Killer paedophile Michael Guider refused bail after police found child porn on his phone, court hears

Notorious paedophile and schoolgirl killer Michael Anthony Guider is back behind bars after cops allegedly discovered child abuse material on his phone — but a victim says it comes after three harrowing years of living in fear.

Notorious paedophile and schoolgirl killer Michael Anthony Guider is back behind bars after police allegedly discovered a cache of pornography and child abuse material on his mobile phone during a routine inspection at his Fairfield Heights home on Thursday morning.

Police will allege the now 72-year-old “searched for images that depict children” and “accessed and viewed material classified as X18+” over a seven-month period from February to September this year.

Guider, a serial child abuser who spent nine years behind bars for the manslaughter of Sydney primary school student Samantha Knight, was released from prison in 2019 under a strict extended supervision order, designed to monitor and track the movements of high risk offenders in the community.

As part of the order, Guider was banned from purchasing, possessing, accessing, viewing or listening to any X-rated material — a condition police allege he broke by downloading the pornographic material.

One of the survivors of Guider’s abuse, Chantelle Daly, told The Daily Telegraph hearing her abuser was locked up again was “the best news I’ve had all year” but it came after three harrowing years of living in fear.

Serial paedophile Michael Anthony Guider. Picture: Toby Zerna

“He’s back where he should be, he should never have gotten out and I’m not surprised to hear (these allegations),” Ms Daly said.

“I’m glad he wasn’t able to take it any further or hurt anyone else — because they always escalate. Leopards don’t change their spots.”

Ms Daly has long campaigned to have Guider and the worst paedophiles locked away indefinitely saying child abuse offenders “give up their rights to freedom” when they prey on children.

“They don’t get a big enough consequence, most don’t get jail time,” she said.

“It’s not surprising they go on to reoffend, they can’t help themselves and the repercussions aren’t bad enough. No second chances.”

Ms Daly said there was just one question she wanted answered from the judges, magistrates, lawyers and politicians who allow severe, reoffending paedophiles to return to the community.

Michael Guider is released from Long Bay jail in 2019. Picture: Toby Zerna

The disappearance of Samantha Knight shocked the country.

“All that grief we went through when he was released, three years of fear, years of PTSD, was all that suffering worth it for him to get his rights?” she asked.

“He’s back in, it was a waste of time none of us needed, we’d been through enough.”

Police allegedly discovered the classified material during a surprise inspection at his home on Thursday morning.

He was arrested just before 9.30am and taken to Fairfield Police Station where he was charged with two counts of failing to comply with an extended supervision order.

He was remanded in custody and fronted Fairfield Local Court on Thursday afternoon where he applied for bail through Legal Aid lawyer, Nicole Baker.

Ms Baker told the court Guider had a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and had been due to speak to his psychologist today.

She also said he needed to seek treatment for a heart condition and had to make arrangements for someone to look after several animals he had at his home.

Ms Baker said Guider would agree to conditions banning him from accessing the internet or a having a mobile phone in his possession if granted bail.

However, Magistrate James Gibson refused to release Guider, noting his “terrible record” and “history of violence”.

“(Police allege) between Feb 23 and Sep 25 he’s searched multiple images depicting children in ways that are consistent with accessing child pornography,” Magistrate Gibson said.

“It’s a strong case against him; he’ll likely receive a full-time custodial sentence if convicted.”

Guider, whose grey hair was cut short on his balding head, wore a black mask throughout the proceedings and remained silent but to confirm his identity at the request of the magistrate.

He will return to court on October 10.

Michael Guider killed nine-year-old Sydney girl Samantha Knight.

Guider, considered one of the country’s most notorious paedophiles, was already in jail on more than 60 offences of child abuse when in 1996 he admitted to accidentally killing Samantha Knight.

The schoolgirl vanished from Bondi in 1986 and her body has never been found.

Her disappearance was one of the country’s most high profile missing children cases for over a decade until Guider finally confessed. Guider claimed he accidentally gave Samantha an overdose of sleeping tablets which he had done previously when he had molested her.

He told police he originally buried her body in Cooper Park, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs before moving her to a skip bin at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron club in Kirribilli.

Despite extensive searches her remains have never been found.

He was released from prison in 2019 under strict extended supervision orders.

Guider is almost exactly three years into his five-year ESO after the NSW Supreme Court decided authorities needed to keep close tabs on the paedophile.

Justice Richard Button, in September 2019, said he was not convinced Guider “never thought of children in a sexual way” during his two decades in prison.

Three separate psychological experts, during the ESO hearings, warned the court Guider continued to pose a risk, sometimes a “high risk”, but believed he could be managed with strict conditions.

One expert warned of Guider was prepared to act on his “deviant sexual interest” noting the repeat child abuser was isolated, institutionalised, an alcoholic and, at times, a drug addict.

Guider had engaged in extensive attempts to rehabilitate himself, the court found, and placed him under multiple restrictions as he re-entered the community.

He needs approval from supervisors, under the ESO, to go near schools and playgrounds, cinemas, amusement parks, to contact or be around children among dozens of other conditions.