Maurice Van Ryn molested teenage boy while on bail, court hears

CONFESSED child sex offender Maurice Van Ryn molested a teenage boy while on bail earlier this year, a court heard on Thursday.

Meanwhile, an appeal against the granting of bail on 12 other offences has been adjourned until next week.

Last month, Van Ryn, the chief executive officer of Bega Cheese for 14 years, pleaded guilty to 12 child sex offences related to attacks on six boys aged eight to 16 at Tathra between 2006 and 2014.

In a decision that brought an angry reaction from some in the community, Bega Local Magistrate Doug Dick granted the 59-year-old bail under strict conditions.

NSW Attorney General Brad Hazzard personally intervened, asking for a review of the decision.

This is now taking place in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court.

The court heard on Thursday that, after being charged earlier this year, Van Ryn again molested a teenage boy who had previously been a victim of his attacks.

 “He was released on bail and committed some sort of sexual offence on a teenager,” Crown Prosecutor John Bowers said.

He said the offence had involved van Ryn “kissing” the teenager and had “occurred in the context of the previous incident involving the same boy, and in the context of 10 years of offending”.

The prosecution argued that Van Ryn was a flight risk if allowed to remain on bail, partly because he owned property in a country that did not have an extradition treaty with Australia.

Fairfax Media understands that country is Thailand.

Mr Bowers said there was evidence from another of Van Ryn’s victims that the 59-year-old had confessed to “interfering with a young boy in that country”.

However, the defence said Van Ryn had undergone “chemical castration” in a bid to address is paedophilic tendencies, and was willing to meet very strict conditions if allowed to remain on bail.

These included effectively being under house arrest except when he needed to attend appointments with his doctors and lawyers, which he would only do in company with another adult, and wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet.

The bail review hearing continues.   

- with Sydney Morning Herald