Call for monitoring of child sex offender

Nicholas Reuben used an internet chat room to try to lure a girl, 14, to be his sex slave. File photo/ Natalie Slade

A Northland mother is questioning why a convicted child sex offender will be allowed to live in the region with no official monitoring when he is deported from Australia this month.

Nicholas Kane Patrick Reuben, 31, will be released from jail in Victoria at the end of this month after serving three years for possessing child pornography.

Reuben has earlier convictions in Australia for four counts of sexual penetration of a 13-year-old girl and one count each of possessing child pornography and using a carriage service to procure a child under 16.

But once Reuben is deported from Australia, any post-release conditions, such as not having access to the internet, having counselling or not having contact with children unless under approved supervision, cannot be enforced in New Zealand.

This has one Kaitaia mother concerned for the safety of her child and others after she learnt that Reuben was heading her way to live.

The woman, who does not want to be named, said if Reuben had served his sentence in a New Zealand jail any post-release conditions would be monitored by police or the Probation Service.

"But I'm worried that he will be able to use a computer to contact young girls and will be able to have contact with young girls without any sort of supervision or oversight by the authorities," she said.

"If he committed those crimes here he'd be kept a close eye on, but this means there will be nobody making sure he doesn't reoffend. I'm, not saying he will at all, but there should be those checks and balances here so that young girls are not put at risk."

Reuben was jailed for four years and nine months in August 2008 after he used an internet chat room to try to lure a 14-year-old girl to be his sex slave in exchange for him buying her a cellphone and iPod.

But when he went to meet the girl, she was actually an undercover policewoman and a search of his home found 2000 images and 100 videos of child pornography on his computer.

When he was sentenced, Judge Bill White said Reuben's "twisted and disturbed morality" led to an interest in young children and his conduct could only be described as sexually depraved and perverted.

Judge White said it was particularly disturbing that the offences came just a month after Reuben pleaded guilty to the sex charges against the 13-year-old girl.

A spokesman from Police National Headquarters in Wellington confirmed there was nothing New Zealand authorities could do to enforce another country's post-release conditions.

"We would expect to be notified by Australian police of a deported person's impending arrival and we would likely meet them at the airport and have a talk to them," the spokesman said.

"But if they are not wanted [for a crime] in New Zealand ... there's very little else we can do other than advise the local police where he is going to be residing."

Reuben is believed to be planning on living with his mother just out of Kaitaia, along with his Australian partner.

His mother did not want to comment on her son's impending arrival home when contacted by the Northern Advocate.

A spokesman for the Sensible Sentencing Trust said the organisation was concerned that Reuben would be "dumped" here with no follow up. But there was nothing that could be done as the law did not allow other country's post-release conditions on a released prisoner to be imposed here.

The spokesman said a law change would be needed to impose and conditions on Reuben, or others in similar situations.