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| Down Under |
| Mr Sympathetic: Gang rape ringleader wants kids |
| 2006-05-05 |
| ONE of the notorious serial gang rapists has had his sperm frozen at taxpayers' expense so he can have a family when he is released from jail. Court documents state the man, 22, cried after being told by doctors he will probably be sterile following chemotherapy for cancer. His solicitor Ross Hudson yesterday defended the move. "It is a misrepresentation to say that a rapist has had his sperm frozen," Mr Hudson said. "Independent of him being a convicted rapist, he has had Hodgkin's disease and it was as a consequence of that a sperm sample was taken possibly for future use." The man was 17 at the time of the serial gang rapes in 2000 and cannot be named. He led one gang rape by 14 men on a girl in a toilet block. "I think he is being incredibly optimistic in thinking he is going to be released from jail and develop a loving and caring relationship with someone who wants to have his children," NSW Rape Crisis Centre co-ordinator Karen Willis said. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system, a month after being jailed with Bilal Skaf in October 2002 over the attacks on young women across Sydney's west. Before raping one woman, aged 19, the man asked her if she liked it "Leb style". He raped her a second time after she had been forced to have sex with 14 other men, some of them several times. After his cancer diagnosis, he was admitted to Long Bay jail's hospital and escorted under guard for treatment to Prince of Wales Hospital, where the Department of Corrective Services has a secure annex. It is understood the option to have sperm stored cryogenically before beginning chemotherapy was offered because of his age. He has been single since his girlfriend dumped him following his conviction. Medical treatment for prisoners is paid for by Justice Health, a division of NSW Health, as part of their duty of care. Justice Health refuses to comment on individual cases and did not return calls yesterday. But in a report to the Court of Criminal Appeal, clinical psychologist Marianne Plahn-Williamson said the man was on anti-depressants to cope. "(He) told me that his doctors felt that he was probably sterile for the rest of his life. (He) told me that on several occasions he lost his composure and cried," her report said. Jailing the man for a maximum of 32 years in October 2002, Judge Michael Finnane said he showed "arrogance . . . and contempt for women". |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |