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The Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) has come in for strong criticism over its role in freeing high-risk rapist Robert Anthony Mangolamara back into the East Kimberley.
Human rights lawyer and university lecturer Hannah McGlade, herself an Aboriginal, said she was concerned that the ALS hired prominent barrister Bob Richardson to secure Mangolamara's release without supervision.
During his latest jail stint, Mangolamara had refused rehabilitation.
Two psychiatrists assessed him as being at high risk of re-offending.
He recently returned to Kununurra before moving on to Kalumburu.
Ms McGlade said the ALS was often reluctant to assist Aboriginal victims with legal matters such as injury compensation, but was only too willing to fight for the release of a repeat offender such as Mangolamara.
Mangolamara's previous convictions include the rape of a 12-year-old girl, a sexual assault on a 27-year-old woman, the rape of a 28-year-old woman and assaulting and detaining a 13-year-old girl.
The ALS was not prepared to say how many dollars had been spent on securing Mangolamara's release
ALS chief executive Dennis Eggington said every person facing criminal charges was entitled to legal representation, "particularly in circumstances where the State is bringing an application that the person be detained indefinitely."
Ms McGlade also levelled criticism at the ALS for not standing down Kununurra man Murray Allan Jones until he has answered indecent dealings charges against him.
Mr Jones is an executive committee member of the ALS, a position Ms McGlade aspires to.
He was due to appear in court this week to face two charges of indecent dealing with a young woman, two counts of threatening to injure and one count of disorderly conduct.
Mr Jones is a former Aboriginal police aid.
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