Dominic Perrottet vows to stop convicted paedophiles being released on bail

Dominic Perrottet has vowed to stop convicted paedophiles being released on bail after a pony club president awaiting sentencing was caught breaching his bail conditions.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has sensationally promised to “fix” the legal system and stop judges releasing convicted paedophiles on bail pending their sentencing.

He said judges who had released two paedophiles awaiting sentence - former pony club president Neil Duncan and soccer club life member Robert Van Gestel - were out of line with community expectations.

“I know how we can fix it,” Mr Perrottet told 2GB’s Ray Hadley on Wednesday morning.

“What’s happened here is terrible and wrong.”

The Daily Telegraph revealed that Duncan, 67, blatantly breached his bail conditions and attended a kids’ gymkhana at Narrabri but was granted bail again at Tamworth Local Court on Monday.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has promised to stop convicted paedophiles being released on bail. Picture: Jeremy Piper

He is due to appear back before Judge Robyn Tupman at Queanbeyen District Court on Wednesday morning.

It was Judge Tupman who earlier this month originally grant him bail pending his sentence in August after he was convicted by a jury of eight counts of sexually touching girls aged between 10 and 16 in 2018 to 2020.

Acting after community outrage, the Premier has foreshadowed sweeping changes to the law.

He said that if a person was convicted of child sex offences or any sex offences and the judge formed the view that person was going to jail, then the law should be changed to forbid the judge from granting the offender bail.

“That would be completely in line with community expectations,” Mr Perrottet said.

“If that person is facing jail time they should not be allowed out between the conviction and the sentence.”

He said that if the judges were not doing the right thing, it was up to the government to change the law and said that Attorney-General Mark Speakman was seeking advice on the next move.

Treasurer Matt Kean said he was “appalled” by the situation.

“I was appalled as anyone this guy is out and about in the community, out and about at a local sporting club,” he said.

“I hope police are actively monitoring this guy’s behaviour, he shouldn’t be allowed within cooee of any local community organisation, let alone any kids.”

Opposition Leader Chris Minns has joined the Premier in declaring that granting bail for convicted peadophiles is “unacceptable”.

Mr Minns said the decision to grant former pony club president Neil Duncan bail while he awaited sentencing “completely fails community expectations”.

“The community has every right to be surprised and outraged that a convicted paedophile was allowed to roam freely in the community and attend children’s events having been granted bail not once, but on two occasions,” Mr Minns said.

“The Premier and Attorney General need to explain how this decision happened,” he said.

“The Attorney General ordered a bail review last November, and we are still yet to see any outcomes,” Mr Minns said.

Former pony club president and convicted paedophile Neil Duncan has been caught breaching his bail conditions.

It comes as convicted pony club paedophile Neil Duncan, who was controversially bailed to await sentence, was rearrested after blatantly breaching his bail conditions and attending a two-day kids’ gymkhana.

The former south coast pony club president was arrested on Sunday at a pony club meeting at Narrabri Showgrounds, 200 km away from where he is supposed to be living – but was granted bail yet again, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

Attorney-General Mark Speakman has asked the state’s Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling to review the initial decision to grant bail to Duncan after he was found guilty earlier this month of eight counts of sexually touching girls aged between 10 and 16 and also to review the decision to grant bail to another convicted paedophile, Robert Van Gestel.

Duncan, 67, was recognised at the weekend’s event run by a local Narrabri pony club and the police were called.

“They drove straight up to him and arrested him,” a source said on Tuesday.

“He had been there on Saturday as well.”

Duncan’s bail conditions included not to attend pony club events across two regions of NSW.

The conditions stipulated the 67-year-old only attend events with a family member to escort him.

There were restrictions on him attending the Narrabri event but in another twist, there was no blanket ban on going to any other pony club events.

He was not allowed to leave the family’s stud farm at Timbumburi except in the company of a family member. He was not with the family member at the weekend’s event and ended up spending Sunday night in police cells after local police refused him bail.

He appeared at Tamworth Local Court on Monday charged with breaching bail. Acting registrar C Sanderson again granted him bail to appear before Judge Robyn Tupman at Queanbeyan District Court on Wednesday.

The registrar added one condition to the bail – not to attend any pony club events at all.

Police said in a statement on Tuesday: “Officers from Oxley Police District attended Narrabri Showground on Sunday 12 June 2022 and arrested a 67-year-old man who was allegedly breaching bail.”

It was Justice Tupman who controversially granted Duncan bail after he was convicted earlier this month by a jury of the child sex offences despite an application by the prosecution to lock him up.

He is facing a maximum 10 years’ jail on each offence and is due to be sentenced on August 5.

Neil Duncan, pictured outside Bega Local Court.

Duncan, of Coopers Gully near Bega, was stood down from his role as president of the Cobargo Pony Club after he was arrested by police in November 2020. His offending took place between 2018 and 2020.

Outraged locals at Bega slammed Judge Tupman’s decision to grant him bail, warning that parents unaware of Duncan’s convictions and may “unwittingly allow their children” to go near him.

He was initially banned from local pony club events in August 2021 by Bega Local Court after a successful application by Crown prosecutor Grant Gaynor who told the court that “horse riding is a common theme throughout the allegations” and a large number of children would be put at risk.

“A significant number of children are likely to be at these events,” Mr Gaynor told the court at the time.

He said a ban on pony club events would “mitigate any risk of further offending”.

Football club life member Van Gestel, 78, was last week granted bail in the NSW District Court by acting Judge Megan Latham pending his sentence in October after he was convicted of nine counts dating back to the 1970s including five of committing an act of indecency and assaulting a female aged under 16.

Forest Killarney Football Club on Sydney’s Northern Beaches said on Monday it was now reviewing his membership.