by biaothanatoi » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:46 pm
<!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,18572774%255E2682,00.html" target="top">Mullighan looks for pedophile links</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br>The Advertiser<br>By CRAIG BILDSTIEN<br>23mar06<br><br>THE Children in State Care inquiry is investigating whether there are links between up to 40 alleged perpetrators of child sex abuse.<br><br>Commissioner Ted Mullighan, QC, yesterday revealed "30 or 40" names had repeatedly emerged as more victims came to tell him their stories. <br><br>"There are 30 or 40 persons who are alleged to have sexually abused more than one person," he said. <br><br>"I am investigating allegations about them and whether there are connections between any of them, but I don't want to say any more at the moment." <br><br>Asked if he had suspicions of an organised pedophile ring or "family" of predators, Mr Mullighan said he was "not prepared to make any comment on that". In other developments, Mr Mullighan: <br><br>ESTIMATED up to 300,000 South Australians could have been, are being or will be sexually abused by the time they are 16. <br><br>ADMITTED he was only "scratching the surface" and his inquiry was likely to continue into 2008. <br><br>HAS had another 75 cases referred to his office already this year, taking the total number to more than 850. <br><br>REVEALED some of the abuse cases he is examining date back 70 years, with a "significant" number more than 50 years old. <br><br>SAID that of the 80 cases he has so far referred to police, a number had already been reported to the chief prosecutor for assessment. <br><br>DID not know how much his investigation had cost so far, but acknowledged it was "some millions of dollars". <br><br>IS considering asking the State Government for additional resources. <br><br>BELIEVED many victims would be "deeply disturbed" by comments by Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras, QC, last month about 30-year-old sex offences. Mr Pallaras said one criteria for prosecution was public interest, and asked: "Is it in the public interest to run offences of that age when the courts are choc-a-block full of current offences?" <br><br>Mr Mullighan urged victims whose abuse went back decades to "come forward", saying that he was "concerned" the remarks might deter some and he had asked Mr Pallaras to clarify his statement. <br><br>"Any person who has committed a serious crime should always be accountable in the law," he said. <br><br>"It doesn't matter when the crime was committed." <br><br>Mr Pallaras yesterday said the "staleness" of an alleged offence was one criteria considered when applying the public interest test, but not the only one. <p></p><i></i>
