Toowoomba sex crim jailed 'indefinitely' after touching boy
A SERIAL Toowoomba sex offender who molested children over five decades jailed indefinitely after grooming boys three months after his release under supervision
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A SERIAL sexual offender who has molested children over five decades will remain in jail indefinitely after successful court action to keep him behind bars by the Attorney General.
The Supreme Court heard convicted paedophile Kerry Patrick Valence had been on supervised release for three months before "befriending a family" and "grooming" their sons in Toowoomba.
Valence, 61, was sentenced for breaching that supervision order last March, though the Attorney General recently sought to indefinitely detain him in the wake of the incidents.
The court heard Valence had a number of previous convictions for sex offences against children as young as eight-years-old in the 1970s, 80s, 90s early 2000s and some in the last nine years.
Upon moving to Toowoomba in late 2017 after being released under supervision, Valence bought the two young boys presents, offered them massages and touched one of their legs - though he did not report this contact to a Corrective Services official.
"A mere three months after leaving The Precinct, (Valence) had acquainted himself with a family which included two young sons and had begun grooming at least one of them," Justice Peter Davis said.
His lawyer admitted in submissions to the court that Valence had contravened the order, though community safety could be ensured by allowing him to remain under supervision.
Two psychiatrists told the court they considered the 61-year-old a high risk of sexually re-offending, claiming Valence had refused to undertake sexual offender therapy programs but participated in others.
"Unfortunately, I am unclear whether he could now be safely managed in the community, subject to a supervision order.
He has shown a capacity for duplicity, whereby he has engaged in high risk associations with children, despite all that was in place to supervise, monitor and support him," Dr Andrew Aboud said.
Justice Davis rescinded his supervision order and ordered he be detained in custody indefinitely for care and treatment.
"In any event, it is clear that at this stage a supervision order will not provide adequate protection of the community against the respondent committing a serious sexual offence," he said.
Originally published as Toowoomba sex crim jailed 'indefinitely' after touching boy
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