Latest news with #StephenNeilWhite
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Child rapist who tried to murder five-year-old girl granted release
A convicted child rapist who tried to murder a five-year-old girl has been granted release after spending 23 years behind bars. Stephen Neil White, 59, was jailed in 2001 after he dragged the young girl into bushland in the Western Australian town of Kununurra, struck her on the head with a rock, tied a rope around her neck until she lost consciousness, and raped her. At the time, the then 35-year-old was in a relationship with a woman who had brought along her two young cousins, whom she was caring for, on a camping trip with him on June 18, 2001. White later took the girl to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but fled the scene once she began receiving treatment, prompting a large-scale manhunt. He was eventually arrested and charged with attempted murder and rape, receiving a 17-year prison sentence. He was also handed an additional 16-month term for knocking the woman unconscious in the tent before dragging away the child. In 2013, a continuing detention order was imposed to keep him behind bars beyond his original sentence. Ultimately, White spent almost 22 years in prison before being deemed suitable for release in November 2023. He was placed on a three-year community supervision order and allocated more than $800,000 worth of NDIS support for one year. He reportedly told his lawyer he wanted to go back to prison. A WA Supreme Court justice ordered White's release under a strict supervision order. Credit: Richard Wainwright / AAP Image White has spent the majority of his adult life behind bars. In 1984, when he was in his twenties, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually assaulting a 73-year-old woman in her South Australian home. That offence came a year after he indecently assaulted a girl under the age of 16. While on bail, he also attempted to sexually assault another woman, reportedly using a knife to subdue her. On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered White's release once again, and this time under 67 strict conditions. Under the supervision order, White will be monitored around the clock and receive intensive support through an NDIS plan valued at more than $800,000 a year, due to his intellectual disabilities. He must report regularly to police, abide by a curfew, refrain from consuming alcohol, and have no contact with children. He is also required to live at a designated address, remain within Western Australia, engage in rehabilitation programs, and avoid public events where children may be present. The decision to release White was informed by a psychiatric report presented to the court. White, who has an acquired brain injury and an IQ of 62, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder. The psychiatrist concluded that White is highly institutionalised and lacks the capacity to form meaningful relationships. However, the report said he had made progress in recent years while in custody and could be managed in the community under strict supervision. White will remain under the supervision order until December 2026.
7NEWS
3 days ago
- 7NEWS
Convicted child rapist Stephen Neil White granted release under strict supervision after over 20 years in prison
A convicted child rapist who tried to murder a five-year-old girl has been granted release after spending 23 years behind bars. Stephen Neil White, 59, was jailed in 2001 after he dragged the young girl into bushland in the Western Australian town of Kununurra, struck her on the head with a rock, tied a rope around her neck until she lost consciousness, and raped her. At the time, the then 35-year-old was in a relationship with a woman who had brought along her two young cousins, whom she was caring for, on a camping trip with him on June 18, 2001. White later took the girl to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but fled the scene once she began receiving treatment, prompting a large-scale manhunt. He was eventually arrested and charged with attempted murder and rape, receiving a 17-year prison sentence. He was also handed an additional 16-month term for knocking the woman unconscious in the tent before dragging away the child. In 2013, a continuing detention order was imposed to keep him behind bars beyond his original sentence. Ultimately, White spent almost 22 years in prison before being deemed suitable for release in November 2023. He was placed on a three-year community supervision order and allocated more than $800,000 worth of NDIS support for one year. He reportedly told his lawyer he wanted to go back to prison. White has spent the majority of his adult life behind bars. In 1984, when he was in his twenties, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually assaulting a 73-year-old woman in her South Australian home. That offence came a year after he indecently assaulted a girl under the age of 16. While on bail, he also attempted to sexually assault another woman, reportedly using a knife to subdue her. On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered White's release once again, and this time under 67 strict conditions. Under the supervision order, White will be monitored around the clock and receive intensive support through an NDIS plan valued at more than $800,000 a year, due to his intellectual disabilities. He must report regularly to police, abide by a curfew, refrain from consuming alcohol, and have no contact with children. He is also required to live at a designated address, remain within Western Australia, engage in rehabilitation programs, and avoid public events where children may be present. The decision to release White was informed by a psychiatric report presented to the court. White, who has an acquired brain injury and an IQ of 62, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder. The psychiatrist concluded that White is highly institutionalised and lacks the capacity to form meaningful relationships. However, the report said he had made progress in recent years while in custody and could be managed in the community under strict supervision. White will remain under the supervision order until December 2026.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Child rapist Stephen White to be released from prison despite recent parole breach
A man who raped and tried to kill a five-year-old girl in Western Australia's far north in 2001, and recently attacked a support worker while on parole following his 22-year jail term, is set to be released into the community again. Stephen Neil White sent shock waves through the Kimberley community in 2001 after abducting and attacking a young girl while on a camping trip. On June 18, 2001, White befriended the girl's guardian and dragged the child away from a campsite in Kununurra before raping her. He also inflicted a life-threatening injury to the child by striking her over the head with a rock before taking her to the hospital. White spent almost 22 years in prison for the attack and was released in December 2023 on a three-year supervision order. Then in June 2024 he attacked a disability support worker with a knife and was subsequently arrested and sent back to prison. His offending in WA followed an eight-year prison sentence in South Australia after he raped a 73-year-old woman while in his twenties. On Monday a Supreme Court justice decided to release White from prison under strict supervision, with the 59-year-old agreeing to abide by 67 conditions. Justice Fiona Seaward determined the risk of reoffending could be managed by stringent management of White's life which will involve 24-hour NDIS supervision, seven days a week. The court heard White had an NDIS plan valued at more than $800,000 per year to support his intellectual disabilities. As part of his release White must regularly report to police, abide by a curfew, not consume alcohol and not engage with children. He must reside at a specific address, not leave Western Australia, comply with rehabilitation programs and not attend public events where children may be present. Justice Seaward's decision to release White was informed by a psychiatric report which detailed his history of schizophrenia, an intellectual disability, and an acquired brain injury. The report found White had made progress over recent years while incarcerated but remained "at a high risk of serious sexual reoffending" if not subjected to supervision conditions. "Mr White's primary risk for sexual offending would be both predatory and opportunistic towards predominantly vulnerable females of various ages," the report reads. "Warning signs of reoffending would include his relapse into alcohol and cannabis use and disengagement from his therapists and supervising agencies." However, the report found White's risk of reoffending could be managed if he was released on a strict supervision order. In opting to release White, Justice Seaward said she had "formed the view the supervision order will ensure adequate protection of the community." "In reaching this conclusion I am also satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Mr White will substantially comply with the standard conditions of the supervision order," she said. White will be under a supervision order until December 2026.
