What we're talking about

Troy on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I have seen this family fighting day after day for months trying to get their kids/siblings back home. The dedication and ... more
Pauline on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' DHS have destroyed my own family. They failed in their duty of care to provide a baby moniter for the deaf , thousands of ... more
Christine on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' isn't it funny how DHS don't recognise the psychological effects of domestic violence on children and continue to allow ... more
Warrior princess on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' There is a family In the Cairns Area who are Foster Carers.Atherton Child Safety have threatened the carers and own ... more
duncan on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i have spent time with this family. it is a house full of love. "mum", grandfather and older sblings.this cannot be an issue ... more
Tracey on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Family Law is different from the rest of the law in this country.. Ie. Family Law is based on probability: ie if it might ... more
carol annetta on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' having known this family for some time i am disgusted with the treatment she has received. it seems more of a witch hunt ... more
Maureen Hillary on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Derryn,I have counselled traumatized parents as a result of DHS staff.There are great staff workers who care but they ... more
Janet Tavener on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I am a visitor to this country.My attention was drawn to the case of these children and their foster mother by a relative of ... more
sam on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Happening in Tasmania also.Wewon a court case over 8 months ago and due process still hasn't been done.We spent 17,000 ... more
Anne Glover on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I just cannot believe what the DHS has put the Foster Mother, and the children through - I thought the DHS was supposed to ... more
Tracey on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' DHS are the most disgraceful organization I have ever had the displeasure of becoming involved with. They are so ... more
Vicki on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hi Derryn,I have known this carer since primary school, she has always put others above herself. Being a carer myself I know ... more
Gran'ma Pam on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' As any of us with any sense know, these children should NEVER have been taken from this lady (mum) in the first place, they ... more
Dominic Lombardo on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' I see my daughter every six months DHS are conducting a vendetta against me I have not been told why I can only see her ... more
cassy houghton on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Hello Derryn,Firstly i would like to thankyou for your support and the willingness to help this beautiful family.I ... more
Warrior princess on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Im a carer also in Qld. I see this happen way too much from our Government. They are starting to use Carers own children as ... more
paul on "I'll pay the fee," says Hinch I believe what Liberal Party has done is stupid. But I feel for candidates like Joh Bauch and James Buonopane who want to ... more
Andrea on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' Why are these public servants allowed to blatantly flout the law without the same consequences the rest of society faces? I ... more
birth mother on Help Hinch fight DHS 'pinheads' i am the birth morther of these 4 children and i just want to say dhs dont care they just want the kids in care so they can ... more

Hinch's court faith very shortlived

Posted by: Derryn Hinch | 19 March, 2010 - 5:23 PM

A couple of days ago on 3AW I said: "I am starting to feel that finally something positive is happening in a campaign to make our courts more open. To make our judges more accountable. To make them realise that the community, our community/ their community, no longer believes that justice is being done let alone being seen to be done."

And I quoted a couple of examples. I did say that maybe I am too much of an optimist. And boy is that the truth. Events in the past 24 hours have shown what a dangerous and sick joke our legal system is.

How it doesn't protect children. How our judges and the way they impose the law are so out of touch not only with community values but community safety.

If you ever needed proof, not that you do any more – it's out there on a daily basis – just read today's Herald Sun. A babysitter who bashed and sexually abused little kids, and threatened to kill a baby, is free to live unsupervised in the community. Even though the judge who set her free has fears she will reoffend.

And to add to this terrible injustice it is illegal for the newspaper, to reveal her name or show her photo or for me to mention her name or whereabouts on air.

Pardon the French but this is effing madness.

When she was 19 this woman used a pillow to smother a two-year-old eight times until he turned blue while minding him for a friend. She inflicted sadistic sexual abuse on the little boy. Threw him out of his cot. Then punched his twin because they were crying.

A court psychologist has warned the woman is a danger to children and should not be allowed near them.

In the County Court Chief Justice Michael Rozenes said he was 'reasonably satisfied' she would commit another crime and was a danger without supervision. And yet he refused to place her under and Extended Supervision Order which would have monitored her movements and kept her away from children.

One of his reasons: Judge Rozenes found that the woman had shown no signs of wanting to commit sexual offences while in custody.

