Should Convicted Paedophiles Have Access to Social Media
On 12 January 2016 a former teacher at a private girls’ school in Hobart was sentenced to four months in jail after describing a sexual relationship with a 15 year old former student as “awesome” on Facebook.
In 2011 Nicolaas Ockert Bester, aged 63, was sentenced to two years and 10 months in jail for maintaining a sexual relationship with the 15-year-old student and possessing child exploitation material.
In the original sentencing in 2011, the Magistrate noted Bester’s “deep regret” for his crime.
In February 2015, after being released from prison, he commented on Facebook that his sexual relationship with the student was “awesome” and “enviable”. He deleted the comment the following morning and apologised.
Magistrate Rheinburger said the Facebook incident “undermined” the first sentence.
At a hearing in August 2015, the student’s mother said the Facebook incident had re-traumatised her daughter, who engaged in self-harm.
Even after receiving such a short sentence, this perpetrator traumatised his victim again, on top of the trauma which she has already suffered. This is an example of the stark reality that perpetrators of child sexual abuse easily use the pretence of regret and remorse to circumvent the criminal justice purpose, which is to protect people, especially vulnerable children.
Social Media is providing a tool for further traumatisation of victims of child sexual abuse, raising the issue of whether convicted paedophiles should be permitted to have access to social media at all.
Sherilyn Dunkley
Senior Associate
Koffels Solicitors & Barristers