A Dunedin father whose child was a victim of a sex offender is urging parents in Waverley to be vigilant following the man's release from prison.
The concerned man, who did not wish to be named, said parents needed to be aware that Stephen Brett Scully (49) was released on parole on August 31 and was living in their area.
"The people living near there are unsuspecting . . . and that's dangerous. I don't believe that people like him can be rehabilitated.
"How often do you hear about them doing it again?," the man said.
The man, who is the father of one of the victims, said the reason for contacting The Star was not to get revenge, but to prevent another child from being molested.
"We don't want other parents to go through what we have. People need to be warned and be aware of what's going on in their own backyard. Don't take things at face value and listen to your kids.
"The police said they would keep an eye on him but . . . how do they watch him 24 hours a day, seven days a week?"
The Star contacted Mr Scully's believed address this week, but was told no comment would be made.
Mr Scully was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2004 for sexually molesting five young people between January 1999 and December 31, 2003.
The Otago Daily Times reported in July 2004 that pornography found on Mr Scully's computer contained some of the "worst exploitation of children seen", and included images of babies and pre-school children being tortured and sexually abused.
The man said he was horrified to learn that Mr Scully had returned to Dunedin and was living in close proximity to at least six schools.
"I don't know what they're supposed to do with people like him but we have to protect the kids. Growing up is meant to be fun, not growing up like they [the victims] have.
"They feel guilty, they feel like they have done something to make this happen and they blame themselves. It doesn't go away."
New Zealand Parole Board decision documents state Mr Scully was granted parole after serving five years of his seven-year sentence because he had completed the Kia Marama treatment programme, had a support network outside prison, had the backing of a psychologist, and "would not pose an undue risk to the safety of the community".
A psychologist's report indicated Mr Scully's risk of further sexual offending had reduced from high to medium-high.
New Zealand Parole Board communications manager Rachel Riley told The Star she could not comment on whether it was common for medium-high-risk sex offenders to be granted parole as the board did not collect statistics on the risk rating of offenders at the time of release.
"Parole is a means of monitoring an offender once released and can ensure a more gradual and successful reintegration than an offender who is released at the end of their sentence. The law only allows parole to be imposed for six months past the statutory release date.
An offender who is released on parole before this date can be monitored in the community for the whole parole period.
In Mr Scully's case, he will be monitored and required to comply with his conditions for almost two years."
As part of his parole conditions, Mr Scully is not permitted to contact his victims without permission from his probation officer, cannot associate or have contact with anyone under the age of 16 unless under supervision, and is prohibited from owning film-making or video-taping equipment and computer or electronic equipment capable of accessing the internet.
"The release conditions will last until six months beyond his statutory release date. That means that all the conditions will run until 26 July, 2011, and then expire," Ms Riley said.
All offenders serving fixed-term sentences of more than two years are automatically eligible to be considered for parole once they have served one-third of their sentence unless the court imposed a non-parole period.
If an offender's first attempt at parole fails, they must have parole hearings every 12 months.
This was Mr Scully's fourth time before the parole board.
