A recidivist child sex offender who attacked an intellectually disabled woman while on parole may soon be housed only 1km from a Christchurch primary school.
Lloyd McIntosh was convicted of raping a 6-year-old in 1989 and a 2-year-old in 1993.
Shortly after he was released on parole for the offending
against the toddler, McIntosh assaulted a 25-year-old intellectually handicapped woman in his bedroom while a state-paid minder waited outside the door.
In 2004 Corrections successfully applied for 10-year extended supervision order (ESO) for McIntosh, allowing constant monitoring of the repeat offender after his release from prison.
An ESO can be granted for someone assessed as having "a real and ongoing risk of further sexual or violent offending".
When the order was granted, Corrections planned to house McIntosh in a rural town in Canterbury.
However when the community railed against the plan, it decided he would instead be accommodated in a unit within the grounds of Christchurch Men's Prison.
But it was revealed this week that McIntosh may soon be moved to a house in the Christchurch suburb of Harewood.
Stuff reported the house was on a property owned by the Wai-ora Trust, a charitable organisation "promoting and supporting projects, programmes and community-based businesses that will develop people", as well as the environment and community.
The trust property on Watsons Rd is just 1km from Harewood Primary School.
Corrections operations director Chris O'Brien-Smith told the Herald a property was being considered.
"We are looking to provide managed accommodation at a Christchurch property which will accommodate up to four offenders," he said.
The community has been told how the house will run and the offenders managed.
"Our staff have met local elected representatives and educational facilities and visited residents in the immediate area.
"Where people were not home, we left a letter encouraging them to contact us so we could speak to them further and answer any questions they might have."
O'Brien-Smith said no offenders were living at the property yet and any who did would be strictly monitored.
"No address would be approved if we considered it presented an unmanageable risk to the community," he said.
"The accommodation will include support from contracted service provider staff who, alongside probation officers, will support offenders' reintegration and compliance with any Parole Board or court-imposed conditions."
Such conditions can include GPS, reporting regularly to community probation, restrictions on living and working arrangements, and restrictions on associating with certain people.
"Conditions can also be imposed to address any specific risks that the offender poses or provide support their individual needs."
O'Brien-Smith said probation officers closely managed offenders' compliance. O'Brien-Smith said ensuring that offenders in the community had accommodation kept them and the public safe.
Find homes for offenderws was one of Corrections' "biggest challenges", and was mostly in individual one bedroom flats, or in a home-like setting for between two and four people.
Contractors to the department found nearly 1000 emergency, transitional and supported places nationwide every year, where offenders stayed for varying lengths of time. "The safety of communities is paramount in any decisions we make," O'Brien-Smith said.
"We carry out an extensive and robust process to assess the suitability of every address proposed to accommodate a person with convictions for child sex offences.
"A range of factors are considered, including the location of victims, proximity to places designed for children, physical factors such as shared access, location of support services, and the ability to ensure a clear GPS signal at all times.
"Where appropriate, we support offenders back into the communities they have come from to maintain connections with support people who assist them to reduce their risk of re-offending.
"No offender would be permitted to reside at an address if it was considered that the risk could not be safely managed and public safety upheld."
O'Brien-Smith said it was natural for the community have questions and concerns around the housing of criminal offenders.
"We work hard to balance any public concerns with our obligation to safely manage offenders in the community when they can no longer lawfully be detained in prison," he said.
"We will continue to work with the Christchurch community to discuss how we help offenders successfully re-integrate to reduce their likelihood of re-offending and keep our communities safe."
