Robert Van Gestel’s victims horrified by lack of opposition to convicted paedophile’s bail

In the latest failure of the state’s teetering bail laws it’s been revealed 78-year-old child abuser Robert Van Gestel’s bail was not opposed, horrifying his victims.

78-year-old child abuser Robert Van Gestel’s bail was not opposed, horrifying his victims. Picture: AAP Image/ Julian Andrews

A convicted paedophile was granted bail pending his sentence without any opposition from the state’s top prosecutor, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

In the latest failure of the state’s teetering bail laws, the victims of child abuser Robert Van Gestel, 78, who were young girls when he indecently assaulted them, have been left horrified.

Acting Judge Megan Latham’s first words after the District Court jury returned with its nine guilty verdicts were to say that she was “content” to grant him bail because of his age and lack of previous convictions. There was no opposition from the prosecution.

“I think it is shocking,” one of Van Gestel’s victims from Sydney’s Northern Beaches said on Tuesday.

He has had to surrender his passport but there are no other reporting conditions because they were lifted during Covid restrictions, the court was told.

Robert Van Gestel when he first appeared on child sex charges at Manly Local Court in 2020. Picture: AAP Image/ Julian Andrews

Van Gestel is due to appear in the Supreme Court on Thursday as the last of three convicted paedophiles Attorney-General Mark Speakman has targeted with what were meant to be tough new bail laws to keep convicted child sex offenders locked up as they await sentence unless there are exceptional or special circumstances.

One, pony club predator Neil Duncan, 67, had his bail continued on Monday after the Crown conceded his medical conditions of prostate cancer and possible bowel cancer fell under the description of exceptional circumstances.

The second, an uncle who raped his 11-year-old niece, had his bail cancelled on Monday and was remanded in custody until his sentence.

Van Gestel was on June 9 convicted of nine charges dating back to the 1970s, including five counts of committing an act of indecency and assaulting a female under 16. One girl was aged between six and eight.

After discharging the jury, Judge Latham, the former NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption commissioner, said: “Given the accused’s age and antecedents, I will be content to continue bail until the sentence proceedings”.

His barrister Scott Shaudin told the court he wanted to have collect reports and other material about Van Gestel’s “physical health” to present to the court in mitigation at sentencing.

Attorney-General Mark Speakman has targeted paedophiles with what were meant to be tough new bail laws. Picture: Richard Dobson

The Crown prosecutor agreed with the judge that there was “no flight risk” and said that nothing had changed “other than a finding of guilt”.

Judge Latham continued his bail at the address in Park Orchards, Mebourne where he has lived for the past 30 years.

His local Melbourne church St Anne’s Catholic Church refused to comment on whether Van Gestel remained an acolyte at the church but said they could no longer hold tennis days at his home, which has a tennis court, because of working with children checks.

“I think it is a breach of privacy that a Sydney newspaper needs to know what he is doing down in Melbourne,” a spokeswoman said.

“I am not prepared to give out any personal information about Rob.”