SYDNEY - A book in Sydney listing the names of Australian child sex offenders could threaten the principle of a fair trial, a senior legal official warned yesterday as a state premier approved the controversial volume. New Zealand author Deborah Coddington has shrugged off threats of legal action and opposition from civil liberty groups and legal authorities to her naming more than 300 convicted perpetrators in The Australian Paedophile and Sex Offender Index.
The book threatens the principle of a fair trial and might prevent the rehabilitation of offenders, warned Mr Nick Cowdery, Director of Public Prosecutions in the eastern state of New South Wales. He insists the book is dangerous and his office refused to assist in the preparation of the volume.