Paedophile former SA magistrate Peter Liddy to win back rare coins, firearms upon release from jail

PAEDOPHILE magistrate Peter Liddy will get back valuable coins and firearms upon his release from jail, prompting claims he worked the system to avoid his victims getting access to the dregs of his estate.

PAEDOPHILE magistrate Peter Liddy will be given back valuable coins and firearms when he is released from prison, prompting claims he has manipulated the system to avoid his victims getting access to the dregs of his estate.

District Court judge Julie McIntyre today ruled Liddy should be entitled to receive back a number of items including 18th-century firearms, rare 17th century coins and other historic heirlooms found in shipwrecks.

The items were among possessions seized by police investigating an alleged theft of Liddy's estate after he was jailed in 2001 for a minimum of 18 years for sexually abusing junior lifesavers in the 1980s.

Because no prosecution was ever undertaken into the alleged theft, the items were returned to the Commissioner of Police - who in turn said he had no claim over the items.

Liddy, 63, sought the return of many of the items, as did one of his former victims and Channel 7 - which said it intended to return the proceeds from the sale of the items back to Liddy's victims.

Channel 7 lawyer Peter Campbell said Judge McIntyre's decision to give back some of Liddy's items meant he had "achieved exactly what he attempted to achieve".

Gallery: Peter Liddy's treasures

Mr Campbell said Liddy had concocted stories that he had given away certain items to his mother or had concealed the belongings to prevent them from being seized when a freezing order was placed on his estate when he was convicted of the sexual offences.

Most of Liddy's $1.3m estate was frittered away in legal bills before his victims ultimately received $10,000 compensation each.

"We are concerned that some of those items will be returned to Mr Liddy, we say it is almost rewarding Mr Liddy for the way in which he sought to move items out of reach of the injunction ... this will allow him to achieve his exact purpose he sought to achieve," Mr Campbell said.

Judge McIntyre adjourned the case until May, when Channel 7 lawyers will argue that they should be granted access to the remainder of the items still in dispute.