Victim of Park Orchards paedophile Barry Watson says Parole Board ignoring his emails

A SEX abuse victim says the Parole Board has ignored his rights in favour of those of notorious Park Orchards paedophile Barry Watson, shunning his pleas to make a submission at his parole hearing.

A “loud fence” at Domeney Reserve, Park Orchards, pays tribute to the victims of paedophile Barry Watson.

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• ‘Loud fence’ marks paedophile’s parole date

A SEX abuse victim says the Adult Parole Board ignored his rights in favour of those of notorious Park Orchards paedophile Barry Watson.

Henry, who reported to police he had been abused by Watson when he was a nipper, said he emailed the board begging to be allowed to make a submission at the 75-year-old sex abuser’s parole hearing.

He believes Watson should not be released from jail, but he said the board had not even bothered to get back to him.

And now Henry has no clue if Watson is still in jail or back out in the community.

Watson was convicted of abusing boys aged between nine and 13 when he was a youth leader for the Church of England Boys Society in Park Orchards during the 1960s and 1970s.

He was jailed in December 2013, but was first eligible for parole midway last year.

The Adult Parole Board confirmed it received Henry’s email last year.

However, it couldn’t confirm if it had replied and said “it was possible the process had broken down for whatever reason”.

Leader has also been frustrated in efforts to get more information from the board, which has repeatedly refused requests for details of Watson’s parole hearing.

The board has previously told Leader its “primary consideration” is the safety of the community.

Henry, however, is angry.

“I’ve emailed the Parole Board and it seems like they just don’t care because they haven’t responded,” he said.

“It’s every victim’s right and society’s right to know where (Watson) is.”

Henry said he believed the system more broadly failed sex abuse victims.

He reported the abuse to police when Watson had already been ­jailed.

Now Henry hopes those victims who hadn’t yet come forward can find the strength to do so.

Since the Leader first reported on Watson’s impending parole in February last year, three further victims, including Henry, have spoken up. Victims and their supporters have also put up a “loud fence”, with ribbons on the fence, in the area where Watson offended.

State Opposition Leader and Bulleen Liberal MP Matthew Guy said necessary parole reforms included informing victims no fewer than 14 days before an offender was released.

“(Premier) Daniel Andrews is putting Victorians at risk by failing to address our broken parole system,” Mr Guy said.

Crime Victims Support Association president Noel McNamara said the system “doesn’t seem to take the victims into account at all”.

“We’re very much against sex offenders being released because their victims get a life sentence,” he said.

Mr McNamara said the association set up a victims’ register a few years ago with State Government support to inform victims when perpetrators are paroled.

“Either they register with us or they get one of their family members to register with us, and we can let them know what’s going on,” he said.

Contact the register on 1800 819 817.