Pedophile ex-MP Milton Orkopoulos faces two more parole charges

Former Labor NSW minister and convicted pedophile’s parole to be reassessed over internet activity.

Former Labor NSW minister Milton Orkopoulos is seen after being held at Maroubra Police Station, Sydney. Picture: AAP

Former Labor NSW minister and convicted child sex offender Milton Orkopoulos will remain on bail pending a decision on whether to revoke his parole after he ­allegedly held an Instagram ­account without telling police.

The 62-year-old was arrested at 7am on Wednesday at his Malabar home in Sydney’s southeast and taken to Maroubra Police Station. He was given bail over two charges in as many days for failing to comply with reporting obligations as part of his parole. His arrest and court summons came after Corrective Services NSW on Tuesday issued a breach report seeking to revoke his parole. The matter had been scheduled to be heard on Wednesday morning by the NSW State Parole Authority but was postponed after his arrest, and will now be considered on February 19.

Orkopoulos’s alleged parole breaches relate to contacting his granddaughter and daughter, and for maintaining an Instagram account for three days without reporting to police he had created the account.

NSW police originally served Orkopoulos a court attendance notice for March 4 before arresting him on Wednesday morning.

Orkopoulos leaving Maroubra Police Station in Sydney on Wednesday. Picture: AAP/Joel Carrett.

At his hearing at Waverley Local Court on Wednesday, magistrate Greg Grogan questioned police prosecutors and Orkopoulos’s lawyer, Omar Juweinat, about the urgency of the court hearing.

“The first count relates to an allegation Mr Orkopoulos had a conversation with his granddaughter in the context of having a conversation with his biological daughter on the phone.” Mr Juweinat said.

He said the other charge was over “an allegation he had created an Instagram account under his own name … disclosed to police on the eighth of January this year … Police discovered that had been active since the fifth of January.”

When asked by Mr Grogan why the hearing was listed for Wednesday, Mr Juweinat said he didn’t know, and called the question an “elephant in the room”.

A police sergeant said “I can’t tell you why” when asked why the hearing was expedited.

Orkopoulos will remain on bail, and was excused from appearing at his next hearing, scheduled for February 5 at Waverley Local Court.

The SPA decision on revoking his parole will be made after that hearing, on Febraury 19.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Juweinat said he had spoken to Orkopoulos, who was “confused” about the fresh charges.

“It sounds like it relates to, and I am yet to formally find out, his use of electronic devices and possible the use of an application called WhatsApp,” he said.

“As one could expect, (Orkopoulos) is really confused and nervous about the dilemma he is currently facing.” Mr Juweinat said.

Orkopoulos was released from prison on December 20 after spending more than 11 years behind bars for child sex offences.

The 62-year-old allegedly breached his reporting obligations, which is one of the several harsh rules attached to his parole that also includes electronic monitoring.

The former NSW Aboriginal Affairs minister spent 11-and-a-half years in prison for dozens of crimes including supplying cannabis to and injecting an underage boy with heroin before having sex with him.

His victims were aged between 15 and 20.

Orkopoulos served as a Labor MP from 1995, and was a minister in Morris Iemma’s government until his arrest in 2006.

He was later convicted and jailed for 13 years and eight months, with a non-parole period of nine years.

Orkopoulos was granted parole after previous applications were rejected due to non completion of reoffending preventive programs while in prison.

At the time of granting his parole, Justice James Wood justified his decision as being in the “paramount interests” of public safety, because “without the opportunity of a supportive transition to the community” through parole, Orkopoulos being released at the end of his sentence without any supervision would be “only likely to increase the risk to the community safety”.

He failed two drug tests while in prison earlier in 2019, the most recent case of which was in February 2019, when Orkopoulos failed a drug test for Buprenorphine, an opioid used to treat addictions to harsher opioids as well as acute pain.

He also created prohibited goods while in prison, and received an unauthorised article from a visitor.

As part of his parole conditions, Orkopoulos was prohibited from being alone with someone aged 16 or under, and was forbidden from visiting Lake Macquarie and Newcastle, the city where he and his family have lived.

Additional reporting: AAP