Sex offender on school run

By MONIQUE DEVEREUX and NZPA

The rural Canterbury area where one of New Zealand's most infamous paedophiles will serve nine months' supervised release has little in the way of landmarks.

Lloyd McIntosh, who was jailed for raping a 2-year-old, then made headlines by attacking an intellectually disabled woman while on parole last year, will be released next week to Halkett, where he will be under 24-hour surveillance.

Halkett, 25km west of Christchurch, is a locality rather than a village. Residents live along a 7km stretch of road that also has a church and a Montessori school, but no pub or shop.

Its epicentre is merely a crossroads with views of the snow-capped Southern Alps in one direction and the Cashmere Hills of Christchurch in the other.

Residents mainly commute to Christchurch for work. Most of their homes are opulent, built on lifestyle blocks and shrouded by trees.

They are alarmed by the news of 31-year-old McIntosh's imminent arrival, despite being assured by the Corrections Department that his every move will be watched.

Probation service spokeswoman Katrina Casey said this week that "the accommodation selected provides the necessary requirements for safe and secure accommodation of the offender".

"The location enables the person to gradually adjust to life outside of a prison environment in a supervised manner."

The Corrections Department has not publicly named McIntosh as the sex offender, which Act justice spokesman Stephen Franks yesterday attacked.

"Presumably it was stupid privacy sensibilities that stopped authorities from being completely honest and telling the community just which offender was being released into their midst."


Residents raised concerns that McIntosh's new home had a schoolbus stop outside the gate, but were told he would be "kept busy" when the children were outside, and that the back gate would be padlocked so he could not get out.

McIntosh made headlines last June when he was released to live with his mother in Highbury, Palmerston North. Residents spoke out about him after police alerted them to his arrival.

Three months later, he assaulted a handicapped woman who was in his bedroom, while his state-paid minder waited outside.

He was jailed in 1993 for sexually violating a 23-month-old girl soon after his release from Lake Alice psychiatric hospital.

He had been sent there in 1989 for raping a 6-year-old.

Rakaia MP Brian Connell said he had been assured that the contract on the Halkett property was only for nine months. He believed the probation service was being "fairly pragmatic and open".

"He has to have someone with him at all times and can't leave the property or wander outside the boundaries without written permission or being accompanied by someone."

McIntosh was not an overtly aggressive man and built a rapport with his victims, Mr Connell said.

"My biggest concern is after April when there are no conditions that can be imposed. "

Selwyn District Council planner Dion Douglas said the council would contact the Corrections Department and the property-owner for more details to determine if a resource consent was needed for the activity.

Mayor Michael McElvedy said he could understand the community's concern and how uncomfortable it would be for a family living next door to the property, but there seemed to be "no role" for the council to play.

A number of agencies were contracted to care for people in the community and he had been told there could be as many as nine such houses in the district.


Residents will hold a meeting on Monday night to express their concerns. Corrections staff and police have been invited.

* McIntosh's release conditions were set by the sentencing judge and he did not have to appear before the Parole Board.

CONDITIONS

* Convicted child-rapist Lloyd McIntosh will have two minders for the first month of his stay in Halkett, and one for the other eight months.

* The minders will not be able to restrain him if he wants to leave the property, and will only be able to accompany him.