Psychologists may be able to make sex offender reports to stop Colin Humphrys repeat

More mental health professionals will be authorised to provide expert reports on repeat sex offenders under a plan to prevent a repeat of the debacle that could see Colin Humphrys released within days.

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More mental health professionals will be authorised to provide expert reports on repeat sex offenders under a plan to prevent a repeat of the debacle that could lead to Colin Humphrys being released within days.

The State Government is drafting legislation to change the way the reports — key to keeping predators behind bars — are assigned, written and provided to courts.

Currently, a small pool of forensic psychiatrists carry the burden of preparing more than 700 reports a year, often working out-of-hours and on top of their full-time caseloads.

That has left courts waiting more than eight months for critical reports — delays that Humphrys will this week use as justification for releasing him into the Bowden-Brompton area.

SA convicted child molester Colin Humphrys.

Attorney-General Vickie Chapman said she was drafting legislation to expand the pool of professionals able to take on the essential work.

Psychologists would be enlisted to help ease the backlog of high-risk cases, while registered nurses would — under supervision — assist in Magistrates Court matters.

“What I am considering is for more trained professionals to be able to undertake some of these assessments,” she said.

“I’m considering, particularly, allowing for psychologists to work hand-in-hand with psychiatrists, to ease the workload for the psychiatrists in the field.

“This Government has sat down with the professionals and we are figuring out a path everyone is happy with that will see this problem fixed.”

Humphrys, 66, was last year granted supervised release from prison despite his uncontrollable sexual instincts.

Though an appeal against that order failed, he remained imprisoned because his victim, “XX”, successfully campaigned for changes to paedophile release laws.

If two forensic psychiatrists agree that Humphrys cannot control himself, then under the new laws, his release order will be reviewed and overturned.

However, in the eight months since reports were sought, the Supreme Court has received only one — and was last week told the second was six months from completion.

Humphrys will this week ask the court to activate the original order — which is still legally valid — and release him until the eventual review.

The Advertiser understands the Government is considering reforms at both the Magistrates and Supreme Court levels.

In the lower court, registered nurses would work under a consultant psychiatrist to advise on cases involving defendants with documented mental health conditions.

Meanwhile, amendments to the Criminal Law (High Risk Offenders) Act (2015) would permit psychologists to take on some of the work that is currently exclusive to psychiatrists.

Last week, State Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said Ms Chapman was to blame for Humphrys’ potential freedom.

He said it was “unacceptable” that the Attorney-General’s Department had failed to provide the report to the court in timely fashion.

Ms Chapman said the Opposition was “taking issue” with the matter to “incite fear” in the public, deeming his approach “nothing short of disgraceful”.

“In South Australia, there is a small pool of psychiatrists qualified to undertake these forensic assessments,” she said.

“The Labor Party was notified of this issue back in March 2017, and it did absolutely nothing to remedy it.”

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