13 Jul 2012

Govt officials say they will protect public from rapist

10:26 pm on 13 July 2012

Serial sex offender, Stewart Murray Wilson, opposes a 10 year extended supervision order that has been imposed on him, saying there isn't enough evidence to justify it.

A supervision order on Wilson - commonly referred to as the beast of Blenheim - will come into effect once his prison sentence ends and his three year release term expires.

In a reserved decision released on Friday, Justice Lang describes Wilson as a rare and special case who poses a very high risk of reoffending.

Part of the judge's decision outlines how Wilson opposes any order being made.

Wilson argues there isn't enough evidence to justify that he is likely to reoffend against young females.

He also says it is too early for the court to be making the order and has asked that it wait for at least two years so it can first monitor how well he complies with his parole conditions.

Meanwhile, Corrections Department officials are assuring members of the public they will do everything in the department's power to keep them safe from one of the country's most dangerous sex offenders.

Wilson has almost completed an extended sentence for seven rapes, bestiality, stupefying, assault and ill-treatment of children over a period of 25 years, but Judge Laing has cleared the way for strict controls over his release until 2025.

A probation services manager at Corrections, Maria McDonald, says the department is working with the police and the parole board to stop Wilson re-offending in the wake of the Probation Service making an application in the High Court at Christchurch for the extended order.

Justice Lang says when Wilson is released from prison on 1 September he will be subject to strict release conditions lasting until September 2015.

After that, he would normally be free of any further restrictions or supervision.

However Justice Lang finds the likelihood of Wilson re-offending was very high and this made him a rare and special case.

He granted the extended supervision order which will take effect in September 2015 and remain in place for 10 years.

Without the extended supervision order any controls around him would have lapsed in 2015.