Foster Kids Lived with Convicted Killer, Department Fails

0:00It's April 22nd. This is Sydney News Today, driven by AI. Two foster kids in state care ended up living with a convicted triple killer in Western Sydney, even after officials knew about the danger. Regina Arthurville, who served nearly 40 years for two manslaughter and one murder, moved into a grandmother's home with one foster child back in, December last year. She transitioned from living as a man during her crimes. The Department of Communities and Justice got a tip off right away, but after screening and review, they just closed the case without digging deeper. Then a second kid joined the home on March 5th. The grandmother's daughter went public on 2GB radio that same month, sparking an urgent internal probe. Folks were stunned by the oversight, especially since Arthur Reils' violent past screamed high-risk. She stabbed her stepfather in 1974, beat a man during a robbery in 1981, and killed her partner on parole in 1991. Released in 2020 under tight supervision like an ankle monitor and no booze, those rules

1:00lapsed this year. The review slammed the Department for missing key info in their own systems, taking reports at phase value and lacking clear roles or urgency. It said her history alone demanded a full-risk check before any kids were around. Now some staff face misconduct charges. Secretary Michael Tidball owned up to the major failures, stressing kids weren't put first in decisions. This mess shows why child protection needs tighter checks to keep the vulnerable safe moving forward.