Parents of a south Brisbane town have been labelled "irresponsible" by Queensland's Police Minister over their decision to keep children away from school in protest of the relocation of convicted pedophile Dennis Ferguson to a property near their homes. Police Minister Judy Spence said parents in Carbrook, in the city of Logan, had overreacted following Ferguson's arrival earlier this month, calling their response to the pedophile's release from jail as "silly" and "irrational". "It is a very silly response for some parents to have withdrawn their children from school today," Ms Spence said. "They've repeatedly been told that Mr Ferguson is under police watch. "He is being accompanied all the time by a Christian charity group and hasn't left the house, so it's very silly for them to take this course of action. "I think its a totally irresponsible and irrational response to the situation." The 60 year-old convicted sex offender is being housed on a property at Carbrook, about 25 kilometres east of Munruben, where taxpayers are paying $1,000 a day for a church group to supervise him. Ferguson was released from police custody earlier this month after a Brisbane judge ruled he could not receive a fair trial on fresh child sex charges because of his notoriety. Ferguson was being housed on a property near Miles, in south-west Queensland, but community uproar forced police to relocate him for his own safety. "The message we want to get out to parents is that this one man might seem to them to be the most obvious ugly face of pedophilia, but he is not the only individual in out society that has committed crimes against children," Ms Spence said. "And the message is for parents to watch their children every day and not just be frightened by this one individual." Bravehearts executive director and leading child abuse campaigner Hetty Johnson said parents in the area had nothing to fear as long as they did not befriend Ferguson. His history demonstrated Ferguson only preyed on children he had already formed a relationship with, Ms Johnson said. "The judge let him out, so he's out here and that's what we now have to deal with," Ms Johnston said
Parents of a south Brisbane town have been labelled "irresponsible" by Queensland's Police Minister over their decision to keep children away from school in protest of the relocation of convicted pedophile Dennis Ferguson to a property near their homes.
Police Minister Judy Spence said parents in Carbrook, in the city of Logan, had overreacted following Ferguson's arrival earlier this month, calling their response to the pedophile's release from jail as "silly" and "irrational".
"It is a very silly response for some parents to have withdrawn their children from school today," Ms Spence said.
"They've repeatedly been told that Mr Ferguson is under police watch.
"He is being accompanied all the time by a Christian charity group and hasn't left the house, so it's very silly for them to take this course of action.
"I think its a totally irresponsible and irrational response to the situation."
The 60 year-old convicted sex offender is being housed on a property at Carbrook, about 25 kilometres east of Munruben, where taxpayers are paying $1,000 a day for a church group to supervise him.
Ferguson was released from police custody earlier this month after a Brisbane judge ruled he could not receive a fair trial on fresh child sex charges because of his notoriety.
Ferguson was being housed on a property near Miles, in south-west Queensland, but community uproar forced police to relocate him for his own safety.
"The message we want to get out to parents is that this one man might seem to them to be the most obvious ugly face of pedophilia, but he is not the only individual in out society that has committed crimes against children," Ms Spence said.
"And the message is for parents to watch their children every day and not just be frightened by this one individual."
Bravehearts executive director and leading child abuse campaigner Hetty Johnson said parents in the area had nothing to fear as long as they did not befriend Ferguson.
His history demonstrated Ferguson only preyed on children he had already formed a relationship with, Ms Johnson said.
"The judge let him out, so he's out here and that's what we now have to deal with," Ms Johnston said
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