Paedophile Roger Cheney ‘caught peeping into Pagewood windows’ after jail release over child rape

A serial pedophile who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping two girls has been arrested for allegedly peeping through windows, just months after he was controversially released from jail.

Roger David Cheney, 66, broke into the homes of two girls, ages 8 and 10, in the Port Macquarie region of the north coast of New South Wales on two separate occasions in 1993.

He dragged them out of their beds, took them outside, and then sexually assaulted them on the grass. After the attacks, she told them a false name and whispered to them not to tell anyone what happened.

At the time, he had traveled to the area with his girlfriend while out on bail for the violent attempted sexual assault of a woman in Canberra (an offense for which he would later be convicted).

He was jailed for the rapes in 1995 and released into the community in December 2020, despite the NSW government fighting to keep him behind bars over fears for the safety of the public.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Cheney is back in custody after he was allegedly caught spying on houses in eastern Sydney.

NSW Police launched an investigation late last year after receiving reports that a man had been looking through the windows of houses in Pagewood.

On Thursday, officers rushed to the suburb after being contacted by concerned locals who had seen a man loitering in a front yard around 8 a.m.

Cheney was taken into custody while riding a bicycle in nearby Maroubra after officers noted that he matched the description provided by the owners.

Daily Mail understands that Cheney had been living in the community under an extended supervision order since he was released from prison.

He was taken to the Maroubra police station and charged with spying and harassing, breaching a supervision order and trespassing.

Cheney was taken into custody to appear in Waverley Local Court on Friday, where he was denied bail.

In 2020, the NSW government unsuccessfully applied for a CDO to keep him locked up after his sentence expired.

According to the facts in the NSW Supreme Court ruling, Cheney has a “significant criminal history”, beginning in the 1970s for breaking and entering, burglary and robbery.

In 1988, he was found guilty of raping a woman in Canberra.

However, the convictions were overturned on appeal due to concerns that he did not receive a fair trial due to witness evidence.

Just three years later he was found guilty of the attempted rape of a second woman in the ACT and sentenced to six years in jail.

But while out on bail for that crime, he allegedly committed more atrocities, this time against children.

After the first attack in November 1993, Cheney returned the kidnapped 10-year-old girl to her home, telling her not to tell anyone what happened.

He returned six days later, but when he tried to assault her again, she screamed and ran to her parents, who called the police.

Cheney was missing when they arrived.

Eleven days later, on December 8, he broke into the home of an eight-year-old boy. After assaulting her and pushing her back into her room through the window, she reported the attack to her parents.

Cheney was seen by a police officer and a bystander running from the scene and was arrested.

During his 1995 sentencing hearing for the crimes against the girls, District Court Judge Fred Kirkham criticized Cheney, who never admitted to the crimes, as “dangerous” and “utterly disgusting.”

“You are a criminal with many resources, but you are more than that, you have committed wicked crimes against these children,” Judge Kirkham said.

And that aspect of your character, combined with your wit, makes you a person who could objectively be described as a very dangerous criminal.

You are a true menace to the community, inflicting pain, anguish, and fear on your many victims, both young and old.

During the 2020 arrest warrant appeal, a specialist psychologist from Corrective Services NSW, Dr Richard Parker, told the court that Cheney had been through a rehabilitation program and was a “new Roger” with new thought patterns.

He said that Cheney had made progress and argued that the next logical step was for him to be “monitored in the community.”

But he also noted that Cheney had an above-average risk of recidivism.

Asked if Cheney was likely to abide by the laws if he were released, Parker said yes, an answer that was questioned by the state.

The hearing also heard from another court-appointed psychologist and a forensic psychiatrist who thought Cheney’s risk of recidivism was high.

Ultimately, Judge Peter Garling said he was satisfied to a “high degree” that Cheney posed an unacceptable risk of committing another felony if he was not kept in jail.

However, he argued that there was no proper rehabilitation program available for Cheney in custody.

Garling denied the state’s request, allowing Cheney to be released on the condition that he remain under an extensive supervision order for five years.

“This is a case where it seems to me that the defendant has the right to be released into the community and this should be done under supervision,” he ruled.

Cheney will face Waverley Court again on February 8.