By Adam Ray
A human rights lawyer says the Whanganui community's anger over a serial sex offender being released to a house near its prison is hypocritical.
The only other offender to live in a similar situation after release was a notorious paedophile, some of whose victims were in the Whanganui area, so he was sent to Christchurch.
Christchurch Men's Prison has had a guest for years living outside the prison walls, but on its land. He's Lloyd MacIntosh, a paedophile who committed his crimes while a teenager in the Manawatu-Whanganui region in the early 1990s.
That's led a lawyer to question Whanganui's opposition to having Stewart Murray Wilson, serial sex offender, live similarly just outside Whanganui's prison walls.
"It seems somewhat strange that Whanganui is perfectly happy to have him go from its area to be paroled into Christchurch or Canterbury, yet they don't want to have the same thing happen the other way around," says Michael Bott.
MacIntosh is now almost 40. His restrictions have slowly been relaxed and he's not known to have reoffended.
"Well he's been there for a while, no concerns about him going astray, so suppose its under control," says neighbour Paul Whitfield.
Whanganui's mayor says her community isn't being hypocritical.
annette main
"We're not saying that our offenders should be sent to other places and other people's offender shouldn't be sent here," says Annette Main. "This particular case has been hoisted on us at short notice and we simply are reacting to the community's concerns."
Those concerns saw the council last night push for a judicial review of the decision and re-examine the resource consent for Wilson's house, yet to be moved to a site just outside the local prison.
Corrections initially said Whanganui was one of the few regions suitable for Wilson because none of his victims live here, but it's since emerged that the Hawke's Bay and Taranaki were also on the short list for Wilson's release.
But Corrections chief Ray Smith wouldn't discuss this shortlist, despite requests from councillors.
"I can't release that information because it identifies victim locations," says Mr Smith.
The council is also supporting a community campaign of shunning Wilson and seeking trespass notices against him. Mr Bott says this will lead to acts of vigilantism.
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