hang the bastard….. Problem solved!

Brad Coward says:

03:46pm | 15/09/09

Why not just hang him ?  For sure the guy is a sick bastard, but he has served his time and regardless of whether you like it or not, he has paid his debt to society.  I won’t, nor will I ever support the activities of people like Ferguson.  At the same time, I won’t nor will I ever support violent vigilantism in the suburbs.

No matter where he is moved to, there is bound to be children in the area.  Since being released from prison, as far as we are aware, Ferguson has not reoffended.  At the very least there has been no evidence to suggest that he has reoffended.  The media are quick to reveal his whereabouts and stir up the community for the sake of headlines.  It’s time to leave Ferguson alone.  I mean, really leave him alone.  Keep right away and leave him to become the pariah that he is.  There are some out there who would happily put a noose around Ferguson’s neck who actually scare me more than someone like Ferguson every could !

Kym Durance says:

04:06pm | 15/09/09

Lot of traffic here - the editors must be pleased: this presents a genuine problem and a genuine test of civil society - however uncivil it is at times - the facts are he has paid the penalty set out - and regardless of other opinions endordsing death, castration or perennial incarceration - none of these options are open to the community in which he hopes to live. Any action taken against him is likely to be illegal - and, unless he his killed - any action taken against him might well be compensable - It doesnt matter what the DO gooders think - right now the law has decided he goes free - and it seems the government will be required to find a solution to protect him - people should also remember most peadophiles are family friends the friendly uncle - maybe people should worry more about the ones we cant readily identify - they represent a clear and present danger - more so than the one sorry soul who we know about

suze says:

04:19pm | 15/09/09

Re-comment by David, are you kidding me? Comparing homosexuality with pedophiles is insane. Children should be protected at all costs. There is nothing at all acceptable about the molestation of children. Homosexuality is between two consenting “adults”. 
Society needs to protect and serve those who are most vulnerable. I have no sympathy or pity with someone who sexually abuses children.
There is no cure for pedophilia but there is castration (chemical) and there is prison.  The message needs to be made loud and clear that molesting children is disgusting and a violation of human rights. Those who commit such offenses need to be seriously ostracized and scrutinized in the community.
Molestation is rape.
If they have done their time it is unlikely they are redeemed human beings because they just can’t be. Therefore create a self contained monitored facility to house these people in. If they roam in the community they should be escorted EVERYWHERE they go. It will costs tax payers but like someone else here suggested it would create jobs. It will cost the government more when children become adults and have to deal with the impact of their child abuse.

Or, send them all to Christmas Island, if we can do that to desperate refugees why can’t we actually get an island and send all the predators there?  “Molester Survivor”,  let this vermin rid itself.  Pedophiles are not “gentle” or nice.
The most frightening thing is most pedophiles and their supporters keep justifying their acts and condoning such behavior.  If they are so proud of what they do make them wear a T-Shirt with a warning on it “sex offender approaching”. At the very least families should know if one is living in their neighborhood.
Also there should be a complete report on how many there are in Australia and categorized in severity.
- those who view child pornography
- those who have been accused and convicted of child molestation
- those who record acts of child pornography
- those who are re-offenders
- those who sexually abuse and murder children
There must be some basic type of profiling.
Also detailing the number who are currently incarcerated and the number who are walking around in the community. The public need to know.

Children don’t want perverts touching them, what part of that don’t people get?

chrisw says:

04:23pm | 15/09/09

Ok, maybe he does deserve some place to live, but really, half a kilometer to the local school and other family facilities? 10 minute walk at most. He does not need those facilities, his house should be for families. I’m sure there are lots of single mums with small children who would give their eye teeth to gain public housing so convenient to schools etc.

Michael says:

04:23pm | 15/09/09

Yeah Brad I’d be quite happy to put the noose around this mans neck, and a lot of other people, but for now the Australian people don’t want to bring back the death penalty regardless of its positive effect on our future genetics.
There’s plenty of places in oz for a prison farm to be built far away from any children, doesn’t even need to be a prison, I think a lot of these offenders would jump at the chance to live a normal life away from children, Put the choice to them, you can leave prison and be chemically castrated and monitored, or you can live in exile on a self contained farm, Way I see it it is a win win for our society.

