POLICE Commissioner David Manning on Thursday confirmed that a convicted Australian child sex offender has been refused entry to Papua New Guinea and sent back to Australia to answer for his offending in Australia.
He said child sex offenders are on notice that they are not welcomed in PNG with police and other agencies, including the Immigration and Citizenship Authority, on the lookout for degenerates.
“This Australian is a convicted child sex offender who tried to get into our country but was stopped at the border and detained by our diligent detectives,” Commissioner Manning said.
“We do not want child abusers coming to our country and with the right information we will stop them from arriving.
“This is an example of co-operation between our countries working in an effective manner, with the paedophile being detected at our border and being returned to Australia.
“Our information sharing arrangements, strengthened through the Bilateral Security Agreement with Australia, mean our investigators have access to the latest criminal intelligence to support our police operations here in PNG.
“In this case the sex offender had also broken his Australian reporting conditions, and while that is a matter for Australian authorities, I expect them to have no leniency upon him.”
Commissioner Manning said the sex offender had left Australia illegally on a sail boat and arrived in Daru on 27 February 2024.
“When he reached Daru, it took a simple check with our international partners to reveal his identity and his history of offending.
“Our Investigators interviewed and thoroughly searched this man, his belongings and his vessel — Intervening before this predator could commit any offence in our Country.
“He was then detained in the Daru Police Station cells and expatriated to his last for of call.
“The sex offender was escorted to the international flight with the expectation that he would be met on arrival by Australian authorities.
“This was the best course of action to get this predator out of our country and back to his country of residence to answer for his overseas offending,” Manning said.
“This matter highlights our zero-tolerance approach to removing predatory offenders before they can harm our community.
“Our strong legislative framework, in the Lukautim Pikini Act and Criminal Code, mean that those who hide their predatory past or seek to harm our communities will be dealt with swiftly and in full measure.
“These child sex offenders are the scum of the earth, and police will work tirelessly to expose them regardless of where they are from and to have them dealt with under the rule of law.”
