Double guard for serial molester

Corrections officials have decided serial paedophile Lloyd McIntosh will have two supervisors with him when he is in public, despite earlier saying one supervisor would be appropriate.

National MP Tony Ryall said previously that the Corrections Department wanted supervision of McIntosh halved to save money.

McIntosh's offences include the rape of a 23-month-old baby and a 6-year-old, and assaulting an intellectually disabled woman.

He has served his sentences but the High Court at Christchurch has deemed him too dangerous to be released into the community and imposed a 10-year supervision order - the maximum possible to be imposed under new legislation designed to protect society from serious offenders.

A final decision on the conditions of that supervision order is being made by the Parole Board. Its decision could be released possibly today or tomorrow once a victim had been notified, a spokesman for the Parole Board said yesterday.

That supervision was to comprise 24-hour monitoring by two community centre staff, with both supervisors accompanying him on any outing from his house in Christchurch Prison's grounds.

The department had budgeted $204,000 for one guard to supervise McIntosh, a cost which increased to $350,000 with the decision a second guard be employed - initially to help watch McIntosh due to the "difficulties [and] complexities associated with the temporary arrangements following McIntosh's release from prison".

In Parliament yesterday, Mr Ryall questioned what evidence the department had had for its assessment that halving the supervision of McIntosh was "appropriate to prevent risk of reoffending at this point".

Corrections Minister Paul Swain replied that McIntosh had two supervisors with him at all times during the day.

Initial advice from the department was that moving to one supervisor during the day was appropriate.

However, Mr Swain said following further discussions with the provider it had been agreed it was "appropriate to have two supervisors whenever this offender is in public".

Mr Ryall said Justice Minister Phil Goff had in January "endorsed" halving McIntosh's supervision by saying there would be no increased risk to the public.

"Was he briefed by his department that the people who knew McIntosh best had warned that these cuts were unsafe, unwise and staff had grave misgivings?" Mr Ryall asked.

Mr Swain said that during a briefing with the department, there had been a lot of discussion about the appropriate level of supervision.

After further lengthy discussions with the provider at the end of January, it had been decided to maintain the level of supervision at two.

Mr Goff said McIntosh had been released in 1993 when National was in power and Mr Ryall was an MP in that government.

No controls or supervision had been put on McIntosh when he was released at that time, Mr Goff said.

- NZPA