Comeagain town location still secret

The lawyer for controversial sex offender Patrick Comeagain has said both he and his partner would still be in danger if the WA country town they were forced to leave was revealed.

The West Australian today applied to the Supreme Court to have the suppression order lifted on the name of the town which has reacted with such anger at Comeagain's presence this week.

RAPIST MOVED FOR 'HIS OWN SAFETY'

Justice John McKechnie delayed a decision for two weeks on whether the town should be named, now Comeagain and his fiancé have been removed by authorities.

And Mara Barone acting for Comeagain said the couple's possessions, furniture and animals were still at the property, and if the suburb was widely identified they were likely to be a target when they returned to attempt to permanently move.

Tony McCarthy, for The West, said there was particular public interest in the location, after a meeting of over 200 people was held on Thursday night.

Justice McKechnie said he wanted to hear fuller arguments from both sides, as well as Department of Corrective Services and the WA police before he made a decision on naming the town.

Comeagain's history of sexual offending began in 1987. In 1994, he was jailed for 10 years for an attack on a nine-year-old girl. And in 1999 - just weeks after his release from jail - he attacked two women in their homes.

He is one of more than 20 dangerous sex offenders who are living under strict supervision in the community.

Justice McKechnie said no offender in WA had yet committed a sexual offence while on a supervision order, and keeping their locations secret played an important part.

But Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said yesterday he would prefer offenders such as Comeagain were in future placed in the metropolitan area instead of remote communities with limited police resources.

And Police Minister Liza Harvey gave an assurance yesterday Comeagain would be placed on the online sex offender register and residents could use the internet to check whether he was living near them.