Hamilton woman shaken after sex offender refused to leave home

A Hamilton woman who offered a man who said he was on a charity walk a place to stay has slammed the sentence he was handed in court.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said she saw a post from Warren Wright on social media.

In the post Wright said he was raising money for a mental health charity. This struck a chord with the woman, who had two people close to her die by suicide.

In the post, the man said he was staying in a park near where she lived because he had nowhere to stay. "I said to my husband 'go and see if he needs a blanket'," the woman told The Standard. Instead, he told Wright he could stay in their shed.

"He stayed in the shed the first night and was supposed to move on but the weather was bad," the woman said.

However, they were shocked when he came into their house after consuming alcohol and refused to leave.

The couple called police.

The woman said she became concerned when police asked questions about whether her three young children had been asleep while Wright was in the house.

She found out the next day he was a registered sex offender and took to social media to warn other people he might try and find accommodation in other areas of the district.

"I feel absolutely violated," the woman said. "He could have hurt our young children."

Earlier:

A registered sex offender who failed to report contact with children while on a charity walk has been jailed.

Warren Wright, 49, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to four charges of failing to comply with reporting obligations of being a registered sex offender.

If he had reported the contact within 24-hours he may have avoided police prosecution.

In November 2021 Wright was placed on the register after following a 16-year-old into showers at Mildura and intimately touching her.

Wright had recently claimed on social media to be on a charity walk when he stayed with a Hamilton district family for two nights in early June.

About a week later he stayed with another family, which included three young children.

People were warned Wright was a registered sex offender on social media which led to his arrest.

Under his reporting obligations he had to tell authorities he had been in contact with children within 24-hours.

Lawyer Hugh Middleton said his client had been desperate for accommodation.

Magistrate Gerard Lehtbridge said it would have been blatantly obvious to Wright that accommodation during a charity walk would have been a major consideration.

Police said the families who offered accommodation had just tried to do the right thing and now felt violated and that their good will had been preyed on by a sex offender.

Wright was jailed for 28 days and is due to be released on Monday, July 17.

The magistrate warned Wright further breaches of his sex offender obligations would only attract sentences involving more jail time.

IN OTHER NEWS

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.