NSW taxpayers are paying for violent criminals to be able to freeze their sperm

An embarrassed health department has attempted to cover up details after it was revealed the public is paying for criminals to freeze their sperm.

The public is paying the bill for convicted criminals in the state’s jails to freeze their sperm, while an embarrassed health department has tried to cover up the details.

Justice Health, which provides healthcare to prisoners, claimed in a freedom of information request from The Daily Telegraph that they did not hold this information.

The query was sparked after the release of notorious rapist Mohammed Skaf, who controversially had his sperm stored after undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2002.

The government at the time, under then-premier Morris Iemma, said that Skaf, who was 17 when he joined his brother in leading the series of atrocious rapes in 2000 on four women, would have to pay for the procedure himself.

Prisoners are able to freeze their sperm at the expense of NSW taxpayers. Picture: Sean Davey

Despite that, Skaf was never asked to pay.

While Justice Health said it had no details of how many prisoners were given permission to have their sperm collected for medical reasons, such as chemotherapy which might affect their fertility, nor how many were made to pay, The Daily Telegraph can reveal that Skaf is not the only one.

Justice Health, which is run under NSW Health and not Corrective Services, has recommended that five other ­inmates be allowed to freeze their sperm over the past two decades.

In that time, Corrective Services commissioners have knocked back half and given permission for three. Only Justice Health can require them to pay and none have been asked to foot the bill.

A request from an inmate with a terminal illness in custody for violent offences, was rejected in 2020.

The section of the policy which relates to the procedures states: “This policy provides directions on the roles and responsibilities of Justice Health and Forensic Health Network staff in assisting patients undergoing Assisted ­Reproductive programs if ­undergoing medical procedures that may render them infertile or requesting Parentage testing”.

One observer said that the department, with an annual budget of $250m, was a law unto itself.

“I find it laughable that they couldn’t find the information you sought,” the source said.

“They fly under the radar everywhere. They are like a ­secret agency.”

Victims’ advocate Howard Brown said it was an “abuse of power” by Justice Health.

“The bottom line is that we as a community have a responsibility to ensure that every prisoner in NSW, including forensic patients, be provided with care to ensure their safety.

“How is freezing sperm a requirement for their health and safety? It’s not,” he said.