Rebecca says:

04:38pm | 15/09/09

I’m a mother living 2.5 kms from his current home. I always fear the unknown, but seriously, isn’t this tempting a repeat of Miles? Good cases put forward for civil liberties, but for me this is about protecting the innocents. And he is most definately not rehabiliated nor innocent.

My eyes are more open and there’s a fire in my belly.

ileum says:

04:47pm | 15/09/09

I agree with what Kym Durance said - it is more likely to be your friends and family. Not a pleasant thought hey.

I’m sure it will get up some people’s noses that Dennis Ferguson has already received compensation.

http://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2008/QDC08-224.pdf

Cuppa says:

05:26pm | 15/09/09

i completly disagree Tory.You say he has done his time & deserves to live his life.Do you think the children he mentaly destroyed & lives he ruined would agree with your PC way of thinking?Their is no penalty harsh enough for this grub.

Stilgherrian says:

05:46pm | 15/09/09

Sorry, Ferguson’s name, photo and address are all over the community where he now lives. How is he a risk, exactly? Just stick his photo on everyone’s fridge!

I find it galling to agree with the usually-shrill Hetty Johnstone from Braveheart, but today she’s right. There are already pedophiles in every community that you DON’T know about – although I daresay their numbers are tiny.

Perhaps paranoid parents should worry about the far more likely real risks to their kids: bullying, accidents and – ugly but true – abuse from within your own family.

Vicki PS says:

06:41pm | 15/09/09

An exercise for the stereotypers, name-callers and holier-than-thou-criers:
Read all of the posts above, but substitute “dangerous driver” for “paedophile” and see how many of the posts sound utterly bloody stupid.  Have a think about how you’d go applying the same range of penalties and constraints to unrepentant driving offenders who cause fatalities or permanent disabilities.
There are a hell of a lot more clear and present dangers to vent your moral outrage on than paedophiles.  And if I hear or read one more person spitting about how we need to get the message out that paedophilia is disgusting, I think I’ll fall over laughing.  C’mon, put your hands up all you out there who really thought all this time that paedophilia was just fine! 
All together now, “Paedophilia is just bad, m’kay?”
Now can we move on?

Jeff from Meroo says:

08:52pm | 15/09/09

How anyone can move him on…  kick him out of a home because of his *PAST* is utterly beyond me.  He did the crime, he did the time, now let it go.  If he re-offends, then send him back to prison and blame the Queensland DP or Judge that didn’t give him enough time in prison but unless you are going to bring back capitol punishment (something I’m all for by the way) then leave this poor man alone.  No I don’t want him living in my neighbourhood but I don’t want convicted murders or convicted terrorists there either…..  (where’s David Hicks living these days?)  This society has softened up so much that I am forced to so guess what people…  either bring back the death penalty or define a time limit at which you punish a person for a crime then let it go.  You can’t have it both ways and I sure hope he wins his fight to stay.  He’s not broken the law, he deserves either a life or death.

RGG says:

09:17pm | 15/09/09

Hahahaha at all the people here saying that paedophilia should have the same maximum sentence as murder, be it life imprisonment or death. Pop quiz: you’re a paedophile. You’ve just molested a child. You are well aware of the consequences of your actions if you’re caught. Now, if the penalties for both crimes are the same, why not just kill your victim so that there’s one less witness? After all, it reduces the net chance of you ever being caught, and in the event that you are caught, you don’t lose anything more than you otherwise would have.

I hate the histronic drivel that articles regarding sex offenders inevitably inspire an ill-informed public.

joe says:

10:17pm | 15/09/09

he has not been rehabilitated - he has not even admitted what he has done in the past is wrong.  to all these do gooders out there how would you like him in your backyard? He deserves to rot in hell for what he has done.

Andrew says:

10:40pm | 15/09/09

The problem I have with a lot of the comments is that they smack of people looking for someone to hate, in order to distract their attention from the state of their own lives and from their own troubles and insecurities.

