The mother of a child targeted by British paedophile Roderick Robinson says the justice system has failed her daughter after the serial abuser was granted bail, allowing him to skip New Zealand.
She says her daughter, now about to become a teenager, has no memory of the event, but the mother lives in fear that it is a time bomb and the memories will flood back.
She does not know whether she should talk with her daughter, or simply keep hoping she never remembers.
The Hamilton woman, who Fairfax will not name, detailed the horror of realising her six-year-old had been "lured" into Robinson's caravan at a council-owned family holiday park in Auckland in 2009.
Last week details were revealed of the heroic rescue of two girls by the park's manager, who was praised by both Auckland Council staff and police for carrying out a "textbook" response to Robinson's offending.
Robinson was granted bail after being arrested. He was then re-arrested and charged with another incident of child sex offences - but he was bailed yet again.
Robinson, aged 70 at the time of the alleged offending, then apparently stole a friend's passport and fled the country.
Robinson went on to offend numerous times. He was caught in Malta last month from where he will soon be extradited to face charges in the UK. He'll also face questioning about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann who disappeared from the Algarve in Portugal in 2007.
British police want to speak to him concerning a paedophile ring allegedly operating in the area at the time of her disappearance.
The girl's mother said she was "disgusted" the court granted him bail, allowing him to get away. "For him to be on bail was really frustrating, especially when it was known that there were others.
"The point of the fact that he was put on bail is disgusting. That really hurt. It was gut-wrenching. I said to the detective 'he's going to put another family through turmoil'. It's not a nice thing to go through."
The family owned a caravan at the holiday park and were enjoying a summer vacation in April 2009 when Robinson lured the 6-year-old and her friend, aged five, into his converted caravan with chocolates and presents.
"We found their bikes lying in front of his caravan. When we realised what was going on that was when the panic set in."
Although the woman said she'd never set eyes on Robinson before, afterwards there had been rumours he'd been travelling around north Auckland and there were questions about his suspicious character.
When she approached the caravan she says Robinson emerged, zipping up his pants, which she later testified to in court. "He stood up and called me a liar. It was the first court case I'd ever been to and it was the most horrible, horrible thing to go through."
Two months after the holiday-park incident Robinson was arrested for alleged offending in Hamilton the year before.
He was granted bail again with the proviso that he had to surrender his passport and was due to stand trial in 2010 but disappeared before it went ahead.
A warrant was issued for his arrest on December 23, 2009, but it was too late. "Part of me felt relieved he had gone away.
The fear of her going through the courts was horrific but the worst part was knowing that he was going to do it to someone else."
But there had been no closure for the family and the mother lives in fear that the international publicity could trigger a flashback.
"She's never spoken about it, but you never know. She was nearly seven at the time and you're always waiting for signs. One day is she going to suffer? There's been no full stop. I'll be glad knowing he's locked up. He needs to be in prison a very long time."
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Courts make decisions about bail based on law, which is the Bail Act, the Ministry of Justice is unable to comment on judges' decisions."
She says her daughter, now about to become a teenager, has no memory of the event, but the mother lives in fear that it is a time bomb and the memories will flood back.
She does not know whether she should talk with her daughter, or simply keep hoping she never remembers.
The Hamilton woman, who Fairfax will not name, detailed the horror of realising her six-year-old had been "lured" into Robinson's caravan at a council-owned family holiday park in Auckland in 2009.
Last week details were revealed of the heroic rescue of two girls by the park's manager, who was praised by both Auckland Council staff and police for carrying out a "textbook" response to Robinson's offending.
Robinson was granted bail after being arrested. He was then re-arrested and charged with another incident of child sex offences - but he was bailed yet again.
Robinson, aged 70 at the time of the alleged offending, then apparently stole a friend's passport and fled the country.
British police want to speak to him concerning a paedophile ring allegedly operating in the area at the time of her disappearance.
The girl's mother said she was "disgusted" the court granted him bail, allowing him to get away. "For him to be on bail was really frustrating, especially when it was known that there were others.
"The point of the fact that he was put on bail is disgusting. That really hurt. It was gut-wrenching. I said to the detective 'he's going to put another family through turmoil'. It's not a nice thing to go through."
The family owned a caravan at the holiday park and were enjoying a summer vacation in April 2009 when Robinson lured the 6-year-old and her friend, aged five, into his converted caravan with chocolates and presents.
"We found their bikes lying in front of his caravan. When we realised what was going on that was when the panic set in."
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| Roderick Robinson/MacDonald |
When she approached the caravan she says Robinson emerged, zipping up his pants, which she later testified to in court. "He stood up and called me a liar. It was the first court case I'd ever been to and it was the most horrible, horrible thing to go through."
Two months after the holiday-park incident Robinson was arrested for alleged offending in Hamilton the year before.
He was granted bail again with the proviso that he had to surrender his passport and was due to stand trial in 2010 but disappeared before it went ahead.
A warrant was issued for his arrest on December 23, 2009, but it was too late. "Part of me felt relieved he had gone away.
But there had been no closure for the family and the mother lives in fear that the international publicity could trigger a flashback.
"She's never spoken about it, but you never know. She was nearly seven at the time and you're always waiting for signs. One day is she going to suffer? There's been no full stop. I'll be glad knowing he's locked up. He needs to be in prison a very long time."
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Courts make decisions about bail based on law, which is the Bail Act, the Ministry of Justice is unable to comment on judges' decisions."
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