Authorities are expected to delay the release of a convicted paedophile former police officer after his new address was leaked online, raising fears that a vigilante mob could target him.
The families of the three children abused by the former officer have accused the NSW parole board of betraying them after discovering he was due to leave prison on Sunday.
They were also horrified to learn that Robert John Wotton, 58, was allegedly planning to move into a home near a local primary school.
Wotton was convicted in 2022 of sexually attacking two girls and a boy, all of whom were under 10 when the offences occurred.
The abuse took place between 2007 and 2017 and involved repeated indecent assaults inside the children’s homes. In one incident, he forced a girl to touch his penis while they were sitting on her bed.
The Daily Mail understands Wotton was due to be released on parole from Kirkconnell Correctional Centre in NSW’s Central Tablelands on Sunday, four years and nine months after he was imprisoned.
The date is believed to be the earliest point at which Wotton became eligible for parole, but his release plans are now uncertain amid concerns for his safety.
Wotton is understood to have planned to live with his wife, Virginia, who supported him throughout the trial and gave evidence as a character witness for the defence.
Wotton (pictured with his wife Virginia, who has supported him) is a former NSW police officer convicted of sexually attacking three children under the age of 10
Child sex offender Robert Wotton was due to leave prison on Sunday after being granted parole
Details of the proposed address were leaked on social media, prompting residents to distribute letters through nearby streets. Locals expressed concern about Wotton living close to a primary school and playground.
One resident has since launched a petition calling for “immediate action” to prevent Wotton from moving into the suburb, which the Daily Mail is not naming.
His planned home is believed to be about three streets from the primary school.
“My children visit their grandparent who lives directly across the road from where this vile excuse for a human will be residing,” one woman wrote in the petition.
“I don’t wish to see the harmony of this street and the freedom of these kids be taken from them.”
Another resident wrote: “Too close to home. Don’t want this grub living near me when I have grandkids come around.”
The petition and letter drops were organised independently of the victims and their families.
“We feel totally betrayed. The [parole board] has failed our children,” a father of one of the victims told the Daily Mail.
Wotton was filmed dismissing his victims with the callous words “f*** them” shortly before he was convicted of abusing the children in 2022
A man who filmed the incident said Wotton’s comments still run through his mind all the time
‘This grub – on my child’s eighth birthday – came to my home and said he had a birthday present for them, went upstairs into their bedroom and sexually assaulted them.’
Wotton, who was in the NSW Police Force from 1990 to 1998, would spend months grooming both the children and their parents, before taking the kids aside and assaulting them.
He’d twice faced similar charges in the 1990s, but both trials ended in hung juries.
The former Acting Sergeant has always denied his crimes and showed no remorse for his victims when he was asked in 2022 if he had a message for them.
‘Yeah, f*** them!’ he replied, with footage of the incident shared online.
The Daily Mail understands the footage was given to the NSW State Parole Authority as part of the victims’ submission as to why Wotton should be denied parole.
They also submitted psychological reports, statutory declarations and alleged evidence of Wotton’s family members discrediting one of the victims on social media.
‘As a family, we thought it’d hold a lot of weight for the parole board… it wasn’t just a letter full of emotions, but of facts,’ the victim’s father said.
The victims’ families said the NSW State Parole Authority had failed the children after it granted Wotton parole
‘But ultimately it held no weight. When they let us know his parole had been approved, I just went silent. It was absolutely heartbreaking.’
The victims’ families said they were also devastated to learn that Wotton has spent the past 20 months under minimum security, which they say has allowed him to go out into the community.
‘We didn’t even know until they sent us a letter… it is unbelievable!’ the man, who also acts as the victims’ representative, said.
‘It’s a slap in the face to these beautiful young kids who went to court, who’ve been going through this for years, even before he was incarcerated. Then all of a sudden he’s out on minimal security, and now parole.’
He added: ‘I don’t know how that was approved. This offender is a master groomer – has he groomed the system?’
During sentencing, Wotton was deemed to need serious treatment by Judge Siobhan Herbert, who also said she was ‘guarded’ about his prospects of rehabilitation.
It is not known what programmes Wotton completed while in jail. However, sex offenders are usually tasked with either a custody-based therapeutic programme or a ‘Deniers’ programme for men who maintain they were wrongfully accused.
The Daily Mail understands part of Wotton’s parole conditions involves a clause that he cannot visit specific council areas in Sydney’s west and south.
A father of one of Wotton’s victims said he feels obligated as a parent to call out the ‘injustice’
He also must not contact, watch, stalk or harass his victims and their families, nor be in the company of anyone under 16 without an adult approved by his parole officer present.
He will also be equipped with 24/7 electronic monitoring that cannot be removed and will have to participate in ‘psychology interventions’ from Corrective Services NSW staff.
The father of one of the victims said he now wants to urge the parole authority to consider tougher measures in the cases of child sex offenders.
‘These guys don’t always have to be granted parole,’ he said.
‘Please look at the victims’ stories and what they have to carry for the rest of their life. Consider that over an offender and his desire to get out of jail early and be in the arms of his wife.’
The father added: ‘He may have won parole, but my battle continues on – as far as we’re concerned, our children have been denied justice.’
In a statement to the Daily Mail, the NSW State Parole Authority said the suitability of residence and post-release plans are assessed and approved by Community Corrections.
‘The NSW State Parole Authority makes independent, evidence-based decisions about an offender’s suitability for supervised parole,’ the statement said.
‘These decisions include consideration of comprehensive reports and detailed post-release plans prepared by specialist staff within CSNSW.
‘Registered victim’s submissions are an important part of the decision-making process and are carefully considered.
‘The authority acknowledges the profound and lasting impact of sexual offending on victims and their families and recognises no outcome can undo the harm experienced.’
The statement added: ‘The authority has become aware of information about Wotton circulating on social media and in letter drops.
‘The authority cannot comment on this further.’
Wotton’s parole order expires on January 25, 2029 unless revoked.
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