The Illawarra's notorious serial rapist, Terry John Williamson, has been granted parole but a victim advocate fears the man famously dubbed the "Bulli Rapist" will reoffend.
Williamson is set to walk free from Silverwater Correctional Centre early next month under strict conditions, including a ban from entering the Illawarra and a requirement he continue taking anti-libidinal medication.
Despite the stringent terms and two-year supervision period, Victims of Crime Assistance League NSW vice-president Howard Brown fears the convicted rapist will strike again.
"I don't like his chances; some people think anti-libidinal medication is a cure-all, but it does not prevent reoffending," he said.
"It's basically a device to decrease sex drive but there's a misconception about sex offences; they're predominantly not about sex, they're more about anger, aggression and trying to maintain power.
"All the medication does is provide a physical reduction but that's not the point, it doesn't address the degradation ... [Williamson] led a rampage for quite some time ... people who think anti-libidinal medication is the answer are kidding themselves."
Williamson has served almost 22 years' jail for the appalling rape and sexual assault of 11 victims, including children as young as five, which occurred during his nine-month reign of terror in Wollongong's northern suburbs.
Appearing via video link at a hearing in Parramatta yesterday, Williamson looked notably different from the youthful, slender redhead who was imprisoned more than two decades ago.
Gone was his unmistakable ginger hair, replaced by a receding hairline, and the now 42-year-old looked visibly bulkier under his green prison uniform.
The Mercury understands two victims, along with several support people, attended yesterday's proceedings but remained concealed from the media throng which dominated the courtroom.
Speaking on their behalf after the hearing, Mr Brown said the distraught victims still lived in fear of their attacker and several believed Williamson should never be released from jail.
As part of his parole, Williamson is prohibited from contacting his victims or minors and has been ordered to comply with electronic monitoring, drug and alcohol testing, and psychological assessments.
At the expiry of Williamson's parole period in 2014, the former Corrimal labourer will no longer be subject to supervision or the board's conditions, meaning he could return to the region.
Delivering the State Parole Authority's decision yesterday, president Ian Pike noted the victims' submissions made it clear they still felt frightened today.
Williamson preyed on women and children during his sexual rampage, often attacking his victims inside their homes or beds at knifepoint.
Wearing a balaclava to hide his distinctive red hair, Williamson began his spree in August 1989, forcing a 13-year-old girl to strip and have sex with him in the grounds of Bulli High School.
He struck again the following month, snatching a 15-year-old girl from her Bulli home and raping her in a nearby park.
In November, Williamson changed tactics, kidnapping an 11-year-old boy from his bed before he drove him to Mt Kembla bushland where he sexually assaulted and dumped him.
Two months went by without any sign of the serial assailant until February 1990 when Williamson struck twice in a matter of days, raping a 24-year-old woman in her home before assaulting a Russell Vale teen in her bed.
When he attacked for a sixth time on March 22, his victim was a five-year-old girl who he sexually assaulted when he noticed his intended victim, her mother, was seven months pregnant.
After failed attempts to assault four other women, Williamson was arrested on May 4 and appeared in court the next day, only to be granted bail on condition he remain at his parents' home.
Just one week later, Williamson broke his bail and raped a 20-year-old Wollongong woman before he was recaptured and put in jail.
In 1991 Williamson was sentenced to a maximum 24 years' jail after pleading guilty to 19 charges of sexual assault, threatening actual bodily harm and entering a dwelling with intent to have sexual intercourse.
Ordering Williamson to serve a 10-year parole period, Justice Ray Loveday said the lengthy term was to allow the serial offender "adequate time to integrate into the community".
Although Williamson became eligible for parole in 2004, his first six bids for freedom were blocked by the parole authority who believed he was not yet ready to be released.
But in 2010, the Serious Offenders Review Council changed its stance, recommending the authority consider granting parole.
A report assessing Williamson's suitability for release noted he had proved to be a "willing student" in jail, participating in a sex-offender treatment program.
Despite the glowing report, the authority again refused parole in August 2010, citing a need for Williamson to take leave from jail before they would consider his release.
The matter came before the authority in October last year but the board deferred its decision, requesting more information about how Williamson would receive the anti-libidinal drugs outside prison.
Mr Brown said yesterday it was likely Williamson would now be released into a community offender support program where he would be subject to a curfew and supervision.
Williamson is set to walk free from jail between February 10 and 17.
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