Pommie Paedophile faces new allegations

Serial rapist faces new claim
March 24, 2005
News.com.au

FRESH rape allegations against serial pedophile Robert Ernest Excell have sparked moves by a Perth lawyer to halt his planned release from prison and deportation to the United Kingdom.
Lawyer John Hammond today said a former prisoner came to him yesterday alleging he was raped by Excell in 1992 and again in 1998 when they were both inmates of Perth's Casuarina prison.
Excell, 66, has spent 37 of the last 39 years in West Australia's prison system for convictions dating back to 1965, when he sodomised a seven-year-old boy.
Since then he has been paroled three times and re-offended on all three occasions.
He had been expected to be released from jail and deported to the US yesterday but has remained in Perth's Acacia prison due to delays within the immigration department.
Attorney General Jim McGinty later clarified that Excell would be deported from Australia within days.
However, Mr Hammond wrote to Mr McGinty late yesterday and asked that the process be deferred until the new allegations were examined.
Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan had also been notified of the former inmate's complaint, Mr Hammond said.
"He (the former inmate) claims that whilst he was an inmate at Casuarina in '92 and '98 - he was serving separate terms of imprisonment - he was raped by Robert Excell," Mr Hammond said today.
"He claims that in '92 he complained about the sexual assault and he was told to keep it quiet by the authorities.
"He says in '98 he did nothing because he had no faith that any investigation would be undertaken and any charges laid."
The former inmate - who had been serving time for fraud and robbery offences - came forward after learning through the media that Excell was to be freed.
"He became very agitated and sick at the thought of Excell being released and he decided to come forward," Mr Hammond said, adding that he went to Rockingham police, who advised him to contact a lawyer.
Mr Hammond said his client, now a free man, wanted sexual assault charges laid against Excell and hoped he would remain in prison and not be deported.
No response had been yet been received from Mr McGinty's office, Mr Hammond said.
WA Police today confirmed the allegations were under investigation.
Comment was being sought from Mr McGinty.