Paedophile Steven Harvey’s return to work at petting zoo stuns Opposition
Convicted child sex offender ‘incomprehensible’, state opposition says Working at a family-friendly cafe and farm Popular among young children.
City Chicks Farm and Cafe, in the Samford Valley northwest of Brisbane, bills itself as a “children’s play area” where children can feed and pet the animals, but A Current Event While working there this week I found pedophile Steven James Harvey.
In 2017, Harvey was sentenced to eight years in prison for 15 sexual offences, including four against children, and nine rapes.
Shadow attorney general Meaghan Scanlon said it was inconceivable that someone convicted of these crimes would be allowed to work with children.
“Like all Queenslanders, I’m asking how this happened,” he said. “If there is a problem here, it needs to be fixed,” he said.
Scanlon said the state government was making a big play about child safety and needed to address how Harvey was allowed to work with children.
The state government passed the credentials to Queensland Police when asked to comment on Harvey’s employment.
Harvey began working at City Chicks shortly after his release from prison, promoting the facility’s family-friendly attractions in social media clips.
When her sordid past was first revealed by Nine News last November, City Chicks owner Ingrid Dimock announced she was cutting all ties.
“I’m just trying to save my business and reassure all the families that this is a very safe place,” Dimock said at the time, adding: “Steve Harvey has been removed from the building and everything related to the business.”
Harvey claimed he was given leave by Queensland Police when he was observed working at the cafe earlier this week.
“I’m not doing anything wrong. I sent the police here. They know I’m here. They don’t have a problem with me being here. Why do you?” Harvey said.
When asked why a convicted child sex offender would need to work in an area full of children, Harvey stated that “there are over 60,000 sex offenders in Queensland, hanging around in shops and everywhere else”.
On Thursday, police confirmed an investigation into Harvey’s employment had been launched but did not comment further.
This isn’t the first time Harvey has been caught around children after his license to work with children was suspended.
In 2016, he was seen touring a school while running a jumping castle business.
Harvey said A Current Event He had more criminal convictions and always maintained his innocence.
“I am not a sick individual, you are making it up,” he said. “You don’t know the history of everything that happened.”
Harvey also claimed that what many locals consider a zoo is actually a farm.
Although Harvey claims he now only works in the kitchen, he was recorded talking to a mother and her child in the petting area this week.
The City Chicks owner had been in a relationship with Harvey for almost two years and told him: A Current Event He notified me via text message that he was allowed to return.
“After carefully reviewing the situation with the authorities, he is contributing lawfully by assuming a fully operational role behind the scenes, without any contact with the children,” Dimock said.
This was a far cry from his attitude when his criminal history was first revealed in November, when he told Nine News he did not want people to “walk past him saying bad things” and that he was “the victim here”.
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Dan Nolan is senior reporter for A Current Affair in Queensland.