Hello? Did it cross your bewigged mind that just maybe that was because she didn't have access to children while in custody?

As I said, my optimism was ill-founded and sadly short-lived. They just don't get it.

Footnote: To add to the Noddyland that passes for our judicial system. How about this one? On Wednesday we got a tip that a serial sex offender had escaped while on a day trip. I'm not sure they intended to tell anybody until we started making inquiries. Anyway his name and his photo were released and he has been recaptured in Sydney. I didn't realize he was under a suppression order. So Police would have had to go to court to get permission to name him while he was on the loose. Is this madness or not? And the minute he was caught ... the name suppression was back on. 3AW had to take his photo off the website. I don't think the Herald Sun was forced to burn all copies of yesterday's paper. And it is still out there on a thing called the internet. Surely in the end the sheer weight of this idiocy will bring it all crashing down.

Blog comments

Expect life to get worse - Australian society has thrown God out. We're hearing of the most heinous crimes in recent times. The reprobate has lost any conviction that the act is sinful. The conscience of a reprobate is dead to God's conviction of sin. By and large there is no reverential fear of God. All these "symptoms" are a result of a Godless society, so stop complaining, this is what you've chosen Australia! Refer Romans 1:28 'And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient (things that should never be done - NLT).'

Sandi Tuesday 23 March, 2010 - 2:50 PM
mylene 2oth march,
mr hinch,
is the voice that can get the message out there for our children,dont care what you think, there are heros and villians in trials,when it comes to any form of child abuse, its not hard to pick out the vilian,what other conclusion should we all jump to???
the point is, mr hinch informs the public of the truth, not many people can take that,at least he is genuinely concerned about justice, he should be congratulated and not put down, if you choose to flick the radio off, its your choice, many of us cant wait to turn it on.
keep up the fight derryn, many of us out here truly respect you.

sharon ritchie Sunday 21 March, 2010 - 9:35 AM
Sharon Ritchie, yes I agree with you. Back in the 80s a well known, elderly pedophile suicided to stop himself abusing children. He was interviewed and while I can't remember his actual words, the gist of what he said was that nothing short of ending his life would stop him. He kept being released from prison, where he knew he - and the children - were safe. He knew pedophilia was a heinous crime but he could not stop himself. After a lifetime of prison and release as well as repeat offences, he killed himself.
And this is why the whole idea of "outings", to test the water so to speak, is perverse. Pedophiles are also notorious liars - not one would admit to arousal while near children. I often feel like we are in a very bad film.... what the hell is going on?
According to that creep Brian Collins, Dennis Ferguson has an "obligation" to report to police when he is with unaccompanied children more than 3 times in the space of a year - which means he is perfectly entitled to have minors with him 3 times a year without any sort of supervision, control, safety measures, etc.
Why is it that only the "mere public" sees that this is a recipe for disaster?
I too would like to see the some of the judiciary charged for their role in facilitating further criminal behaviour - in some cases, their leniency is a crime.

Justine Sunday 21 March, 2010 - 12:17 AM
What's the bet that Hinch has never attended every day of a court case (not involving himself) or read a full transcript of a trial. It's easy as to take a verdict or a sentence at face value and make a kneejerk reaction. It's even easier to cherry-pick juicy details out of a long trial, create heroes and villains and create an interesting five minute editorial between the commercials for money lenders and weight loss centers.

Lift your game Hinch. One button push on the car radio and you're history :-p

Mylene Saturday 20 March, 2010 - 5:17 PM
Our legal system seems to ignore the plight of the victim and give the offender the right of "another go". If an offender has been rpvoen guilty and has a record of priors they should recieve a punishment that befits the crime and protects the innocent. Keep up the good work Derryn.

alexas Saturday 20 March, 2010 - 12:54 PM
paedophiles on outings,
i was appauled to read that,
roups of these people get taken on outings apparently to test how they go when around lots of children,major shopping centres i might add, then they are asked when they get back to the facility if they felt aroused or not,
can you beleive that, our kids are used as a test for the mongrels, i have had enough of this crap, what does everyone think.

sharon ritchie Saturday 20 March, 2010 - 9:37 AM