A man dubbed the “North Shore Rapist” has failed in a legal attempt to keep his identity secret after repeatedly committing predatory acts toward women over several decades.
On Tuesday, the New South Wales Supreme Court overturned an order banning Graham James Kay from publishing his name, despite the 72-year-old arguing he feared for his safety.
Kay was released in 2015 after serving 18 years behind bars for sexually assaulting eight women on Sydney’s leafy north shore during the 1990s.
After serving another sentence for stalking and intimidating a woman in Sydney’s inner city in 2022, Kay was released again with conditions including wearing an ankle monitor.
Nine newspapers have successfully challenged Kay’s attempts to keep her name suppressed while the state of New South Wales pursues an extended supervision order against her for community safety.
Asking to remain anonymous, Kay said she had faced threats in the past and once had the word “RAPIST” written on the side of her car.
“I have a hard time getting a job or trying to develop meaningful friendships because I feel like everything is going to be taken away from me,” she told the court.
But the victim of one of Kay’s attacks in the 1990s told the court her details should be made public to give others the chance to protect themselves, as she was unable to do when she thought she was going to die at his hands.
A man dubbed the “North Shore Rapist” for his repeated predatory acts towards women over three decades can be identified as Graham James Kay (pictured)
In rejecting the convicted rapist’s plea, Judge Sarah McNaughton found that there had never been any credible threat of violence against him nor any actual incident affecting his physical safety.
Following his initial release from prison, Kay was re-sentenced in April 2018 to four months in prison for violating his supervision orders by failing to disclose an intimate relationship.
Just four days before that sentence was due to begin, Kay assaulted a 16-year-old supermarket worker, for which he was given a 15-month conditional release order.
As the girl approached Kay, he grabbed her hip and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to step back.
Kay’s identity had been suppressed since 2020 for fear of physical harm towards the serial rapist, who attacked eight women in Sydney’s north during the 1990s.
The teenager would later describe the kiss as “sloppy” and say she was disgusted and very scared, having been aware of his previous crimes due to media reports.
In 2022, Kay was arrested again after stalking a woman around Sydney’s city centre for around two hours before confronting her in the building where she lived and sexually touching her.
His actions in chasing the woman were described by a magistrate as “a predator lying in wait”.
Kay was convicted of sexual contact without consent and harassment or intimidation with intent to cause fear or physical or mental harm.
He was sentenced in May 2022 to two years in prison, a sentence increased by six months on appeal.
The application for an extended supervision order will return to court on August 23.
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National Service for Support and Reparation in Cases of Sexual Abuse 1800 211 028