South Australia Government Spends Taxpayer $$$ Prosecuting Newspaper for Naming (Guilty) Pedophile
Convicted child molester and child pornographer Riley Francis John McGuinness. The pedo-friendly SA government is pursuing a newspaper for revealing his identity "early" - a truly disgraceful waste of taxpayer funds.
South Australia daily newspaper The Advertiser has been charged by the Adelaide Magistrates Court’s principal registrar, Melana Virgo, with two counts of publishing the identity of a person charged with a sexual offence prior to the relevant time.
It published the identity of Riley McGuinness – who has since pleaded guilty – after he was granted bail by Magistrate Edward Stratton-Smith in an after-hours session.
Ms Virgo alleges The Advertiser breached laws that ban publication of the identities of alleged sexual offenders until their “first appearance in a court is concluded”.
The case centres on an after-hours hearing in which a magistrate reviewed the bail decision made by SA Police after hearing from them and McGuinness’ counsel, James Caldicott.
Lawyers for Virgo are expected to argue that the after-hours hearing did not qualify as a “court” under the law.
State law defines a “court” as “a tribunal, authority or person invested by law with judicial or quasi-judicial powers, or with authority to make any inquiry or to receive evidence”.
A definition which any reasonable person would assume to include a legal hearing presided over by a member of the judiciary, irrespective of what time of day it was scheduled.
South Australia Attorney-General Kyam Maher now says he is seeking “advice” on the matter.
On Wednesday, The Advertiser asked Mr Maher if, as a general proposition, he endorsed using the Crown Solicitor’s Office to pursue this newspaper over its reportage of a child exploitation material offender.
Separate to the current proceedings, it also asked whether he would move to end SA’s status as the only state that permits alleged sex offenders to remain anonymous until the end of their first court appearance.
“If you will not change the law, how do you justify being the Attorney-General of a state which has consistently protected pedophiles and rapists from scrutiny?” it asked.
A spokeswoman for Maher replied: “Prosecution decisions are made independently of politicians, as is appropriate.”
“The current identification provisions were introduced under the former Marshall Liberal Government by then Attorney-General Vickie Chapman, with the express intention of protecting the identity of victims, not offenders,” she said.
Just like the current bunch of Labor clowns, anything claimed by former premier Steven Marshall and Chapman should be taken with a grain of salt.
Marshall is widely known to lead a colourful private life, the “give it to him baby uh-huh uh-huh” kind that some might say could place him in a compromised position.
Chapman’s valuable contributions to the future of SA included her decision as planning minister to refuse a port on Kangaroo Island. There was an obvious conflict of interest in this decision, because Chapman owned land across the road from a forest that would have been felled if the port went ahead.
Wayne Lines, the “independent” Ombudsman employed by the same government as Chapman, absurdly declared she “did not have a conflict of interest, whether actual, potential or perceived, when she decided the Smith Bay application”.
Maher backpedals
On Thursday, however, Maher issued a second statement.
“I have asked for advice on the current operation of these provisions, and for this to include consideration of any past work done on this matter,” he said.
Also on Thursday, a spokesman for Premier Malinauskas – who is overseas – referred The Advertiser’s questions “to the earlier statement of” Maher.
Former St Peter’s Girls College track and field coach and slimy child molester, Riley Francis John McGuinness. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt
Child protection reformist Hetty Johnston.
On Wednesday, child protection reformist Hetty Johnston AM said the decision to prosecute was not in the public interest and was a waste of taxpayer funds.
Without prejudging the matters before the court, Ms Johnston called on the SA Government to change the law.
“It just doesn’t make any sense, and it is silliness, to pursue this … taxpayer funds don’t need to be spent on that,” she said.
“Prosecuting is a ridiculous thing to do … this is protecting the rights of, and prioritising, offenders over the rights of victims and families yet again.
“We need to be doing more to convict sexual offenders, not less.”
She said the case should be determined by a reframing of legislation, not a prosecution.
“When is a court not a court, when is a law not a law? If this was a Magistrate’s decision, I don’t understand the supposed problem,” she said.
“If this is a ‘grey area’ in the law, it’s because the court itself has made it a grey area and the law should be tested, rather than a prosecution be laid.”
On Thursday, Shadow Attorney-General Josh Teague said the ability to name sexual offenders arose from laws drafted by the former Liberal government.
They came into effect in March 2020 after a nearly 20-year campaign by The Advertiser to end the automatic and ongoing suppression of alleged sexual offenders until they were committed for trial or sentence.
“The former Liberal government reformed SA’s suppression laws in 2020 to strengthen open justice while maintaining protections for victims,” he said.
“We will actively monitor this case to see whether further reforms are necessary.”
Source
Former St Peter’s Girls track and field coach Riley McGuinness pleads guilty to child exploitation material charges. The Advertiser, 6 November 2025.
