Minister orders report on rapist

Corrections Minister Paul Swain has ordered a report into changes within the Corrections Department after an 8-year-old Christchurch girl was raped by an offender placed at her school to carry out a community work sentence.

The 17-year-old offender was known to be the subject of sexual misconduct allegations when he was placed at the Christchurch school in April after being convicted on a theft charge.

He raped the girl after taking her and her 12-year-old brother to a neighbourhood playground out of school hours.

Corrections confirmed the department was aware of the historic claims but the youth had no convictions for sexual offences and information about the allegations was not passed on to the community work manager.

Mr Swain said he was appalled by the incident and the offender should never have been at the school.

"It is unacceptable that it happened."

An investigation had made several recommendations which Corrections had begun implementing, he said.

"While the department cannot turn back the clock, I have insisted that systems are in place to make sure that this kind of event doesn't happen again."

Mr Swain said he had asked for a report within a month on the implementation of the recommendations and would then decide if further action - including an independent inquiry - needed to be taken.

National Party law and order spokesman Tony Ryall yesterday called for an immediate independent review into Corrections' handling of the case.

"This is not the first time Corrections has failed to protect the public."

Arthur Alexander Gray was paroled to a backpackers in Nelson in 2003 and almost killed a German tourist, and William Bell had been on parole when he killed three people during an armed hold-up of the Mt Wellington-Panmure RSA in 2001. The department manages people released on parole.

Corrections chief executive Barry Matthews said if the community work manager had been aware of the allegations, the youth never would have been placed at the school.

The sexual misconduct claims had not been recorded in the department's system.

- NZPA