NSW officials reconsider ex-officer’s parole amid safety concerns and families’ anger
Authorities in New South Wales are reportedly reconsidering the planned parole release of former police officer Robert Wotton after his intended address was shared online, raising concerns about threats to his safety. The leak has also prompted local residents to object to his proposed move near a primary school, while the families of three children he abused say the parole decision has betrayed them.
Wotton, 58, was convicted in 2022 of repeatedly indecently assaulting two girls and a boy, all under ten at the time, between 2007 and 2017. He was due to leave Kirkconnell Correctional Centre on Sunday, four years and nine months after being jailed, and reportedly planned to live with his wife about three streets from a school. His victims’ families say they submitted psychological reports and other material opposing parole; Wotton denied the crimes and showed no remorse at his trial.
In short
- Wotton’s planned parole release may be delayed over safety fears.
- His leaked address is reportedly near a primary school.
- Families of the three child victims say the parole decision failed them.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Reconsidering the release arrangements could be justified if publishing Wotton’s intended address creates a credible risk of violence against him or others. Authorities have a duty to manage that risk while respecting lawful parole decisions, and can consider whether different accommodation or safeguards would protect public safety without letting online threats dictate the outcome.
The case against
Proceeding with parole as planned could be defended if the decision followed the applicable legal process and the release conditions adequately manage any risk. Reversing or delaying it in response to a leaked address, local opposition or anger from victims’ families could undermine consistent parole decisions; those families’ concerns deserve serious consideration, but should be weighed through established review procedures.
Explained simply
Robert Wotton is a former New South Wales police officer who was jailed in 2022 for repeatedly indecently assaulting three children over a ten-year period. The children were all under ten when the offences began.
Parole allows a prisoner to serve part of a sentence in the community under conditions. Decisions about parole can take account of information from victims’ families, the prisoner’s circumstances and public safety.
The case has drawn attention to how officials balance a person’s release and safety with the concerns of victims’ families and local residents. The victims’ families say they opposed parole and feel their concerns were not properly considered.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Lynch mob fears set to delay convicted paedophile cop’s release – as his victims’ families erupt in fury over plans to let him walk out of jail and move in next to a school”.