High-risk paedophile Gary Tipping remains behind bars after housing provider withdrew offer of accomodation
Serial sex offender Gary Tipping was scheduled to be released into the community today – but the accommodation provider has withdrawn its offer, leaving him in prison for now.
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A high-risk paedophile who was due for release from prison on Monday remains behind bars after a service provider withdrew its offer at the eleventh hour to house the man.
Gary John Tipping, 33, was convicted of child sex crimes against boys aged between eight and 15 years old.
Despite a clinical psychiatrist finding that Tipping was unwilling to control his sexual behaviour, the Supreme Court last Wednesday refused an application by Attorney-General Vickie Chapman to keep him in custody indefinitely.
Instead, he was to be released into the community today and would have been on home detention and subject to electronic monitoring for five years.
However, late on Friday afternoon the Supreme Court granted a last-minute application to stay the order to release Tipping because there was no suitable accomodation available for the child sex offender.
Ben Garnaut for the Crown Solicitor told the court a service provider had agreed to house Tipping upon his release but that offer had since been withdrawn.
“That residence that that service provider was to provide was to be the approved address under the extended supervision order,” he said.
“As of 2:40pm this afternoon, the service provider has informed the Department for Correctional Services that they are no longer willing to house Mr Tipping.”
Mr Garnaut made an application to stay the orders from last Wednesday.
“The effect would be that there would then be authority to keep Mr Tipping in custody after 9am on Monday morning until time next week,” he said.
Tipping’s lawyer told the court the turn of events had “taken us all by surprise”.
The court heard Tipping’s mother was happy to have her son stay with her but her accommodation had been deemed unsuitable.
During the hearing, Correctional Services contacted another service provider to ask if they could house Tipping but they too refused.
The case was adjourned until this Friday but both parties can apply to have the matter heard earlier should accomodation be found.
Tipping was first before the courts in February 2006, when he was 18, for sexual offences committed against two boys aged 12 and eight.
He was sentenced to four years in jail with a non-parole period of 18 months however the sentence was suspended.
About four months later, he abused a 13-year-old boy and was charged with gross indecency and unlawful sexual intercourse. His suspended sentence was revoked and additional prison time was imposed.
Tipping was released on parole in December 2010 and without a few months he began socialising with a 15-year-old boy whop would become his most recent victim.
In 2015, he was sentenced for six years and four months in prison for gross indecency, indecent assault and unlawful sexual intercourse with the teenager.
The sentence was backdated to September 2012, when he entered custody.
In August this year, the court refused an application by the Attorney-General to keep Tipping in prison indefinitely.