Paul E says:

10:40pm | 15/09/09

RRG - talking drivel? Yours is the same skewed argument that has been put forward for lenient sentences for rapists - remember Anita Coby?
Many children are molested and murdered regardless. Paedophiles don’t think of the consequences when the ‘urge’ takes them - the case in WA which was thankfully ended before the rock spider had decided he had had enough of the 16 year old boy he had imprisoned and had, by his own admission in writing, planned to murder. Remember the Beaumont children, Kirsty Gordon and Joanne Ratcliff? - just to name a few.
Your bleedy heart argument doesnt hold water.

rod rye says:

11:43pm | 15/09/09

Jail time doesn’t cure ANYONE convicted of ANY crime, it’s not designed to do so and cannot be designed to do so. What it DOES do is provide an incentive for people to not do in a) in the first place b) ever again.

The reality is that if people didn’t react with such outrage, the government would be able to put in place a system where they notified residents and actually made their kids safe (ignoring the fact that statistically kids are more at risk from family members than anyone else). As it stands they have no choice but to resettle him silently exactly BECAUSE parents don’t want to have to think that anyone that hasn’t comitted a crime or been discovered, could actually be a danger.

The harshest penalty we have is life imprisonment. There is a 100% guarantee that every child abuducted by these animals will be murdered if the penalty and risk of being caught for murder is less than it is for child abuse.

Think about all the crimes you read about, think that every one of those criminals is eventually released and probably living in your street. You don’t sleep soundly at night because they’re not there. You sleep soundly because you don’t know about it.

Dave B says:

12:21am | 16/09/09

There are worse people in the “family suburb” of Ryde.
Ferguson is just the latest carrot for the media to dangle in front of the mindless and numb public who have reacted so strongly to the story.
Public Housing is full of such characters that bring down the names of the genuine people with hard luck stories trying to keep the peace and positively affect the lives of those around them with a good ole media beat up..

Gnome says:

12:48am | 16/09/09

14 Years for the obduction and rape of Children ,,,, is that all ? ...how long do you think the Children will suffer the affects of it all ??, possibly a lifetime!
This so called human being should be locked away for the rest of his life so as to keep every Child safe.

Dean says:

12:51am | 16/09/09

Of course jail will always be the preferred option, but why not in an apartment in the middle of the city? Very few children and too many witnesses to drag some poor kid off the street.

Scott says:

01:08am | 16/09/09

My God, some of the viewpoints on here are staggering!! It’s really simple people - the rights of an innocent child override the rights of an unrepentant convicted paedophile. Any day of the year. PERIOD. This man should never again be released into the community. And to you twats defending his “rights”, well, I really hope something bad happens to your children one day so you can understand what your fluffy idealism can lead to. Idiots.

Chris says:

04:15am | 16/09/09

The most realistic, publicly acceptable option is to incarcerate pedophiles for the term of their natural lives. The recidivism rate is horrendously high and the public is not prepared to accept them living within their communities.
That way,where to locate them upon release becomes a moot point. Before anyone complains about their permanent imprisonment, consider this, they choose prison by their despicable action. The need to protect children overrides any consideration afforded the perpetrator.

Chris says:

04:17am | 16/09/09

The most realistic, publicly acceptable option is to incarcerate pedophiles for the term of their natural lives. The recidivism rate is horrendously high and the public is not prepared to accept them living within their communities.
That way,where to locate them upon release becomes a moot point. Before anyone complains about their permanent imprisonment, consider this, they choose prison by their despicable action. The need to protect children overrides any consideration afforded the perpetrator.

Chris says:

04:16am | 16/09/09

The most realistic, publicly acceptable option is to incarcerate pedophiles for the term of their natural lives. The recidivism rate is horrendously high and the public is not prepared to accept them living within their communities.
That way,where to locate them upon release becomes a moot point. Before anyone complains about their permanent imprisonment, consider this, they choose prison by their despicable action. The need to protect children overrides any consideration afforded the perpetrator.

