Principal says community should be advised when people like Tony Robertson move in

A poster after the murder of Blessie Gotingco. Photo / Michael Craig

A school principal whose playground is within earshot of where Tony Robertson raped and murdered Blessie Gotingco says the community should be notified when such offenders moved in.

Kauri Park School is about 10 properties from the Monte Cassino Place flat where Robertson was living when he killed Mrs Gotingco in May last year.

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Principal Terry Taylor said schools should be advised by authorities when people like Robertson were living in their community.

"As far as we are aware there is no official notification made concerning the placement of sexual offenders to schools or any other groups," he said.

"It is clearly reasonable that notification is given to school communities in some form that a person with prior sexual offending is living close to the school.

Mr Taylor was not principal at the time of Mrs Gotingco's murder, but spoke with staff today and established there was "no official notification" that Robertson was living in the suburb.

"There are always concerns when people with a history similar to this move into housing close to a school," he said.

Tony Robertson in the dock at Auckland District Court. Photo / Supplied

"As a school, we would appreciate being advised so that we could put in place appropriate safety measures for our students. For example we encourage our students to walk to school and this poses a risk to their safety.

"We were obviously very concerned when we discovered not only the close proximity of his residence to our school but the nature of his previous convictions."

There are a other schools near Monte Cassino Place, including Birkdale Primary and Birkdale North School.

Principals Adrienne Mawer and Linda Low declined to comment on Robertson's presence in their community before Mrs Gotingco's death.

A review by the chief probation officer of the management of Robertson's release dealt specifically with the notification of people living in the area he was intending to live.

The review found "neighbour notification" could be strengthened, although informing those living near Robertson would have done nothing to change the risk he posed.

Northern Deputy Regional Commissioner Alastair Riach said child sex offenders were the hardest offenders to place in any community.

"It's very hard in Auckland to find somewhere that's not within a kilometre of a school," he said.

Clinical psychologists contacted by the Herald and provided with information about Robertson's offending and medical history agreed community integration would reduce the risk he posed.