Witnesses and individuals with information into the alleged Paul Reynolds Tasmania Police pedophilia scandal have been urged to come forward.
An independent review, led by Tasmanian barrister Regina Weiss, into the allegations will begin today following revelations that Senior Sergeant Reynolds was given a full police funeral despite known pedophilia allegations against him.
Submissions from witnesses or the public are open until November 30, with the option to provide information anonymously or in private sessions
Barrister Weiss says individuals are invited to share “knowledge, experiences or information” which relate to Reynolds.
“Any information relating to historical complaints made about Paul Reynolds including to other police officers and the handling of those complaints, is also sought,” Weiss said.
The review will be conducted in a trauma-informed manner and may potentially implicate other police officers in crimes.
“In my experience, victim-survivors should not be compelled to provide evidence in the context of a review of this kind in order to maintain a trauma-informed approach,” she said.
“Anyone who wishes to be heard, will be heard.”
Commissioner Adams has expressed regret over granting Reynolds a police funeral and apologised to all victim survivors and all Tasmania Police staff for the decision.
“As I’ve said previously, the decision to hold a police funeral was a mistake and one we regret,” Adams said
“It’s critical that we learn from our past failings, and do whatever we can to ensure such serious allegations against a police officer are appropriately investigated.”
“As a result, an independent review, headed by Ms Weiss, is now underway to assess whether Paul Reynolds used his position as a police officer to groom young people and commit child sexual abuse.”
