Australian Judge releases previously convicted child molestor without trial due to bad publicity

Unbelievable. This Aussie judge let this repeated child molestor offender go - for an offence he is accused of committing 2 years ago because he didn't think the man  would get a fair trial. The judge even claimed that since he had been incarceration for so long - he had already done his time. 

Where Australia get their judges from I don't know.

Judge Hugh Botting told Brisbane's District Court this afternoon that Dennis Raymond Ferguson, 60, (who is accused by molesting a 5 year old girl) would have charges against him permanently stayed because of "adverse publicity".

Ferguson has been in jail since November 2005 after he was accused of sexually molesting the girl at her home in Dalby, in south-west Queensland.

He originally applied for a permanent stay of the charges last year but his application was dismissed by Judge Gary Forno last August.

Mr Shine tonight said he had sought urgent advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions Tony Moynihan on the matter and would launch an appeal tomorrow.

He said he would seek further advice on whether the appeal could be fast-tracked but until then Ferguson would be free in the community.

Ferguson has previously served time for child sex offences.

He was sentenced to 14 years jail in 1988 for sexually abusing three children in a Brisbane hotel room.

He had been out of jail for about two years before he was arrested on the charges that were dismissed today.