Face of the Day

An accused sex offender deemed too ill to stand trial in New Zealand has been found living freely in one of Australia’s tourist hotspots.

Sixty-nine-year-old Ronald Thompson was due to face trial in 2023 on 18 charges of sexual abuse against six alleged victims, but the prosecution was stayed due to medical evidence that he was “palliative” with “months to live”.

He’s now been found living on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and appears to be healthy enough to climb stairs unassisted.

A Current Affair’s cameras captured video of Thompson in recent weeks living in a waterfront apartment at Maroochydore.

On one occasion, he was appearing to take pictures of passers-by from his shuttered balcony in the busy tourist location.

When questioned about his apparent recovery since the palliative diagnosis two years ago, Thompson denied he was well enough to return to New Zealand to face trial.

“I haven’t made any recovery,” he said before adding a recent holiday to the Philippines was only possible “in a wheelchair”.

There were no mobility aids sighted as Thompson was filmed climbing three flights of stairs unassisted while out with his dog.

Stuff