Andrew says:

05:44am | 16/09/09

It is impossible for me to agree with you and others who take the same tack as you, Scott, unless you explain how this person’s crimes (the heinousness of which I do not want by any means to understate) is different from the crime of any other person who has “ruined someone’s life” and may possibly do so again. Why does the same logic not apply to arsonists, rapists, murderers, or even conmen who have fleeced people of their life savings? I can also remember a case of religious door-knockers whose efforts caused a young family to break up and one member to commit suicide. You are writing without thinking, making the easy jump onto the hatred bandwagon, and I ask why you and others are doing so. Is it really because you care so much about the danger, or can it be also perhaps partially because you want a scapegoat for your own troubles, just as the Nazis did with the Jews? We should never forget that this is a basic characteristic of human nature that we should always be on guard against. Your recommendations and those of others like would do away with our legal system, which has already decided that this man is to be freed. Well go ahead, do away with it, then stand back and watch the murderous results; I guarantee it would ruin far more lives than the crimes of this one person.

richard says:

05:51am | 16/09/09

Tory you have not done a good job on checking you facts. He has never admitted guilt, refused to do any rehabilitation and told other inmates that as soon as he could rape another child he would. The only reason he was allowed to leave prison is because the QLD Government stuffed up the case against him. Would you want an unrepentant paedophile living near your children. People have a reason to fear this man.

Andrew says:

05:57am | 16/09/09

Tory, have you really sat down and compared pedophilia with a range of other crimes to come to the determination that it is the “ugliest crime”? What about arsonists who start bushfires that kill or “destroy the lives” of perhaps dozens of people? Why are we not jumping up and down about this crime to an equal extent? Where is the logic? My answer to the latter question is that pedophiles are the hatred flavour of the month. I fear the possibility that the lynch mob mentality exhibited by many who comment on them shows that they are really not interested in determining how dangerous this man is by any rational means: they really just want to express hatred and a desire to destroy, which as I have already said smacks of the basic human desire for a scapegoat. The horrible thing is, by doing so, they would put themselves more on a level with the targets of their hatred anyway.

Ryan says:

06:23am | 16/09/09

When being a police officer was a respected position they did more for the public - like taking care of unfortunate accidents for slime like Denis Ferguson.  Jail til he leaves in a pine box or just shoot the monster. 

His ‘rights’ and comforts should not be more important than the safety of children and peace of mind of parents.  Criminals have far too many rights in this country - that or their rights seem to be held more important than that of the innocent.  I don’t know if its part of the insipid Ned Kelly / criminal hero status thing in Australia or if its just the Lawyers and PC brigade that are so out of control and making us all feel guilty for wanting to be normal and decent.

Jane says:

07:02am | 16/09/09

Why has this creature been given a Housing Commission residence when there are so many other people out there who have been waiting a long time for a house/unit (i.e. pensioners). And no, I am not a housing commission tenant nor am I on any waiting list. I am just a citizen disgusted with the unfairness of it all.

Darren says:

08:18am | 16/09/09

Locked up for ever, or preferably , a bullet…simple really.

Susan says:

08:36am | 16/09/09

Closed communities. That’s the answer here despite the expense. Jail can’t be the response once the time has been served so amend legislation and place these predators away from the public eye in their own facility. In the end it will be cheaper than constant accessing of public housing and advocacy/mediation services. This criminal has shown no remorse whatsoever and is clearly on the lookout for whatever he can do to access the public e.g. the charity sales.

ileum says:

09:50am | 16/09/09

Scott - thanks for sharing the love.

Chris - you are talking rubbish. The rate of sexual recidivism is actually low at 2-35 per cent. Do you think increasing the penalty would encourage the reporting of sexual offences which are already highly under reported?

dan says:

10:40am | 16/09/09

you know there’s plenty of islands out off the coast of north western Australia put him up in a shack on one of those and send him a care package once a month

Dave says:

11:40am | 16/09/09

Ferguson is an ugly, repulsive man.  The only thing about this situation that is more ugly & repulsive is the tabloid driven outrage, hysteria and political grandstanding that follows him wherever he goes.  Yes, he probably is dangerous.  No, he is probably no worse than most of the others.  All of us have someone just as bad within a km or two of their house. If you want to guarantee that someone released from prison offends again treat him exactly the way we are treating Ferguson - hound him, persecute him, use him as a punch bag for every morally outraged witchunter, shock jock and “activist’ out there.  Once he is cut off beyond retreat from anything which makes him human what do you think will happen ?  These people have to live somewhere.  Stupid fantasy about “closed communities” and islands in the torres straight are just rubbish.

