Fugitive child rapist Andrew Darling has bush survival skills, say police

POLICE say a child rapist who fled Ararat’s “Village of the Damned” has bush survival skills and could endure a long time on the run, sleeping rough.

WARNING: LOW RES FILES. Picture of Andrew Darling. Rose says that Andrew has been going on approved outings for years, and that he's been waiting for Corella Place to find him accommodation in the community, she says he's no more threat to the community than she is.

POLICE say a child rapist who fled Ararat’s “Village of the Damned” has bush survival skills and could endure a long time on the run, sleeping rough.

Andrew Darling, who raped a 13-year-old girl in a bungled home burglary, left the Corella Place centre, which houses some of the state’s worst sex offenders, in the early hours of Sunday morning after cutting off electronic tracking bracelets fitted to both ankles.

As the police search for Darling, 42, took to the skies, Sergeant Peter Hawkins urged local landowners to keep an eye out around sheds and outhouses.

“He’s got a significant amount of bush knowledge and skills, and he does own a lot of camouflage clothes,” Sgt Hawkins said.

“He could potentially live out in the bush for some time.”

But his sister, Rose, disputed that he was a survival expert, saying he just used to sleep rough.

Andrew Darling with sister Rose Darling.

She told the Herald Sun he’d only bought camouflage clothing because it was cheap.

Ms Darling said he had been going out on approved outings for years, and had been close to being approved for unsupervised day release.

She said authorities had let her brother down with a string of broken promises about finding alternative accommodation.

“Finding alternative accommodation has been going on for months and that’s the only reason he’s staying there,” Mrs Darling said.

“The delays have caused him a lot of hurt, and he’s just got frustrated with the system.

“If you keep getting told you’re going to get out, obviously after a while it’s going to affect you.”

Police have released a new photo in the search for Andrew Darling who left a correctional facility in Ararat early yesterday morning. Darling was last detected at the Corella Place facility on Warrak Road shortly after 2.30am after leaving on foot.

Ms Darling, who last spoke to her brother last week, said she had no concerns he would hurt anyone while on the run.

“I have kids who have been absolutely mortified by what’s being said about their uncle. He’s also got an 18-year-old daughter,” Ms Darling said.

“I can understand people being concerned because there are some people living in that place who will never get out who are absolutely disgusting presences. And he’s well aware of that, too, because he’s had to live around them.

“It makes him feel dirty to be around these people who have done these despicable acts.

“When you’ve got a choice between staying there with those disgusting perverts or taking off and risk going back to jail, he’s probably thought jail is a better option.”

Police have defended a seven-hour delay in alerting the public to Darling’s disappearance, saying they were following routine procedures.

Force spokesman Clair White said investigators responded quickly to the escape.

“Once the appropriate approval was obtained, a media release was issued in the attempt to garner public awareness,” she said.

Corella Place is known as ‘Village of the Damned’.

FREE TO LEAVE ‘VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED’

SECURITY is so lax at the sex offenders’ “Village of the Damned’’ there is no physical barrier stopping residents strolling out of the complex.

Residents of Corella Place, who are regarded as being in the community, are allowed to own modified mobile phones, keep pets and roam the facility.

Seven paedophiles and other repeat sex offenders have fled since it opened eight years ago. A Victorian Supreme Court document details security as being so minimal at Corella Place, which is described as a “40-bed ‘non-secure’ residential facility”, there is little to stop its 40 residents leaving, including:

■ PRISON officers are not employed at Corella Place.

■ NO secure perimeter barrier, only a “pool-style’’ fence which can be opened.

■ RESIDENTS are not locked in by staff at night and have keys to their units.

■ STAFF have little power to “physically detain an offender should they choose to abscond’’ and must call police.

■ ONLY four CCTV cameras operate, which are pointed at the carpark and “breezeway’’.

Visitors, staff and “offenders’’ are not screened at the entry point, which is not manned, and there is no supervision point with a “line of sight’’ to all units and common areas.

A spokesman for Corrections Minister Edward O’Donohue said ESO tracking devices, such as the one cut off by Andrew Darling on Sunday, were the strongest measure available for sex offenders who had completed their sentences.

“Having these offenders reside at Corella Place adds an extra layer of security and supervision of offenders who are technically free.

“Any attempt to strengthen the scheme or increase security at Corella Place would be overturned by the High Court, as these offenders have done their time in jail.’’

Corella Place is home to some of Victoria's worst sex offenders.