Should baby Gammy's sex abuse dad be allowed near children?
David Farnell has admitted he would probably have asked the surrogate mother to terminate her pregnancy if it had been safe. 9NEWS
When a weeping David Farnell told 60 minutes he no longer had "urges" to abuse children, it prompted a debate across Australia.
Farnell was speaking for the first time after he and his wife brought their surrogate daughter to Australia, while leaving her brother who has Down syndrome in Thailand.
The 56-year-old was pressed on his three year jail sentence for abusing four girls aged between five and 10 over the period of a decade.
He said he was no longer a threat to children.
"I don't have this urge to do anything anymore," said Farnell.
But can he be trusted? Can a sex offender ever really be fully rehabilitated?
9NEWS.com.au asked three experts in the field to give their view.
HETTY JOHNSTON, founder of child abuse victims' charity Bravehearts:
"It is rubbish. He is still not facing up to it. He has a problem. These are not minor offences. These are serious offences.
"If he falls off that wagon that child is going to pay a price for the rest of her life.
"He is sitting there blubbing asking people to feel sorry for him. Do we want to risk another child because of his rights?
"No society can knowingly place a child into the care of a convicted sex offender. We need to focus on this child.
"In this case we are talking about a repeat offender. He is a person who has a problem around children. He may have tried to turn his life around but he will never be free of this predilection for children.
"If you are an alcoholic you don’t get a job in the local pub. Why is a 56-year-old man bringing a female child into his life?
"The child should be removed from his care."
PROF TONY VINSON, former head of NSW Corrective Services:
"There is a need for extreme caution.
"One can't expect any kind of therapy or program to work which motivates a change of their nature.
"[Rehabilitation of sex offenders] is the most difficult question in the whole field of criminology.
"What makes this area difficult is the fact that we are talking about a core element of a person’s nature.
"If the person was deemed to be in control of that side of their nature then the matter would go back to court and be finalised by a judge.
"In the vast majority of cases success [with treatment] equals control.
"But absolute caution has to be exercised."
VANESSA THOMPSON, associate member of the Australia and New Zealand Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abuse:
"In my experience my clients wouldn't be talking about not having urges.
"Once they are in that area of non-offending it is about being aware.
"Treatment programs can be extremely effective in reducing re-offending
"Somebody can go through a treatment program and learn nothing from it. Other people can make tremendous changes.
"If he is a true paedophile then being around young girls is a massive risk.
"Somebody who has a history of re offending always needs to have support and their relapse prevention plan in place."
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