Face of Nation : Sterling Mervyn Free was jailed for eight years on Friday after pleading guilty to taking a child for immoral purposes, deprivation of liberty and the indecent treatment of a child under 12. Queensland’s opposition says the government must immediately seek a stronger sentence for a pedophile who abducted a child from a shopping centre and molested her in bushland.
However he can apply for parole in less than two years. The sentence has been slammed by child safety advocates, who say Free’s behaviour make him a danger to society. The court heard Free, a 27-year-old father of two, lured the seven-year-old girl from the toy aisle of a Kmart store at Westfield North Lakes, north of Brisbane in December 18.
He took her to bushland about 30 minutes away, sexually assaulted her and returned her to the centre more than an hour later. He has apologised for his actions, but has been diagnosed as a pornography addict with a pedophilia disorder who was himself abused.
Bruce Morcombe, father of murdered Sunshine Coast boy Daniel Morcombe, has called for a national sex offender website following Free’s sentence. Deputy state opposition leader Tim Mander also wants the government to urgently appeal the “manifestly inadequate” sentence.
“The thought that this sexual predator could be roaming the streets free in two years time would send a chill up every parent’s spine,” he said on Saturday. Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath has 30 days to seek a review of the sentence.
