In jail until death: Queensland skips courts to deal with 'worst of the worst'

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/16/locked-up-until-they-die-sex

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The Queensland attorney general will give himself the power to say which sex offenders should be locked up until they die.

Jarrod Bleijie has announced tough new laws to keep the worst sex offenders in jail until they die.

"This legislation will be reserved for the worst of the worst," Bleijie told reporters on Wednesday.

"Some of these people just can't be rehabilitated. They should never be released from prison."

Under the changes, the attorney general can recommend to cabinet which offenders should die in jail.

Cabinet then refers the matter on to the governor in council to approve, taking the decision away from the courts.

"It does take it out of the court and put it in my jurisdiction in terms of making a public interest declaration," Bleijie said.

He intends to declare the proposed laws urgent so they pass parliament this week, before a court hearing for serial sex offender Robert John Fardon.

The government is appealing against an order to release Fardon. His case will return to court in November.

The 64-year-old has been serving an indefinite jail term for sex offences against women and girls dating back to 1967.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush, this is plan B," Bleijie said of the new laws, targeting Fardon and others like him.

The laws would not apply to all sex offenders, but would be reserved for the very worst predators, Bleijie said.

Meanwhile, Bleijie found himself embroiled in a public spat with civil libertarians over new laws designed to deal with bikie gangs.

The state parliament passed laws on Wednesday that ban gang members and associates from gathering, and carry additional jail terms of 15 to 25 years for bikies who commit serious crimes.

The laws will come into force by the end of the week.

This meant the crime and misconduct commission would have more power to "attack criminal motorcycle gangs" by this weekend, Bleijie said.

The commission is getting expanded powers to gather information from bikie gang members, including being able to haul them before hearings without having to go through a bureaucratic process.

Fear of retribution is no longer considered a reasonable excuse for refusing to give evidence to the commission.

And information given to the crime watchdog about unexplained wealth can now be used to prosecute alleged offenders.

Police will also be allowed to conduct probity checks into tattoo parlour owners.

The laws ban bikie gang members from owning, operating or working in tattoo parlours.

Bleijie has said the ban could be expanded to cover the security, gym and used-car industries.

"If there are criminal motorcycle gang members profiteering, promoting, working, associating, being the proprietor of these other businesses, then we will crush them too," he told parliament.

The president of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties, Terry O'Gorman, accused the attorney general of rushing through laws that threatened freedom of association, without consultation or scrutiny.

He called Bleijie "a disgrace" and said he "doesn't give a rat's" about the high office he holds.

The attorney general has hit back, accusing O'Gorman of "bleating" about the new laws because he did not get his way.

He suggested O'Gorman may have contributed to Queensland’s problems.

"I took the view parliament should deal with the matter as soon as possible," Bleijie said on Wednesday.

"People are sick and tired of the likes of Mr O'Gorman bleating every time he [O'Gorman] doesn't like something the government is doing because he didn't get his way.

"Well, he had his way for the last 20 years and that's in essence some of the issues we have now and we are trying to fix."

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