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Mikus Had Sole Custody of Newborn Baby Girl


Mikus Had Sole Custody of Newborn Baby Girl

Jules Mikus, serial child sex abuser and murderer of six-year-old Teresa Cormack, was paid the Domestic Purposes Benefit and had sole custody of his newborn daughter, ACT Social Welfare Spokesman Dr Muriel Newman revealed today.

"This man was known to Government agencies as a serial child abuser, yet I have received information today that proves Jules Mikus was given the DPB in 1998 for sole custody of his two day old daughter.

"We are only beginning to learn the full extent of Jules Mikus' history: he had dozens of sexual partners and at least nine children of his own. This raises other concerns about the influence easy access to the DPB may have had.

"Most important today though, is to find out how many more abused children in unsafe homes we will find. Child, Youth and Family Services and its predecessor have been recklessly negligent. They knew this man had a history of abusing young girls, yet they allowed him to receive the DPB for sole custody of a two-day-old baby girl.

"We need an urgent inquiry into CYF's actions in this case. Why did the department stand by and do nothing while knowing that a convicted sex abuser had access to so many children, including custody of his own?

"I am calling on Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey to launch an independent inquiry urgently. His department must take the blame for any children abused by Jules Mikus in all the time that it did nothing," Dr Newman said.

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