Pedophile King kept under watch until 2020

NOTORIOUS Northern Rivers pedophile Ronald Dean King will be supervised until 2020 after the NSW Supreme Court labelled him a “high risk” of re-offending.

NOTORIOUS Northern Rivers pedophile Ronald Dean King will be supervised until 2020 after the NSW Supreme Court labelled him a "high risk" of re-offending.

King, 30, was jailed for a 2007 offence when he broke into a Grafton home and abused a four-year-old girl.

The State of NSW sought to extend a supervision order, put in place when he was released from jail, for five years - a period King claimed was too long.

But Supreme Court Justice Robert Hulme on Tuesday agreed King should be kept under watch for the next five years.

In November, 2007, a drunken King broke into a Grafton home through a broken back door. He walked into the girl's bedroom, turned off her nightlight, undressed and assaulted her.

The girl woke up during the assault and asked King to stop. When he eventually left - leaving his underwear behind - he broke a window on his way out and broke into a car too.

He was initially given a two-year suspended sentence - causing outrage in the community - in February, 2009. He was sentenced to seven years' jail on appeal - but was out on parole in August, 2012.

Just months later he was back in jail after breaching orders to not drink alcohol - which the court found was a factor in his offending.

Two psychiatrists have labelled King a "high risk" of re-offending, and one diagnosed him with pedophilia, since December last year.

Mr Hulme said King needed to be supervised to ensure he would not offend again.

"I accept unchallenged expert opinions and am satisfied that there is a high degree of probability that Mr King poses an unacceptable risk of committing a 'serious sex offence' … if he is not kept under supervision," he said.

King will be forced to live only at approved addresses, not stay overnight anywhere not approved and supervisors could order him to obey a curfew.

He will be banned from attending schools, cinemas and playgrounds without permission.

The state wanted King banned from a range of business activities as King had previous spent excess money on drugs and alcohol.

However, Justice Hulme described the financial restrictions as "draconian" and instead ordered King to report if he took part in them.

The state sought to ban King from having "any person to enter and remain" at his address but Justice Hulme said he posed "little, if any" risk to adults and banning people staying with him would prevent anyone from stopping for a "cup of tea".

- APN NEWSDESK

Originally published as Pedophile King kept under watch until 2020