# Mum Sues State of Victoria Over Convicted Paedophile’s Assault On Daughter

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/news-opinion/politics/mum-sues-state-of-victoria-over-convicted-paedophiles-assault-on-daughter/
- Published: 2016-06-16T15:12:35+10:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

## _A mother is suing the�State of Victoria for allowing a�convicted�paedophile to have access to her teenage daughter who he molested._

This comes after the man, who�had been convicted of having sex with two 14-year-
old girls,�was�moved from a sex-offender facility, Corella Place, into the same 
crisis housing�as the mother’s 15-year-old daughter, who the man then�preyed on 
after he hired her as a cleaner.

The mother also said that this happened despite the paedophile admitting he�believes
he was not ready and he did not have “the ability to cope” outside custody.

[⌊Mum sues state of victoria over access of paedophile to her daughter who he molested
| stay at home mum⌉⌊Mum sues state of victoria over access of paedophile to her 
daughter who he molested | stay at home mum⌉[

Corella Place

The man�was moved to a block of flats in regional Victoria in 2013. He then�offered
a 15-year-old girl who lived with her mother�in the same block of flats $10 an hour
to clean his flat. As the girl agreed, she�was soon regularly going to the flat,
once visiting when the man and another convicted sex offender were present.

From February to April 2013, the man gave the girl a key to his flat, and molested
her by touching her leg, trying to hug her and touching her hair�and encouraging
her to come over to play Xbox.�He was jailed for eight months in November 2014 for
13 charges of breaching his supervision order.

Now, the teenager’s mother is suing the State of Victoria, claiming that the registered
sex offender had not been properly monitored, despite being on a supervision order.
She is�also taking action against the accommodation provider for housing the offender
in the same block of flats as herself�and her daughter.

The mother’s legal action is part of a series of lawsuits filed by�families of victims
of sex offenders, rapists and murderers, including five people killed by offenders
released on parole.

The County Court civil action gathers�the victims of five parolee killers�Joanne
Wicking, Evan Rudd, Raechel Betts, Sarah Cafferkey�and Douglas Phillips as well 
as two victims of sex offenders,�including�the 15-year-old girl.

[⌊Mother shares emotional story following legal action against the state⌉⌊Mother shares emotional story following legal action against the state⌉ ](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/sex1c.jpg?quality=89&ssl=1)

Helen Wicking, mother of murdered woman Joanne Wicking, is also suing the state 
government and the Adult Parole Board after her daughter was stabbed to death by
Sean Maraffko when he had been on parole for 18 days in 2010.�In November 2011, 
Maraffko was jailed�for 35 years for the murder.

Ms Wicking is also taking action against Telstra,�alleging that the company’s triple-
0 operators failed to put the desperate calls of a mother through to police on the
day she was murdered.�The Supreme Court�court heard that Joanne�Wicking called triple-
0 crying and screaming for help three times between 4.51pm and 4.57pm on the day
she was murdered.�However, Maraffko informed the call-taker every time that it had
been an accidental call.

In her writ, Ms Wicking said Telstra and the Emergency Services Telecommunications
Authority were responsible for “responding to calls to police about the offender’s
behaviour”.

Shine Lawyers senior solicitor Paula Shelton, who is acting for the families, said
that�the State, and other defendants, had a duty of care to the victims because 
of their knowledge of the offenders.�They also had a responsibility to house them
or monitor their lives in the community.

Corrections Minister Steve Herbert recognised�the “tragic circumstances” for the
seven families involved in the legal action.�He said the parole system had been “
comprehensively reformed” as part of a review by High Court Justice Ian Callinan
in 2013.

A Telstra spokesman said the death of Ms Wicking was a tragic situation, however
they couldn’t comment further due to the legal action.�An Emergency Services Telecommunications
Authority spokesperson said that there are now new guidelines for handling triple-
0 phone calls after�a review into the incident.

Source:�[Theage.com.au](http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/mother-sues-victoria-after-teenage-daughter-allowed-to-work-as-sex-predators-cleaner-20160614-gpinpf.html)

![author avatar](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/
12/clare_whitfield_profile.webp?quality=80&ssl=1)

 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/)
