Robert Windsor up for parole on child sex offences

A child abuse survivor has implored authorities to reconsider recommending his abuser – and brother – for parole after discovering he never participated in sex offender rehabilitation behind bars.

Mitchell Windsor, depicted as a child when he was being abused by his older brother Robert Windsor, who has since been jailed. Picture: Supplied

A depraved child sex offender who repeatedly abused his younger brother and several other children is being considered for parole despite never participating in a sex offender program in more than 11 years behind bars.

Robert Windsor was jailed for 15 years and nine months after being convicted of 39 charges of abusing a number of children, and using them to create a vile trove of child abuse material.

The Charlestown man can now be identified after his brother Mitchell successfully sought a variation to court orders allowing him to waive his anonymity as a victim.

It can be revealed Robert was never required to undergo specific rehabilitation programs for sex offending because he was classified as a low risk of reoffending and was therefore not eligible.

At a State Parole Authority hearing on Thursday, Mitchell made a brave appeal to the parole board not to release his brother without further rehabilitation.

Mitchell as a child. Picture: Supplied

“Incarceration is often framed as an opportunity for an offender’s recovery, their rehabilitation back into society, and the completion of thorough risk assessments to determine their likelihood of reoffending,” Mitchell said to the board.

“But how can we be certain that Robert has truly been rehabilitated when he has only

completed the bare minimum of rehabilitation programs – programs that are required of every incarcerated individual, regardless of the nature of their crimes.”

Mitchell as a child. Picture: Supplied

The parole board heard Robert was assessed by Community Corrections as a low risk of reoffending in 2019, which made him ineligible for sex offender programs, despite his heinous offending.

At some point, it was heard, Robert was subsequently recommended for a program as he neared the end of his non-parole period, but this was never followed up.

“I have been informed that Robert has not participated in any serious, specialised rehabilitation programs designed for sex offenders,” Mitchell said.

“How can we consider his rehabilitation complete when he has not addressed the very nature of the crimes he committed?”

The parole board also heard Robert had been permitted to take unsupervised day release in 2023, which only ceased when Mitchell notified the authority the premises he was visiting had children living there.

“The system that was meant to protect the vulnerable had failed once again,” Mitchell told the parole board.

“It was only after I reported this to the police, child protective services, the local MP for Charlestown, and the Minister for Corrections that Robert’s unescorted leave was revoked. “But the damage had already been done – I have lost faith in the system.”

The parole board adjourned the hearing for two weeks for further inquiries to be made about the possibility of further rehabilitation programs for Robert.

“Today, I stand before you advocating for myself – because no one else has,” Mitchell said.

“Robert didn’t just steal my childhood; he stole my entire life, a debt that can never be repaid.

“Denying his parole may be just a fleeting moment of relief in the face of decades of suffering, but it is a moment I, and every survivor, deserve.”

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