Democrat Darren Andrews admits child sex conviction

THIS could have been a person telling YOU what you can't do to defend yourself or your family.

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AUSTRALIAN Democrats leaders say they feel betrayed by a candidate who yesterday withdrew from the federal election after confessing he had been convicted of a child sex offence.

The candidate in the seat of Sturt, Darren Andrews, right, admitted to a Channel 7 news reporter that he had been convicted of trying to procure a child for sex over the internet.

He withdrew from the election but his name will remain on the ballot paper. The Democrats yesterday said they felt "betrayed" by Mr Andrews, who had told them he had no criminal convictions, and had also signed a written declaration.

"It is like somebody punching you in the stomach," Australian Democrats SA leader Sandra Kanck said. She said the party would immediately cease campaigning in the seat of Sturt and would attempt to remove all campaign material before the election.

Mr Andrews, a student and volunteer for several disability charities, lives with his mother.

In 2006 he stood as a candidate in the state election for the Dignity for the Disabled party and is a finalist in the Pride of Australia award.

Ms Kanck said she was aware that the revelations would damage the efforts of other candidates for the beleaguered party.

"For all their bloody hard work, Darren is going to undo it," she said.

Ms Kanck said the party had been unable to contact Mr Andrews since revelations of his conviction and they were unaware when the conviction occurred, or whether he had served his sentence.

The Democrats lead candidate in the Senate for SA Jeannie Walker said she was "shocked" by the news and was hopeful people would not judge the party by association. "We obviously had no idea and we are as shocked as the rest of the public," she said.

"It could be quite damaging for us. I hope common sense will prevail."

Mr Andrews was described yesterday by Ms Walker as "genuine" and by Ms Kanck as "sincere". "There was no indication there was a problem at all," she said.

"I think you have to feel sympathy for anyone who cannot comprehend why, if you have a conviction, particularly if you have a conviction of this kind, you would put yourself up for Dignity for the Disabled and then for the Democrats."

Details of the conviction are scarce but, on television, Mr Andrews said he had "made plans" to meet what he thought was a 15-year-old boy over the internet, but who was in fact a police officer. Mr Andrews told Channel 7 he didn't go through with the rendezvous.

According to details revealed as an election candidate, Mr Andrews suffered learning difficulties as a student and said he was "sick and tired" of seeing disabled people treated as second-class citizens.

He is a volunteer to the disability sector and has worked as a presenter and producer of AchieveAbility, a radio station for the disabled. He also has been co-producer and co-presenter of Radio Cool, which showcases arts and disability, and a volunteer with Minda Inc and Compass SA, which advocates for the rights of families, carers and people with disabilities.

The Australian Electoral Commission said Mr Andrews' name could not be removed from ballot papers.

Mr Andrews could not be contacted yesterday.