South Australian predator Peter Liddy has walked free from prison, concluding a 25-year sentence for sexually abusing four boys when he was their Nippers coach between 1983 and 1986. At the time of the offences, Liddy was also a serving magistrate.
Release and Supervision
The now 83-year-old was jailed in 2001 and finished his sentence behind bars on Thursday. South Australian Attorney General Kyam Maher told 7NEWS.com.au it is the end of “one of the harshest sentences we’ve seen in South Australia for this type of offending”. Liddy looked frail as he left the Adelaide Remand Centre and made a beeline to a waiting car.
An interim supervision order has been granted to limit the disgraced magistrate’s freedom. Maher said that order involves “things like electronic monitoring, things like not being able to contact children, things like not having access to the internet”. Liddy is also banned from going within 50 metres of any school, kindergarten, or public playground.
Victims’ Compensation
New legislative changes mean his victims will also be able to apply for a court order to access Liddy’s superannuation. Lawyer Andrew Carpenter, who spent years trying to secure financial compensation for Liddy’s victims, said: “Peter Liddy is the type of person that should never see sunlight ever again.” Carpenter fought for The Survivors Law which was introduced to parliament in March. He told 7NEWS he believes Liddy hid millions of dollars in superannuation before going to prison.
Attorney-General of Australia Michelle Rowland said: “There can be no opportunity for criminals who are convicted of child sexual abuse to avoid paying compensation to their victims.”
Ongoing Scrutiny
Maher is also pushing to ensure Liddy remains under scrutiny, and has applied to the Supreme Court to keep Liddy detained indefinitely. “If (medical) reports show he’s unwilling and unable to control his sexual instincts, he will be locked up and never released until he can do that,” Maher told 7NEWS.
Residents have been warned not to engage in “vigilante behaviour” following Liddy’s release, amid comments from locals who say they “won’t be silent” if they see him. “Do not follow him, do not stalk him. Let the legal system deal with him. It’s time for his survivors to get justice, not for the public to take the law into their own hands,” Carpenter said.
Liddy’s face will be pictured on the state’s child sex offender register, but SA Police commissioner Grant Stevens warned anyone against circulating information from the register which “they are not entitled to”. Anyone who does share it “could find themselves the subject of a police investigation,” Stevens said.
