SEXUAL OFFENCES

In reply to the Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (3 July 2008).

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business): The Attorney-General has provided the following advice:

Further to the response given by the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council the Office of Crime Statistics and Research have provided these statistics on the impact of the Bill by Hon. Andrew Evans, MLC, to remove all time limitations for the prosecution of sexual offences.

Since the Bill became law and came into operation on 17 June 2003 and up to 31 December 2007, the number of defendants in a finalised court case involving a historical sexual offence was 69. Of these 69 defendants, 29 were found guilty on at least one historical sexual offence charge, with 23 of these offenders being sentenced to an immediate period of imprisonment. The remaining six offenders were sentenced to a suspended imprisonment.

Amongst the 23 convicted offenders who received a term of imprisonment 13 involved an imprisonment for a historical sexual offence only and 10 received a sentence of imprisonment for both a historical and a more recent sexual offence.