Paedophile Colin Humphrys’ victim breaks silence, pleads for him to stay in jail
THE man who was kidnapped as a child by sex predator Colin Humphrys has broken his 30-year silence as authorities plan to release the uncontrollable serial paedophile into Adelaide’s suburbs. His powerful, heart-wrenching words must be read by parents — and the politicians and judges that represent us.
Law and Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law and Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Let me out: Notorious sex predator seeks release from jail
- Child molester will be freed to live in Bowden Brompton area
- Read Justice Kelly’s full reasons for Colin Humphrys’ release
- DPP set to challenge release of sex predator’s release
- Parents petition to stop Humphrys’ release
- ANALYSIS: System is failing us when it comes to sex fiends
THE man who was kidnapped as a child by sex predator Colin Charles Humphrys has broken his 27-year silence, saying uncontrollable, serial paedophiles must never be released from prison.
Humphrys’ victim, now in his 30s, says state law ensures more children will be harmed and empowers paedophiles to reoffend by releasing them on parole.
He called on the public to abandon “paedo-bashing” outrage and instead pressure all sides of politics to reform the sex offender release legislation immediately.
And he warned that, if Humphrys is released on May 14, no amount of supervision will stop him preying upon more children.
“We could put an electroshock collar on him and he would likely still offend ... he would probably enjoy the shock,” he said.
“You can’t protect your children by checking their online browser history — he stalked my house, waited for my mother’s light to go out and took me from my own home.
“Unless parents want to sleep as tag-teams, unless we want to place children in crisis centres and watch over them, I can’t see how a (tracking) bracelet will stop this man from offending.”
Humphrys, 66, will be released on May 14 and live under supervision in the Bowden-Brompton area, unless prosecutors succeed in their appeal.
He was already a repeat offender when he kidnapped and abused the victim known as “XX” — a pseudonym imposed by the Supreme Court — between 1990 and 1991.
Introduced to XX, then 9, by fellow paedophile Laurie O’Shea, Humphrys kidnapped the boy and fled to Sydney’s Kings Cross.
Humphrys was jailed for that crime and, after more offending in 2009, was imprisoned indefinitely because he was unwilling to or incapable of controlling his sexual instincts.
Last month, Justice Trish Kelly granted his bid for release on licence.
She said she believed supervision was sufficient to protect the community while giving him the opportunity to rehabilitate.
XX said he became enraged that Justice Kelly had no option, under the law, but to release Humphrys.
“To give this man, this 66-year-old man with a criminal history spanning 30 years of persistent, recidivist behaviour, one more chance? I felt hot rage,” he said.
“My rage was directed at Justice Kelly, that she could even consider releasing this man.
“I was — I am — angry that there’s very little that I can do to influence the decisions of these people ... my experience doesn’t seem to have any legal gravitas.”
He said the law “placed no weight on the damage” done by sex offenders, focusing only on their needs.
“Ours is a system that ensures that more children will be harmed,” he said.
“That’s the system we are living with ... it’s set up to empower paedophiles to reoffend.
“More weight has to be given to people’s behaviour over their words ... it’s very easy to promise people that you will do better next time.”
XX rejected any suggestion Humphrys deserved a chance to rehabilitate or was at risk of becoming institutionalised.
“To me, ‘rehabilitation’ is just a buzzword to get parole so you can reoffend,” he said.
“What is the rehabilitation of a 66-year-old paedophile worth? What’s he going to do? Is he going to get a job? Is he going to make society a better place?
“How much daytime television will he be able to stand before he reoffends?”
He said Humphrys would never re-engage with society.
“He chose to be institutionalised, decades ago, by continuing to reoffend,” he said.
“He doesn’t care about jail ... predators know how to find prey, and these criminals are even more sophisticated than that.
He doesn’t care about jail ... predators know how to find prey
“They know how to find people that society will not identify with, to mitigate any punishment they might face.”
He said he was disgusted by the law’s empathy for offenders and lack of consideration for victims.
“I think, if I had been abused by men who had never abused children before, my rehabilitation would have been easier,” he said.
“We can all rationalise a bit of bad luck, but our system was designed to see me abused.
“How hard did I have to fight my own institutionalisation? I spent six months in a psychiatric ward, a few months after I had been abducted, drugged out of my mind.
“I had my 11th birthday in a psychiatric ward. My name wasn’t recorded on the board because of the intense media interest in my case.”
XX said the experience had forever shattered his faith in the legal system.
“We assume that the legal system will protect us, that we have somewhere to turn to when we are threatened,” he said.
“Well I wasn’t just threatened — I was persistently abused, and I was abducted from my own home, and both of those men (Humphrys and O’Shea) have had the freedom to reoffend since.
“Children assume they are protected, and it has certainly come as a surprise to me to find out how little protection I have had.”
He credited his recovery to the unwavering love and support of family, and the kindness of friends.
“When I was at my worst, and I wasn’t safe to be around other children, one of my dearest friends used to write me letters and send me pictures,” he said.
“Those acts are what have brought me back.
“My recovery has been driven by my family, who spared no effort or expense, no matter how confronting, to give me a chance of having a real life, a meaningful life.”
XX has since lived a modest, private life “not because I wasn’t capable of being more” but due to the effort needed to “get past society’s abandonment of me”.
“My society hasn’t nurtured me, my society has wilfully made me a victim, in a manner foreseeable and preventable.
“I’ve had to put a lot of effort into — not forgiveness, because I don’t forgive — into having a meaningful life in spite of society.”
He said social media outrage and threats of vigilante action would not solve the problem.
“What you need to do, if you care about this issue, is write to your local MP and ask why they are not doing more to defend children,” he said.
“Vigilante action only leads to greater protection for these criminals ... we have people in power who will say that’s the reason why these men should only be released in secret.
“If you want any chance of defending our children, our response has to be considered, nonviolent and persistent.”
He said the public had to channel its outrage without losing its “moral authority” over criminals.
“As soon as we commit a criminal (vigilante) act, you remove all of your moral authority,” he said.
“We are fools to throw it away to hurt one paedophile who, I’m sure, has already taken plenty of beatings ... beatings will not change his behaviour.”
XX acknowledged breaking his long silence would cause him great pain, but vowed to “wear it” as it had “already cost me so much”.
“All of the systems are in place to protect children, we just need to change the focus from rehabilitation to placing weight on the potential for harm,” he said.
“I want to be part of a society that values its children more than it does the freedom of a paedophile.
I want to be part of a society that values its children more than it does the freedom of a paedophile
“We all talk about how kids used to ride their bikes to school, how we would go out to play and only go home when it got dark.
“I don’t think it’s too much to ask that we go back to that kind of society, where children’s safety is paramount.”
Home invaders steal, then crash, Mercedes
A luxury Mercedes sedan has been stolen by a man and woman during a violent home invasion at Kurralta Park.
Read more
It’s official: Notorious child predator to stay locked up
A notorious serial kidnapper and child predator has finally had his bid for release into the community denied after a two-year legal and political battle.
Read more