Victims of Maurice Van Ryn furious they were left in the dark over new superannuation laws

The victims of millionaire paedophile Maurice Van Ryn are angry that they have been left in the lurch by the government over new laws to claw back the superannuation of convicted child predators.

• Millionaire pedo’s victims win fight for others
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The victims of millionaire paedophile Maurice Van Ryn are angry that they have been left in the lurch by the government over new laws to claw back the superannuation of convicted child predators.

The government announced it would change the superannuation laws after The Daily Telegraph revealed the former Bega Cheese boss had shareholdings and assets that would today be worth more than $9 million but had told the District Court he was worth only $26,962.

Van Ryn, 63, is due to sentenced at Bega District Court on Monday after pleading guilty to fresh charges of repeatedly raping another young boy between 2010 and 2012, his tenth victim.

Known as the Big Cheese after 15 years as head of the dairy company, Van Ryn is already is serving a jail sentence of at least 13 years and six months for 17 child sexual­ assault offences involving nine victims.

Former Bega Cheese boss Maurice Van Ryn is due to be sentenced in court on Monday after pleading guilty to fresh charges of raping a 10-year-old boy. Picture: Ross Schultz

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The parents of the boys and girls had campaigned for victims of serious and violent­ crimes to be able to access a perpetrator’s superannuation after they were forced to drop their civil claim for compensation against the disgraced businessman because he had hidden his wealth in superannuation.

Submissions received as part of a review of the laws ordered by former Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer were overwhelmingly in favour of change to allow the courts to claw back” suspicious payments made into superannuation by criminals trying to hide their money.

But the families now have to wait to see if the Coalition is re-elected with the Labor opposition saying only that they will “look into it”.

“We are disappointed that the timeline we were given for the laws to go before parliament late last year was not met,” the father of one of Van Ryn’s nine victims said on Thursday.

“We will be looking to both sides of politics to support this.”

Former Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer was in favour of change to allow courts to claw back suspicious payments made into superannuations by criminals. Picture: Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images

The father, who is the spokesman for all the families, said while they recognised it was too late to get anything for their children, they were fighting for other families.

He said they would be at court on Monday to watch Van Ryn being sentenced on the four counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a child aged between 14 and 16 to which he pleaded guilty earlier this year.

Van Ryn had tried to keep details of the fresh crimes secret but the court rejected his application for a non-publication order.

The father said they recognised he would get an automatic 25 per cent reduction for pleading guilty but were hoping for a substantial extra jail term.

“It’s not for vengeance,” the father said.

“But these people, these paedophiles, they can’t stop. They cannot be rehabilitated and we want him to be kept locked up to keep the community safe.”

Van Ryn is currently serving 13 years and six months jail for 17 child sexual­ assault offences involving nine victims.

Ms O’Dwyer, who has announced she will retire from politics, was replaced as Financial Services minister by Stuart Robert.

Spokesman for Mr Roberts said the Coalition had pledged as part of the 2018-19 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook that it will allow victims of certain crimes with unpaid or partially paid compensation orders to access the perpetrator’s superannuation.

“Criminals should not be able to use superannuation as a safe haven to protect their assets from the victims of their serious crimes,” the spokesman said.

“The Government will introduce a bill, following the usual process of consultation on draft legislation in the second half of the year, in the next term of government.”

A Labor Spokeswoman said a Shorten Labor Government would “look into access to criminal’s super for victims of serious crime”.

“Child exploitation is a sickening and abhorrent crime that we do not tolerate,” she said.

Originally published as Victims of Maurice Van Ryn furious they were left in the dark over new superannuation laws