Rocks thrown at home of paedophile's sister

Police have started an inquiry to find how the possible release of a convicted paedophile came to be public knowledge.

Two women, including the wife of a policeman, this week initiated the drop of hundreds of pamphlets suggesting a dangerous sex offender was about to move into the house in Britannia St, in North New Brighton, Christchurch.

Since then, rocks have been thrown at the house where the sister of a convicted paedophile lives.

Selau Ifopo-Sumner and flatmate Mandy Karatau-Keightley, whose husband is Rangiora policeman Geoffrey Keightley, distributed pamphlets to 12 streets near the Britannia St home where the offender planned to move if today's parole board hearing approved his bid for home detention.

The pamphlet warned that "men, women and children" were at risk from the sex offender, and asked: "What would you do to stop him from coming?"

Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Sandra Manderson said today she had initiated an investigation into how the pending release of the prisoner became public knowledge.

"I emphasise that police adhere to strict codes of information privacy. If these codes have been breached by members of the police disciplinary action is an option," she said.

Police would "absolutely" be making sure the sister was okay, Ms Manderson said.

"Vigilantism is inappropriate. The safety of the public is very important and we will certainly make sure that she's okay."

As well as throwing rocks at the house, people have been standing outside and yelling abuse.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said that in any case her brother would not be living at the house, as her landlord had threatened to evict her if he did.

Colin Davies is due to appear before a parole board after spending four years in prison for rape, sexual violation and indecent assault on a 10-year-old girl. Davies was sentenced to seven years for those offences and had already served time for indecently assaulting two girls in the 1980s.

Yesterday his sister said she was a prisoner in her own home because of rocks thrown at the house and threats of violence from neighbours.

"I have been terrorised and harassed. I just want to live in peace, but I'm too afraid to even go out. I'm just trying to support my brother if he comes back into society," she said.

She understood people were afraid of her brother, but was upset they had turned their anger on her.

"People have a right to be scared, I probably would feel the same way in their situation, but they are treating me like I am a criminal," she told Christchurch's The Press newspaper.

The woman said it was not the first time neighbours had sought their own justice. At her former Linwood home, locals torched Davies' trailer while it was parked in the back yard in England St.

Ms Ifopo-Sumner said she and Ms Karatau-Keightley were told by relatives who lived in England St that Davies' sister had moved to the area, and would house the sex offender on his release.

Ms Ifopo-Sumner said she and her flatmate decided to distribute the pamphlets as a "neighbourhood watch" measure.

Ms Ifopo-Sumner, Ms Karatau-Keightley and her policeman husband held a public meeting at their home on Tuesday afternoon with the Probation Service to raise their fears.

Later that evening, a rock was thrown through the window of elderly Britannia St resident Emma Montgomery, who lived two doors down from Davies' sister.

It narrowly missed the elderly widow's head, terrifying her.

Ms Ifopo-Sumner said she was "distraught" at the incident, but said it reflected high emotions.

- NZPA