Ray Hadley: Why we have to stop paedophiles and lock them up, not give them bail

Some members of the judiciary have to be carried kicking and screaming to put paedophiles behind bars, but we can’t give up the fight, argues Ray Hadley.

Opinion: When I first started talking about child sexual abuse on radio 2UE over 30 years ago I was pulled aside by programmers and management and told it was no good talking about such matters.

They claimed the audience would be offended and it was not a subject to be discussed on air.

I resisted and despite only being a fill in for John Laws I persisted with exposing and talking about paedophiles.

For many years, I felt like a voice in the wilderness until the late 1990s when I started talking to Hetty Johnston after she founded Bravehearts and I became an ambassador.

Paedophiles are likely to be someone within your friendship or your family group. Rarely are they complete strangers. They’ll mainly target vulnerable children and they are mostly people who have some hold or power over the children they offend against.

When I was a kid growing up in the late 50s early 60s children were told to be seen and

not heard and even if they had the courage to speak to family members about someone within their family or friendship group they were told not to spread such nonsense that resulted in many children turning into dysfunctional adults.

Ex Detective Gary Jubelin made the point in the latest News Corp podcast Predatory that paedophiles don’t have a tattoo on the forehead. They present as normal, caring people who firstly gain the trust of the parents or parent of the child they prey on.

Ray Hadley, 2GB broadcaster. Picture: Supplied

LISTEN TO THE PREDATORY PODCAST

Parents are often the first point of contact with paedophiles before they offend against the child.

The Royal Commission into child sexual abuse finally shone the light on the world these creatures inhabit. We have former PM Julia Gillard to thank for being brave enough to take us down that path.

The internet and social media has provided paedophiles with access to many more victims. Single mothers, in particular, need to be careful about forming relationships with men who target them because they have young children. The Telegraph recently asked the NSW government to help women identify likely domestic violence offenders. I’ve written to the Premier, Dominic Perrottet, asking him to consider extending any identification of violent offenders to those convicted of child sexual abuse.

It’s a never ending battle but we can never give up.

The NSW Police have done and continue to do an outstanding job.

Unfortunately some members of the judiciary have to be carried kicking and screaming to lock up these creatures.

In the last 12 months, I’ve dealt with notorious cases where district court judges have actually given paedophiles bail despite guilty findings by a jury.

In 2023, we have to keep talking about it just like I did back in 1993.

– Ray Hadley presents 2GB’s Morning Show.

For more details about the Predatory podcast, go to predatory.com.au

Originally published as Ray Hadley: Why we have to stop paedophiles and lock them up, not give them bail