26 Jan 2011

Sex offender caught with 14-year-old

12:21 pm on 26 January 2011

The organisation responsible for the full-time supervision of a convicted sex-offender who was caught in bed with a 14-year-old girl says it was not prepared for dealing with the offender.

Shane Stoneham was under an extended supervision order after being sentenced to a prison term of three years and nine months for unlawful sexual connection.

The Community Connections Supported Living Trust was contracted by the Corrections Department to provide round the clock supervision of Stoneham.

Executive director John Taylor says Stoneham came to them from another failed provider and the community house he was placed in was not ideal.

He says Stoneham managed to divert his supervisor and slip the 14-year-old girl into his bedroom. He was found with her on the morning he was due to move to a more secure house.

Mr Taylor said the trust's failure was that it hadn't prepared for all contingencies.

The Corrections Department says it has terminated the contract because of the incident, but is keeping the one other contract it has with the Trust.

Its general manager of Community Probation Services, Katrina Casey, says Stoneham is in prison awaiting charges of breaching his extended supervision order to be heard next month.

She says the department will be taking action with the Trust to consider what it can learn from what it calls a unique case.