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A deep dive investigation as part of news.com.au’s exclusive Take The Stand campaign has also unearthed other soft sentences, all involving the same judge, Judge John North. All involving offenders who targeted children for sexual purposes.

In 2017, Judge North made front page news after he allowed a convicted pedophile, who raped and abused little girls in Dubbo, to walk free from the District Court without serving a single day in jail.

The pedophile – who cannot be named after Judge North extended him a special protection over his identity – had been head of a religious cult when he began attacking two girls, aged eight and ten, during the 1980s.

The 55-year-old pleaded guilty to 10 counts of child sexual abuse which occurred between 1980 and 1987.

In one case, when the victim was nine, the cult leader forced her to perform oral sex. He also raped the same victim at an orchard when she was 14.

Another victim was just 11 when the pedophile started taking her into a back room at his church to abuse her.

He was facing up to 54 years jail, but at sentencing in November 2017, Judge North gave a fully suspended sentence and good behaviour bond.

Judge North offered a series of bizarre reasons for his leniency, including that the rapist had high cholesterol, poor sleep patterns, type two diabetes and a farm which had experienced drought in 2012.

Judge North said the man was also entitled to “a discount” because the rapist was “sexually inexperienced” at the time of his attacks and, due to his conservative upbringing in the church, had not received sexual education classes in school.

He said the pedophile led “an exemplary life” after the years he spent abusing children and was entitled to a discount based on “good character”.

One of the victims, Louise Gass, told news.com.au that she feels that justice wasn’t served.

“The initial case took four years in court and they decided not to jail him. To have it so he can’t even be named is heartbreaking. This man has ruined my life and he completely gets away with it,” Ms Gass said.

The protective shield on the man’s identity was granted by Judge North after his lawyer claimed that media coverage would be “embarrassing” for the pedophile.

“I truly feel from my heart that they have failed me and that the system is protecting a pedophile,” Ms Gass said.

Another of his victims, Leanne Watson, said the sentence was a “slap in the face”.

“I want to speak out to warn others. I’m very concerned he is still accessing children in the church,” Ms Watson said.

She was just eight when the abuse started.

“There are other victims and they need to know about this case,” she said.

The church cannot be named because the non-publication order on the perpetrator’s name extends to any information that could identify him.

It is understood that since pleading guilty, the offender has continued to attend the same church where he abused young girls, along with conferences attended by hundreds of children.

Shortly after journalist Annabel Hennessy first broke the story in 2017, a third victim came forward.

That woman said she was sexually assaulted by the Dubbo offender over a three-year period, starting when she was 12 years old in 1987.

2GB host Ray Hadley lent public support to the victims and the case prompted the then NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman to ban suspended sentences for convicted child sex offenders in NSW.

“The whole of Australia wants him to be named and shamed,” said survivor Ms Gass.

“I’m not embarrassed about what happened to me and have spoken out not just for myself but for all victims of sex abuse.”