Judge Paul Conlon questions bailing of sex offender James Hajje

One of the state’s most respected judges has questioned why a convicted sex offender was freed on bail by one of his colleagues.

One of the state’s most respected judges has questioned why a convicted sex offender was freed on bail by one of his colleagues.

James Hajje, 43, is now behind bars after being sentenced to a maximum of nine-and-a-half years by acting District Court Judge Paul Conlon, seven months after he was granted bail despite being convicted by a jury of two counts of aggravated sexual assault.

Judge Conlon said he found it “rather inexplicable” why Hajje had been bailed over the objections of the prosecution.

Sex offender James Hajje. Picture: Instagram

Judge Paul Conlon.

Hajje was granted bail on the day the jury returned its verdict in February by another District Court judge who had presided over the trial.

This was despite facing a maximum of 20 years’ jail on each of the offences.

The other judge became ill and has since retired and Judge Conlon inherited the sentencing.

“I find it rather inexplicable as to why his bail was continued (despite the Crown’s detention application) following the jury’s guilty verdict in respect of two offences carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment,” Judge Conlon said when sentencing Hajje last week.

He said it was not good for the offender nor the prosecution.

“It is most unfortunate that these sentence proceedings have been hanging over the offender’s head for at least seven months whilst he remained on bail,” he said.

Hajje, of Villawood, was given a minimum term of six years.

It is the latest controversial bail decision in the state’s courts following the release of accused drug lord Mostafa Baluch, who skipped $4 million bail before being caught trying to enter Queensland last week.

The jury in Hajje’s trial had heard that he had known the victim for about 18 months.

The retired nurse had become infatuated with her and one night he pushed her into a bedroom where he digitally sexually assaulted her vaginally and anally.

He pushed an ottoman against the bedroom door which led to the charges being “aggravated” because he deprived her of her liberty.

Figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research reveal that one in three offenders facing the local courts charged with sexual assault were refused bail between July 2020 and June 2021, and that is without any conviction.

The figures show that 616 out of 1837 were refused bail on their first appearance.