MS says:

11:55am | 16/09/09

I hope that people don’t perpetually identify pedophiles as people that look like this crazy guy. They don’t - they are also handsome, bright, eloquent, and fashionable.

Secondly, people should be more worried about the pedophiles that are NOT under so much scrutiny by police and the media.

Where are they living?

stephen says:

12:35pm | 16/09/09

@ Zeta

brendan abbott ain’t a postcard bandit. He can’t read or write.

(Next ‘victim’ please)

New Standards says:

01:51pm | 16/09/09

Understandably? Only in the sense that humans are irrational creatures and often beset by unnamed fears and frustrations. 1692, a culture of fear and distrust, allegations of witchcraft over what was likely nothing more than ergot induced convolsions and halloucinations, and a tragedy that should never have occured. See, people don’t think clearly when they are caught up in the emotional state of their fears. Don’t kid yourself either, this is a culture of fear and distrust. Take a look at the news, and the self loathing and whispered secrets and the bitterness, the relentless ‘suggestions’ of what we should fear - bogey men that we can neither see nor recognize until it is too late.

The cautious person recognises that Ferguson is no threat to anyone, has not offended in 21 years, and just wants to live out the rest of his life quietly.

The irrational fearful person sees Ferguson as an embodiment of something they cannot stop and cannot protect themselves against. It is not Ferguson himself, it is the big bold letters and flashing lights that says “This man will rape your kids!”. Perhaps it is time to take another look at human history, at the ‘reds under our beds’ of yesteryear and realise that hysteria and fear are not positive additions to our culture, and that we need to stop being so damned afraid.

New Standards says:

03:33pm | 16/09/09

There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about us “Do-gooders”. Let’s take a few, one at a time:

You say that the fact that the child will have to struggle and will never get past what he did to her, justifies persecuting Ferguson further. Why? It doesn’t help the child. In fact, more damage will be done to her by people telling her that what happened was absolutely horrible and how she will never moved past it, making her suffering a self-fullfilling prophecy. What she needs is positive support, and healing, not more negative in inhumanity of man against man. In reality, if you’re honest without yourself, you’ll realise that you are just using that child as a screen for your own irrational fears.

You say Ferguson is a monster, a beast, inhuman. No. Ferguson is a human with an affliction that has lead to tragedy but which can be overcome with support and patience. Pedastry is no different in terms of impulse issues than drug addiction. We understand drug addiction, we provide good resources and support for those caught int he grip of it, and we acknowledge that merely saying “Don’t do it” is not an effective treatment. Why is pedastry and paedophilia any different? There’s a simple answer, when we are honest: We are afraid of it. Stemming from the same roots as homophobia, we hate what we don’t understand and what we cannot comprehend. Hundreds of offences per year might be avoided altogether, and their victms spared the suffering, if paedophiles has resources they could safely turn to and counselling services to help them deal with the impulses they deal with. Most paedophiles have no desire to offend, and particularly no desire to hurt or damage a child, any more than a drug addicted teenager wants to stab or kill someone over a wallet or stolen TV. Both are realities.

Humans are weak and flawed by nature, which is why we revere those who rise above their circumstances and despite those flaws - which we all possess - demonstrate what can be accomplished by will, principle, and strength. Calling for another person’s unwaranted and purposeless suffering and persecution, or for the more vile among you, his death, shows only that you are as equally flawed and weak as the ‘monster’ you profess to hate.

“Fanatics are picturesque, mankind would rather see gestures than listen to reasons. ” - Nietzsche

heather thompson says:

04:01pm | 16/09/09

Look him (and others) up on Mako.

Anon says:

04:32pm | 16/09/09

From reading these comments and some on other websites it’s clear that the majority of the general public cannot differentiate between child abuse, pedophilia, hebephillie and ephebophillia. All off these seem to just be dumped under the blanket term ‘pedophile’ and inspire rage.

