Convicted child rapist Douglas Brian Jackway, who was once named as a person of interest in the Daniel Morcombe coronial inquest, is to be released from prison under a strict supervision order.

Convicted child rapist Douglas Brian Jackway, who was once named as a person of interest in the Daniel Morcombe coronial inquest, will be released from prison under a strict supervision order.
Key points:

• Douglas Jackway has spent almost all his adult life in prison
• Jackway will be initially released to a precinct subject to a curfew and have to wear a GPS tracker
• The supervision order has been made for 15 years due to the complexity of his conditions

The 44-year-old has spent most of his adult life behind bars for the serious sexual assault of two children, including the last eight years on a ‘continuing detention order’ to keep him in prison.
But on Tuesday, the Supreme Court in Brisbane ruled his behaviour and maturation have improved and he could be managed on a supervision order, which would contain his risks.
Jackway will be initially released to a precinct subject to a curfew and have to wear a GPS tracker, according to a judgment summary.
“In all the circumstances, the court is satisfied that the adequate protection of the community can be ensured by his release on a supervision order and there are a number of protective factors in place to detect any escalation of risk towards reoffending by Mr Jackway,” the summary said.
The supervision order has been made for 15 years due to the complexity of his conditions “and the fact he has become institutionalised after such a long period of imprisonment”.
His release comes after six failed applications by Jackway to be freed.
He has spent most of his adult life except for three or four months in prison.
In 1995, when he was 18, he was sentenced to eight years in jail for abducting a boy, stripping him, assaulting him, threatening him and committing sexual acts on him.
Jackway last released in 2003
Jackway was released from jail in 2003 the same year 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe went missing on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
During the trial of Brett Peter Cowan, who was eventually convicted of the schoolboy’s murder in 2014, Cowan’s legal team tried to point the finger at Jackway, however he had an alibi.
Brett Peter Cowan was eventually convicted of the murder of schoolboy Daniel Morcombe in 2014.(Supplied: Queensland Police Service)
In 2005, Jackway was sentenced for raping a girl in 1991, who was aged between nine and 10 years old.
According to the court’s summary, Jackway has not committed any sexual offence since 1995 and has been involved in a number of rehabilitation programs and one-on-one treatment with forensic psychologists.
Psychiatrists also believe his risk of reoffending is “moderate” and under the conditions of a supervision order is “below moderate”.
“He has taken significant time, with the assistance of rehabilitation programs and treatment, to reach a point of maturation and develop methods to exercise self-control over his emotions and behaviour for the court to reach a view that he can be managed on a supervision order such that any risk of his reoffending can be reduced to an acceptable level and the community can be adequately protected by a supervision order,” the summary said.
“The weight of opinion supports the fact that he is more likely to engage in general offending than offending as contemplated by the Act.”