A welfare guardian is being appointed to represent a convicted paedophile who is terminally ill.
Donald Liddington, 75, is serving a sentence of preventive detention imposed in 1998 for a series of sexual offences against young girls, including the rape of a preschooler.
He has advanced dementia and is not capable of rational communication or decision-making.
His lawyer Mary More says the Department of Corrections is finding a carer who can be given power of attorney and make decisions on his behalf.
She says Liddington was moved to Rimutaka Prison's high-dependency unit in February and is unlikely to be released on compassionate grounds.
