Vigilantes attack 'God-fearing' man

Hewitt, Sue; Sunday Herald Sun (Australia), November 05, 2006

SUBURBAN vigilantes have attacked a man they wrongly believed to be
a pedophile and warned Broadmeadows residents of his presence by letter.

The man has been threatened, had his windows smashed, gates
padlocked and letterbox sabotaged in a campaign of harassment
spanning two months.

The trouble started after John Lee moved into public housing in
Broadmeadows and a letter circulated warning residents about the
person living at his address.

The letter was posted anonymously to households with children and
implied the resident was a pedophile.

The situation worsened when some locals believed he was the West
Australian John Arthur Lee, the first Australian charged with child
sex tourism.

The WA child protection unit this week confirmed the Broadmeadows
man was not the convicted criminal.

Mr Lee said his life had been a nightmare and he pleaded for
authorities to move him to safe housing.

"I am not a crook or a deviant, I am a God-fearing Christian," he
said. "But the vigilantes have come after me and threatened me."

Mr Lee claimed he was once so fearful he left his house and sought
emergency accommodation.

"But I had to sleep in someone's car," he said.

He said he did not support convicted pedophiles being released into
the community near schools and suggested they should live "at the
back of factories".

But he criticised the actions of vigilantes.

Mr Lee had a front fence erected and padlocked its gate, but thugs
poured super glue in it, locking him behind his own fence.

Then someone added their own padlock to his gate. Mr Lee cannot
receive mail because someone blocked his letterbox with expanding
foam used in the building industry.

"My lounge room windows have been smashed twice, I've had eggs thrown at my door, my shrubs have been trampled and I am watched all the time," he said.