A convicted child rapist who was once a person of interest in the disappearance of schoolboy Daniel Morcombe has made yet another bid for freedom.
Douglas Jackway, 41, was jailed for the rape and abduction of a 10-year-old boy near Gladstone, Queensland, in 1995.
He was also later charged with the rape of a nine-year-old girl, an offence which took place when he was a teenager.
Douglas Jackway, 41, (pictured) was jailed first for the rape and abduction of a 10-year-old boy near Gladstone, Queensland in 1995 and is now making another bid for freedom
In 2003 his brief stint outside of prison coincided with the high profile disappearance of 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe.
Due to his past, Jackway was initially considered a suspect before police turned their attention to Brett Peter Cowan, who was eventually convicted of the murder.
Jackway is also said to have a long history of substance abuse, a personality disorder and a known inability to control his impulses.
However, he is once again pleading for freedom despite being rejected multiple times before on the grounds of being a risk to the community.
The Courier Mail reports Jackway’s legal team argued he should be released into a community with other prisoners and be monitored and fitted with a tracking device.
Jackway was once a suspect in the high profile disappearance of Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe (pictured)
Other experts, including a psychiatrist and several doctors, noted in court that the serial rapist has made progress in the last year.
However, all were said to agree Jackway’s history of substance abuse would be his greatest risk on the outside.
The latest bid for freedom is just one of Jackson’s repeated attempts to be released, after initially being hit with an indefinite jail sentence.
In 2012, a Queensland judge called Jackway ‘a serious danger to the community’ and refused his request for release.
Several attempts were made in the years following with none being successful.
In 2017, Jackway was again told he needed to display good behaviour for at least a year before being considered for supervision.
Since turning 18 in 1994, Jackway has spent a total of just three months outside of prison.