A serial sex offender who attacked women in supermarkets and hospitals will stay behind bars following a decision in the Brisbane Supreme Court.
Henry Bewert, 59, has a long history of offences going back to 1988 including four sexual assaults at supermarkets committed while he was on parole in 2007 and the sexual assault of a female patient at an Ipswich hospital emergency department in 2003.
The Supreme Court in 2011 determined Bewert was a serious danger to the community but subsequently in 2013 accepted that he could be released on a supervision order to provide adequate protection to the public.
Bewert while on the order in 2016 committed sexual assault while armed with a knife against a woman in a hospital office room and was jailed for four years.
He has been held in custody indefinitely since 2020 when the sentence expired.
The Supreme Court last month heard testimony from Bewert's treating clinical psychologist, treating psychiatrist and two other psychiatrists as part of an annual review of his ongoing detention under the Dangerous Prisoners (Sex Offenders) Act.
The psychologist testified that Bewert's offending was chaotic and disorganised and he made very impulsive decisions.
'(Bewert) struggled to articulate a coherent understanding of … why … he ends up in these situations time and time again," the psychologist stated.
The treating psychiatrist said he was concerned that Bewert had minimised his past offences, was unable to describe the motivation for his offending and was not being open with staff about his problems.
Justice Declan Kelly ruled on Friday that the community could not be adequately protected if Bewert were released on a supervision order and that his detention would continue.
"Presently there are too many unknowns in (Bewert's) motivations and too little understanding of his offending pathways," Justice Kelly stated.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
