Raymond Horne, a convicted paedophile, deported by Australia, has arrived in Britain, much to the consternation of child rights campaigners.
Horne, 61, has been released after serving a prison sentence for 14 sex offences committed after he lured two homeless boys to his apartment while volunteering for a charity.“He has been returned to Britain from Queensland despite only living here until he was five,” protested UK newspapers.
TV news bulletins showed footage of his being escorted by a group of police officers at London's Heathrow airport while trying to hide his face under a dark blue blanket.
Within hours of his arrival, Horne added his name to a sex offenders' register, meaning he will have to inform police of his whereabouts.
But British child protection experts say stricter controls should be imposed on Horne because they fear it is highly likely he will reoffend.
They are worried that given Horne's lack of friends and family in Britain, he is likely to feel isolated and be tempted to commit more offences.
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``The chances of his re-offending, if he gets the opportunity, are extremely high,'' Mr Hames said News.
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He is extremely dangerous to boys and so we'll need to keep a very close eye on where he is and what he is doing.
``Of course, that means our authorities have to spend a lot of money and time monitoring his movements.''
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) called for British authorities to make an ``immediate assessment'' of the threat Horne posed and ensure ``appropriate action'' was taken to protect children from him.
``The Australian authorities believe there is a strong possibility he could re-offend therefore we believe he should still be considered a maximum danger to children,'' the lobby group said a statement.
Horne, who moved to Queensland in 1952 aged five but never obtained Australian citizenship, was deported to Britain after being released from Brisbane's Wolston Correctional Centre on Wednesday.
Since 1965, he has served more than 14 years in jail for various sexual abuse, assault and other crimes.
Australia's Department of Immigration recently cleared the way for his deportation after declaring him an unlawful person.
News of Horne's arrival in Britain stunned many, with some predicting it could lead to a backlash against Australia.
Ahead of him is a life of freedom at the taxpayers’ expense, noted grimly The Sun.
He will even be allowed to choose where in the UK he lives — but worried parents will not know where that is.
Even Horne’s prison doctor Wendell Rosevear said: “The risk of paedophiles re-offending is known to increase after deportation, due to heightened anxiety.
“I fear that British children will be at risk after he settles into the wider community.”
Paul Roffey, director of the UK-based RWA Child Protection Service, accused the Queensland Police and Corrective Services Minister Judy Spence of simply “shifting the problem offshore.”
He said: “Let’s make it English children instead of Australian children — that seems to be her attitude. It’s outrageous…”
The Telegraph newspaper pointed out that it marked a reversal of Britain's use of Australia for penal colonies until the mid-19th century. In recent years a number of high-profile ageing paedophiles have been sent back to the UK.
In July 2005 Robert Excell was deported to Britain after spending 37 years in Australian prisons for child sex convictions dating back to 1965, when he raped a seven-year-old boy.
Excell was born in the UK and emigrated to Australia when he was 10 but never became a citizen. After being released in 1973 Excell raped a nine-year-old boy and when he got out again in 1977 he raped a 13-year-old boy.
In 1981 he was once again freed on parole but was later convicted of indecent behaviour with a boy under 14.
But at the time of his release in 2005 authorities said they considered him a "low to moderate" risk due to his poor health and age.
Excell was made to sign the Sex Offenders' Register and the Home Office said he would be subject to the highest level of supervision.
Last May it was reported that "high risk" paedophile Keith Jamieson was being deported to Britain following a lengthy sentence for offences on young boys despite having lived in Australia for 36 years.
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