One year sentence for paedophile is an absolute disgrace
28th October 1998
One Nation Attorney General spokesman Jack Paff, yesterday condemned the sentencing of convicted paedophile Ron McKeirnan as an 'absolute disgrace'.
According to a recent Courier Mail Article, McKeirnan was convicted for 15 offences of assaults on males, indecent dealing with boys under 17 and indecent dealing with boys under 14. The sentence handed down was just three years in jail, suspended after 12 months.
Mr Paff said: "McKeirnon as a parish priest, scoutmaster, chaplain and director of Catholic Education was in a high position of trust within the community. McKeirnon committed an act of the utmost betrayal to the children, the families of the children and the community which he was supposed to safeguard and protect in his position."
"One must seriously question the ability of our judicial system to uphold the law, protect the innocent, inflict relevant punishment to offenders and provide actual deterrents to prospective criminals when a man who has affected the lives of nine children in such an abhorrent way can receive so light a punishment," Mr Paff said.
"One must also question the ethics of the legal profession when, if the Courier Mail is right, the prosecutor in this case only requested punishment of four years jail and the defence sought only 18 months to two years, suspended after 6 months!" said Mr Paff.
Mr Paff said he agreed with sentiments espoused by John Warner, director of Adult Survivors of Sexual Child Abuse, that the sentence allows the perpetrator to be free in 12 months whilst the victims carry a life term.
"One Nation has always campaigned for punishment which fits the crime. In the upcoming session of Parliament One Nation will ask the Attorney General and the Premier why such a ridiculously inadequate sentence was imposed upon Mr McKeirnon and what they intend to do about a legal system which allows such injustices," Mr Paff said.