Anti-libido drug should be used for sex offenders, says former MP Andrew Tink

Updated

A former New South Wales MP has called for an anti-libido drug to be given to sex offenders, citing his own experience taking the medication as a cancer patient.

Andrew Tink is the former NSW shadow attorney-general and Liberal Party spokesman for police.

The former Epping MP quit in 2007 after 18 years in politics.

In 2009 Mr Tink was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and has made his treatment regime public in a submission to a state inquiry into the sentencing of child sexual assault offenders.

He said the anti-androgenic medication he was prescribed totally suppressed his sex drive, amounting to chemical castration and guaranteeing impotence.

He said if sex offenders were given the drug it would eliminate their desire for deviant sexual gratification.

Mr Tink told the inquiry he was revealing the deeply personal and private information because the potential of the drug in sentencing offenders is such that on balance he should step up.

The inquiry was set up last year after a man was given a three-year behaviour bond for raping his daughter.

It is looking at whether the current sentencing options for perpetrators of child sexual assault remain effective.

It is also examining whether alternative sentencing options might improve confidence in the judicial system.

Topics: sexual-offences, prisons-and-punishment, drugs-and-substance-abuse, nsw

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