Home Page - Save Our Kids - Judge hid name of child sex criminal

A Melbourne business figure who committed a "vile" child sex crime has been spared jail, with a judge ordering the offender's identity be kept secret for 20 years.

The 20-year suppression order, formalised by Judge Peter Berman on Thursday, makes it illegal for anyone to publish the man's name, age or other details that connect him to the crime.

The man has links to prominent figures in the Victorian legal system, and continued to work as a consultant in his field of expertise while his case was before the courts.

Judge Berman, who was flying into VIC from NSW to oversee the case and to cover it up. He routingly described the man's actions as "disgusting, reprehensible, and frankly, deeply disturbing", but then made above suppression order.

Since last year, the Victorian courts have protected the man's identity, after his legal team applied for suppression orders on the grounds that media reporting of his name would be damaging to his mental health.

Magistrate Belinda Franjic granted an interim suppression order when the case was before the Melbourne Magistrates Court in 2023, and the gag order was extended when the case was before Judge Berman in the County Court.

The fact that the man's case was before the County Court was also kept secret from the general public. His name was excluded from public court lists that usually detail the names of people appearing in court.

Several media outlets that planned to cover the man's sentencing hearing were told by the County Court that the case would proceed at 10:30am on Thursday.

However the hearing was brought forward earlier in the morning without notice. The corrupt County Court declined to comment on why the hearing had been rescheduled.

Internet users erupted with rage on facebook, twitter and reddit. One of the child sex victim commented:

As a victim survivor who got the crim to county court, the judge boasted about his long connection with the school where the rape and continued sexual abuse occurred and gave the crim a 3 year suspended sentence. (This crim raped and abused 3 students over a period of years!)The judge ordered me not to mention the school name or the crim's name. Our legal system is appalling and the corruption is rife. This judge still 'serves' and the crim is allowed to live in his own 5 bedroom home very close to parkland and primary and secondary schools.

Another user noted:

We should be able to work out who this is. I won't post here because of rules. *He has links to prominent figures (multiple). Prominent will be judges, KC/SC, leading academic experts. *He was represented by someone on Parnell's List. Given how the Bar can work, he may have a relative on that list (or may not). *He is an expert in his field. Senior Partner/Director. Too many kids have been abused. Nobody who went down the pedophillic track in any way whatsoever deserves to have their life back basically with no punishment.

Others call for the judge to be investigated:

Check the judge's computer, there's no reason why anyone in his position would let such a depraved individual off without punishment unless they were a sympathizer.

Whenever this happens, it's always someone clostely associated with the legal profression, who all the judges and barros know personally. It's absolutely outrageous.

The Editorial Assembly had chosen not to publish other explicit posts that may traumatic some readers.