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A serial paedophile who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping two young girls has been arrested for allegedly peeping into windows – just months after he was controversially released from jail.
Roger David Cheney, 66, broke into the homes of two girls, aged eight and 10, in the Port Macquarie region on the NSW mid-north coast on two separate occasions in 1993.
He plucked them from their beds, carried them outside, then sexually assaulted them in the grass. After the attacks, he told them a false name and whispered not to tell anyone what happened.
At the time, he had travelled to the area with his girlfriend while on bail for the violent attempted sexual assault of a woman in Canberra (a crime for which he would later be convicted).
He was jailed for the rapes in 1995 and released back into the community in December 2020 – despite the NSW government fighting to keep him behind bars out of fear for the public’s safety.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal Cheney is back in custody after allegedly being caught peeping and prying into homes in Sydney’s east.
Roger David Cheney, 66, is pictured during his younger years. He spent 25 years in prison for the rape of two young girls in NSW’s Mid-North Coast in the early 1990s
NSW Police launched an investigation late last year after receiving reports a man had been looking through the windows of homes in Pagewood.
On Thursday, officers raced to the suburb after being contacted by concerned locals who had seen a man loitering in a front yard about 8am.
Cheney was stopped while cycling in nearby Maroubra after officers noticed he matched the description provided by homeowners.
Daily Mail understands Cheney had been living in the community under an extended supervision order since his release from prison.
He was taken to the Maroubra Police Station and charged for peeping and stalking, failing to comply with a supervision order and trespassing.
Cheney was remanded in custody to appear before Waverley Local Court on Friday, where he was refused bail.
In 2020, the NSW Government unsuccessfully sought a detention order (CDO) to keep him locked up after his sentence expired.
According to facts in the NSW Supreme Court’s judgement, Cheney has a ‘significant criminal history’, starting in the 1970s for break and entering, stealing, and robbery.
In 1988, he was convicted of raping a woman in Canberra.
Cheney was found guilty of breaking into homes and raping two girls in 1993 (stock image)
However, the convictions were quashed under appeal due to concerns he did not receive a fair trial because of the evidence from one witness.
Just three years later he was found guilty of the attempted rape of a second woman in the ACT and sentenced to six years jail.
But while on bail for that crime, he allegedly committed more atrocities – this time targeting children.
After the first attack in November 1993, Cheney returned the abducted the 10-year-old girl back to her home and told 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 police.
Cheney had disappeared by the time they arrived.
Eleven days later, on December 8, he broke into an eight-year-old’s home. After assaulting her, and pushing her back into her room through her window, she reported the attack to her parents.
Cheney was seen by a police officer and bystander running from the scene, and was arrested.
Cheney was released from Lithgow Correctional Centre (pictured) in 2020 after a NSW government bid to keep him locked up was rejected
During his sentencing hearing in 1995 for the crimes against the young girls, District Court Judge Fred Kirkham slammed Cheney – who has never admit to the crimes – as ‘dangerous’ and ‘totally repugnant’.
‘You are a very resourceful criminal, but you are more than that, you have committed evil crimes against these children,’ Judge Kirkham said.
‘And that aspect of your character combined with your resourcefulness makes you a person who might objectively be described as a very dangerous criminal.
‘You are a true menace to the community, inflicting pain and anguish and fear upon your many victims both young and old.’
During the 2020 detention order appeal, a specialist psychologist for Corrective Services NSW Dr Richard Parker told the court Cheney had participated in a rehabilitative program and was a ‘new Roger’ with new patterns of thinking.
He said Cheney had made progress and argued the next logical step was for him to be ‘supervised in the community’ .
But he also noted Cheney was at an above-average risk of reoffending.
Cheney was arrested last week after he allegedly spotted peeking into residents’ windows in Pagewood (pictured)
Asked whether it was likely Cheney would abide by laws if released, Parker said yes – an answer which was challenged by the state.
The hearing also heard from another court appointed psychologist and a forensic psychiatrist who thought Cheney’s risk of reoffending was high.
Ultimately, Justice Peter Garling said he was satisfied to a ‘high degree’ that Cheney posed an unacceptable risk of committing another serious offence if not kept in jail.
However, he argued there was no suitable rehabilitation program that would be available to Cheney in custody.
Garling rejected the state’s application, allowing Cheney to be released under the condition he remain under an extensive supervision order for five years.
‘This is a case in which it seems to me the defendant is entitled to be released into the community and this ought to be done under supervision,’ he ruled.
Cheney is due to next face Waverley Court again on February 8th.
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