Curse the luck. Of all the places the Beast of Blenheim could live, many will be wondering why Wanganui?
The answer, in the minds of the authorities is quite simple: This is the only suitable place with not one of his 33 victims living close by. That won't help quell the fears or disgust felt by most at arrival in three weeks of notorious sex offender Stewart Murray Wilson. News that he will be placed in a facility at our prison at Kaitoke has led to shock, dismay and outrage.
Wilson, 65, was jailed for 21 years in 1996 for sexual offending against women and girls including rape, indecent assault, stupefying, wilful ill-treatment of a child and bestiality.
He has spent 18 years in prison and now is due for release. But before we get too carried away, let's consider the circumstances of his release in three weeks. He will not walk free into our community. In fact, he will be subject to some of the most stringent conditions imposed on a parolee. These include such restrictions on his activities and movements as to effectively make him a prisoner, only not within the confines of jail.
And Corrections has been proactive in meeting with the mayor and spelling out what was happening and how monitoring would work.