Anyone who claims that it’s not comparable to heterosexuality or homosexuality have clearly never known anyone or associated with anyone who’s experienced this. It IS exactly like these. There are many varying degrees as with the other sexualities however you only ever hear about it when someone has commited a heinous act. Chances are you actually do know someone with these preferences and don’t even realise it.

Those with an attraction to pre-pubecent, adolecent and post adolocecent children are everywhere. The majority deeply ashamed of themselves and never acting on it. People need to remember that the society we live in has been CREATED. Do a search on age of consent and you will see every culture has it’s on beliefs on this. If you really believe these people are just sick then go fly over to a country where the age of consent is 13 and start telling everyone that they are wrong.

Now I will say this. Anyone who abuses ANYONE child, adult, animal, they deserve punishment. THEY deserve it. A man rapes a woman, we dont go ‘ALL MEN MUST DIE!’ do we? These disgusting people exist in every category you may want to place on people and deserve their punishment like everyone else. Punish people for their crimes, not their genetics.

The last thing I wanted to address is that these things will never stop happening unless people with these attractions are given a very clear and safe way to come out and get support. Even psychologists advertise that they have to report a person if there is any SUSPECTED abuse. People will not feel safe confessing these feelings to a professional when the public wants to kill anyone who’s accused.

Ashley says:

06:25pm | 16/09/09

If pedophilia is genetic condition, surely we can engineer it out of society?

Bill says:

12:40am | 17/09/09

All those screaming that the time he served isn’t enough, get off your backsides and the net and start a partition to your state government to change the sentencing rules.

People are saying how did he get government accommodation but the important issue is what bumbling incompetent moron decided that when housing a convicted child sex offender that any distance more than 400m from a school is acceptable.

A Fair Go? says:

01:02pm | 17/09/09

@Dave I agree in part with what you say however what do we as a society advocate for this sort of reprobate?? If the Mental Institutions weren’t being sold off and patients emptied out into Department of Housing facilities there might be a suitable place for Mr Ferguson and like-minded people. There they could keep him medicated and perhaps in appropriate programs. Rehabilitation and operations will not cure his problem unless brain transplants are introduced.

Jayne says:

11:03am | 19/09/09

After reading that article I doubt the author has children.

Vicki PS says:

02:27pm | 19/09/09

Really, Jayne?  Does childbearing cause one’s intelligence, critical faculties and social responsibility to be disconnected?  Must go and check on mine this instant…

Bron says:

03:03pm | 19/09/09

If you make the punishment for sexual abuse of a child equal to that of murder, what do you reckon a child molestor will do to that child when they are finished with the sex? They may as well kill the witness, as they have nothing to lose.  At least under the current sentencing disparity, a child stands a chance of surviving the ordeal. Ferguson has done his time & should now have two options: if he wants public housing, he ends up on some government-run farm, never to leave without a chaperone or he fends for himself & takes his chances at remaining anonymous wherever he settles. The reality is that there are a number of people out there who will abuse children already living in your suburbs-be grateful that at least this one you can identify!

claire says:

01:06pm | 28/09/09

Hi, the SBS TV Insight program will be recording a program on the sentencing and re-integration of pedophiles in mid Oct. If you have a view on this subject which you’d be willing to share with us, it’d be great to hear from you. Please send your comments to claire.absolum@sbs.com.au.

many thanks.

what about the kids? says:

07:51pm | 02/10/09

14 years for 3 children?  Where is the justice? He should be served 3 life sentences,  1 for each child he abused,  because thats what he took from from those 3 innocent children,  their lives. No wonder people take the law into their own hands when they cannot rely on the judiciary system for true justice.  Why not ask the kids on what they think should happen to paedophiles?....but they obviously don’t get a say.  The jury should be ashamed of themselves.

Lost says:

02:48pm | 04/03/11

Ferguson 12 years jail was it?
Jane Beaumont 45 years in hell with no protection or help
that says it all
shouldn’t it be 45 years of hell for Ferguson
and protection and help for Jane?
Oh, silly me - Arsetralians just LUUUUVVV their paedos