High-Risk Serial Rapist Awarded $220k Annual NDIS Funding and Pornography Access
A serial rapist, assessed as posing a high risk of sexually assaulting women and children, has been granted a substantial National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding package worth $220,000 per year and permitted access to hardcore pornography while in custody. Wayne Wilmot, now aged 53, was part of the group responsible for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Sydney bank teller Janine Balding in September 1988. He has oscillated between incarceration and release since his initial arrest at age 15 for Ms Balding's murder.
Violent History and Ongoing Risk Assessment
Wilmot maintains a long and violent record of sexually assaulting women while on parole or bail. In a recent judgment, the New South Wales Supreme Court determined that he is likely to reoffend, with offences potentially involving forced penetrative sexual activity and sexual coercion, which may include violence, weapons, and could target children. Justice Sarah McNaughton's ruling disclosed that Wilmot received NDIS funding approval last year, valid until June 2026.
The judgment specified that the NDIS approved a 12-month plan for the defendant amounting to $221,620.99, with funding subject to annual review. This financial support covers Wilmot's access to the support service Mates & Mentors during external leave from the prison halfway house where he resides. Additionally, he qualifies for four hours of daily assistance, seven days a week, aimed at fostering social, economic, and community participation.
Controversial Permissions and Supervision Failures
The court documents reveal that Wilmot can request access to pornography or the services of escorts or brothels, contingent on a supervising officer's discretion. In mid-2024, according to a supervision order, Wilmot accessed adult sex shops online, which appeared to help manage his sexual urges. His supervisors advised him to purchase pornographic magazines from an adult bookstore instead of the websites he frequented.
However, days later, his supervisory officer discovered that Wilmot had accessed, without approval, extremely graphic pornographic material involving Asian individuals and teenagers. This breach occurred shortly after his release on a supervision order in June 2024, leading the Supreme Court to return him to custody for one year.
Notorious Crime and Subsequent Offences
On September 8, 1988, a teenage Wilmot, who was on bail at the time, along with three other males aged 14 to 22 and a woman, kidnapped Janine Balding at knifepoint from the Sutherland Railway Station car park around 6pm. The 20-year-old victim was forced into her own car, driven by Wilmot down the M4 motorway to a remote location in Minchinbury, western Sydney, where she was sexually assaulted, hogtied, gagged, and subsequently drowned in a dam. The gang stole her jewellery and withdrew cash using her bank card.
Arrested within days, three of Wilmot's co-accused received life sentences plus 25 years. Wilmot was charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent, one count of robbery in company, and one count of detaining with intent to gain advantage. He was sentenced to nine years and four months, with a seven-year minimum, and released on parole in October 1996.
Pattern of Reoffending and Psychological Evaluations
Wilmot's criminal behaviour persisted post-release. In 1997, he robbed and assaulted a woman in Ashfield, inner-western Sydney. The following year, he tied up and sexually assaulted a terrified 19-year-old female railway employee at Leightonfield Railway Station. A few weeks later, he attempted to kidnap a young woman at Glenfield station, resulting in his incarceration.
It was only through a 2004 DNA testing program for New South Wales inmates that Wilmot's semen was matched to the Leightonfield attack, leading to his imprisonment in 2006 for a maximum of 12 years. While incarcerated, he was convicted of sexually assaulting another inmate and committed further assaults on prisoners, which he claimed were justified.
Currently, Wilmot resides in the Nunyara Community Offender Support Program (COSP), a halfway house attached to the Long Bay prison complex. He is allowed external leave days and will undergo a staged transition to the community over the next year. Previously, he held a coveted kitchen position in COSP until aggressively attacking another inmate; he now works in the facility's laundry.
Expert Assessments and Future Concerns
One of Wilmot's former cellmates reported being sexually assaulted by him, and he has faced charges in custody for intimidation, possession of prohibited weapons, and assault. A recent assault allegation from November last year, involving Wilmot headbutting and striking another inmate, was captured on CCTV.
Justice McNaughton's judgment includes a February 2026 report by court-appointed psychologist Patrick Sheehan, who assessed Wilmot's risk of committing a serious sex offence as at the high end of the risk spectrum. Mr Sheehan emphasised that it is very clear Wilmot cannot live in the community without an Extended Supervision Order (ESO), potentially requiring a line-of-sight condition for constant supervision, which would be costly.
In 2024, Mr Sheehan found that Wilmot took almost no responsibility for his history of sexual violence, flatly denying the Janine Balding offence and implying that his other convictions were false, even those to which he pleaded guilty. Wilmot has been diagnosed with psychopathy, and psychologists rate him at well above average risk for further sexual offending and high risk for violent offending.
Wilmot's co-accused in the Balding attack, Wayne 'Shorty' Jamieson, was jailed for life and is now aged 59. Jamieson also denied culpability, claiming another individual nicknamed 'Shorty' committed the murder. The court judgment noted that Wilmot exhibits impulsivity, anger, aggression, deceitfulness, and a reckless disregard for others' safety, with an inability to express empathy or remorse.
Upcoming Release and Community Integration Warnings
Wilmot is scheduled for release back into the community on March 19, 2027. The court judgment highlighted that, in the context of anticipated NDIS support upon release, warnings have been issued regarding his behaviour. A consultant neuropsychologist stated that NDIS services rarely tolerate intimidating interactions that cannot be safely managed, and failed community integration could isolate Wilmot further.
