Comments on: We need to have a talk about Dennis.

By: James McDonald

James McDonald — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:23:46 +0000

You’re right, I stand corrected on that point. The 15 years was in Queensland before he moved here.

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:16:05 +0000

It depends what state you are in, once on the NSW child protection register you stay there for life.

By: James McDonald

James McDonald — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:27:34 +0000

Amy, that’s exactly not the point I tried to make. The point I tried to make is that Ferguson’s human rights are independent of his merits or otherwise as a human being. And I objected to those trying to relativize the evil of raping other people’s children as compared to the evil of raping one’s own children.

By: James McDonald

James McDonald — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:21:08 +0000

Thanks for the clarification Tony. I agree with you there. The question of “rehabilitation” is controversial at the best of times, and is academic in this case, since Ferguson never admitted guilt and never participated in treatment. He is subject to limited police supervision for the next 15 years, not quite the rest of his life.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:27:31 +0000

Oh right, James, I just saw that you made that very comment (that I just made) on the Crikey blog!

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:19:06 +0000

I think we do have to remember, too, that child abuse is a big problem but the vast majority of people who commit these crimes are people known to the child. Placing all this attention on one man seems to me to divert from the real issue/problem somewhat.

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:02:31 +0000

James, I dont think I am implying that, what I way tring to say is that if they must live in the community (and they have served the court imposed penalty) then they should be kept under close scrutiny – that is what keeps them from re-offending. As i said in the last line of my post what people should be protesting about is not where he lives but the fact that he is out at all thanks to an inadequate sentence – the law has said that he is fit to rejoin society.
I note that there is legislation being rushed through to evict ferguson ( and other like him) from public housing. I havent read the proposed legislation but my fear with this is that by not being placed in public housing some of these paedophiles may become homeless and then how do we keep tabs on them?

By: James McDonald

James McDonald — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:48:55 +0000

Tony: You imply that most former offenders who’ve served their time are benign and under control. Are you aware that Ferguson’s last 14-year term was his sixth conviction for child m*lestation?

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:22:34 +0000

Absolutely. The fact of Ferguson being a paedophile who looks so much like a paedophile must be a big factor in this.
I was wondering about the story that came out yesterday with Centrelink helping him connect with his partner from his crime – why isn’t the partner chased down in the same way as Ferguson is? Is it because he looks less creepy?

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:30:13 +0000

There are probably hundreds of people like dennis ferguson living in the community around australia. They are closely monitored by the police and probation and parole, they have strict conditions placed on their place of residence, their day to day movements and who they associate with. These conditions do not go away when they finish their probation period, they are there for life. Most of them have served their time and abide by their conditions and mostly their neighbours do not know anything about them. Dennis Ferguson’s problem is that he is very distinctive looking, I would go so far as to say that he looks like what most people would think a paedophile looks like, and the media have latched on to him. We will never know if he is rehabilitated because he will never get the opportunity to demonstrate that he can live within the community.
Now, dont get me wrong here, I in no way condone what ferguson has done, but he has served the sentence that was imposed on him, and appears to have tried to live within the parole conditions. It seems to me that people should be protesting not about where he lives but about the inadequate sentence that put him back into society in the first place.