NT Police confirm convicted sex offender arrested last month outside young girl’s bedroom

NT POLICE have confirmed a convicted child sex offender was arrested for allegedly entering the bedroom of an eight-year-old girl, but only after the incident was leaked to the media

• Police Commissioner confirms man was caught outside young girl’s bedroom with ‘rape kit’

NT POLICE have confirmed a convicted child sex offender was arrested for allegedly entering the bedroom of an eight-year-old girl, but only after the incident was leaked to the media.

An NT Police spokeswoman confirmed the man was arrested on February 26 and charged with six offences including unlawful entry, possessing child abuse material and recording an indecent image.

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It comes after the NT Independent reported on Tuesday morning that a registered sex offender was arrested by police earlier this month when he was seen outside the girl’s window after she told her parents a man had been in her bedroom on two occasions.

According to the report, police found the man to be in possession of a “rape kit” that included a balaclava, tape, plastic ties and other paraphernalia.

The alleged victim reportedly lived in Darwin’s northern suburbs, with the alleged offender living nearby.

The media had not been notified about the incident, but when asked about the incident at a press conference on Tuesday Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker confirmed there was an investigation underway.

Following a series of questions from the NT News, the PFES media department said the man is in custody and will next appear in court in late April.

“Whilst we recognise the need to advise media in public safety situations, this incident is another example of the offender having been arrested immediately upon police attendance and remanded in custody,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Grieve.

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“The Sex Crimes Section may best be described as a victim focused unit, more so than other units within the force due to the traumatic events that a victim goes through and the extra support they require from police.

“The balance between releasing information or not is always a constant and the decision making process is not as simple as some may think based on these factors.”

A spokeswoman for Police Minister Nicole Manison said they would not be releasing information from the NT Sex Offender Registry.

“The Territory Government does not and is not considering, publicly releasing any details from the NT Sex Offender Registry and this is in line with the majority of jurisdictions in Australia,” the spokeswoman said.

“Under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Registration) Act it is a criminal offence to directly or indirectly disclose personal information from the Register.”

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