Peter Dutton backs moves to stop funding legal costs for accused pedophile

Peter Dutton has thrown his support behind moves to stop funding the legal costs of an accused pedophile as Julie Bishop sounded a note caution.

Peter Scully, who is on trial in the Philippines for child murder, rape and human trafficking, has received $500,000 in taxpayer funded legal funding.

Peter Dutton has thrown his support behind moves to stop funding the legal costs of accused pedophile Peter Scully as Julie Bishop sounded a note caution, declaring Australia “assumes that people are innocent until proven guilty”.

The Australian revealed this week that Scully, on trial in the Philippines for child murder, rape and human trafficking, has received $500,000 in taxpayer funded legal funding over three years under the Serious Overseas Criminal Matters Scheme.

Attorney-General Christian Porter said he was reviewing access to the scheme, arguing the support was out of step with community expectations.

Mr Dutton, the Home Affairs Minister, applauded his colleague for the tough stance.

“I think you’re seeing a fresh approach from Christian Porter. He’s not only got a smart mind but he’s got a great nose for these sorts of issues,” Mr Dutton told radio 2GB today.

But the Foreign Affairs Minister said the scheme was an important one, ensuring legal advice in foreign countries for “Australians who may be innocent”.

“This is particularly where the person is facing more than 20 years in jail or the death penalty,” Ms Bishop told ABC radio this week.

“Our legal system assumes that people are innocent until proven guilty and clearly there are circumstances where support is absolutely appropriate.”

She said she was concerned about pedophiles getting access to taxpayer-funded support but “it would depend very much on what was known about their history, about whether they’ve got a history of convictions or offending”.

Scully fled Australia in 2011 to escape fraud charges. But it’s believed he had no history of sexual offence convictions in Australia.

He is now contesting 75 charges in the Philippines, where police allege Scully was a cyberporn producer who sold videos of depraved acts for $10,000 each on the internet “dark web”.

Scully is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl before strangling her and burying her body in a grave under a house he was renting in the southern Philippines city of Surigao.

Police and prosecutors wept, according to a Fairfax report, when they viewed one video called Daisy’s Destruction that Scully allegedly sold on the internet showing an 18-month-old girl being sexually assaulted while being tied upside down by the legs. The girl was later found alive but suffers lasting physical and mental injuries.

Two teenage girls were allegedly found naked and chained in another apartment he rented.

Mr Porter told The Australian he was reviewing eligibility to the Serious Overseas Criminal Matters Scheme to ensure people like Scully were unable to claim funds from it.

“Although I understand the support provided falls far short of what has been sought, a fair conclusion is that this expenditure would be considered out of step with community expectations, hence my decision to seek detailed information to consider possible future changes to the scheme’s criteria to ensure child sex offenders are not being generously supported by the Australian taxpayer,” Mr Porter said.

The scheme is currently administered by bureaucrats according to set criteria. Decisions to grant support do not require ministerial approval.