RTE shocks in first interview with paedophile on Late Late

Friday September 8th 2006

RTE is set to court controversy this evening when it will broadcast the first Irish television interview with a convicted paedophile.

The man, who served 10 years in prison in the United States for abusing his young daughter, will tell the 'Late Late Show' that he and all paedophiles are a constant danger to society and will always pose a risk of reoffending.

He will also urge the Government to introduce an accessible sex-offenders' register so people can find out if paedophiles are living in their area.

Justification

His name is not being released until the show airs, and producers are justifying the interview as giving 'insight into the mind of a paedophile' and stimulating debate on how paedophiles should be treated.

However, sex-abuse campaigner Colm O'Gorman of charity One in Four, which helps counsel victims, said last night he was "deeply cynical" about the motives of the abuser, and that if RTE wanted to address the issue it could do so in a "less sensational" way.

The man, a US citizen aged 69, was convicted after his wife confronted him about his crime. He was jailed for 10 years and had counselling before being released in 1992. He says he also molested several teenage boys and describes sexual abuse as 'intoxicating'. He says he will fight the urge to abuse for the rest of his life.

But One in Four said that, while there was no such thing as a cure for paedophilia, treatment would help reduce the risk of reoffending. "It's always helpful to create awareness of this issue but I wonder if interviewing someone like this is the best way to do so," Mr O'Gorman said. "We have called for mandatory treatment as part of every sentence.

"I would have a problem with anyone who says that names and addresses should be published because it seems to be a way of getting headlines. Publicly revealing names exposes a child to great risk because an abuser will say that if they tell about the crimes, he will go to prison and everyone will know.

"This is a tool to terrify children, and in no way deals with sexual violence. A publicly accessible database will only drive people away to abuse elsewhere, or drive them underground.

"I would be deeply cynical of this man. If the Late Late Show wanted to address this issue they could do so in a less sensational way."

The man whom RTE interviewed has campaigned in the US against a proposal to ban sex offenders from cities, saying this measure would drive more abusers underground. However, he has called for the names and addresses of sex offenders to be published for the rest of their lives.

He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and CBS News. He works as a counsellor to victims and abusers, and travelled to Ireland especially for his 'Late Late' appearance. It is understood that he is meeting all his expenses and is not being paid to appear.

Late Late Show producer Larry Masterson said it was hoped his appearance would fuel debate about paedophilia and the treatment of offenders.

Paul Melia

? Irish Independent