Sex offender nabbed

Registered sex offender Magot Machol last seen in Pakenham has been located by police.

By Bonny Burrows

A “high-risk registered sex offender” recently sighted in Pakenham has been arrested after failing to report to authorities.
Police issued an alert for public help to track down Magot Machol, 27, who was considered dangerous and had not reported to police since being released from jail in September.
He was last seen at a Pakenham shopping centre on Sunday 3 December and police received a tip on Wednesday that he may be at Moe in Gippsland.
The 27-year-old, who also goes by the name Makout Akot, had been convicted over a sex offence committed in New South Wales in 2011 against a 14 year-old girl known to him.
At a 7 December press conference Victoria Police Superintendent Lauren Callaway called public assistance to locate Machol, who has been described as being about 185cm tall, slim, with dark brown eyes and black hair and a small scar under his left eye.
Supt Callaway had warned community members not to approach him if sighted.
“He’s got violence in his prior convictions and sexual-related offences exacerbated by alcohol and we rate him as a high-risk offender,” Supt Callaway said.
“He has an obligation to tell us where he lives, the car he drives and any contact he may have with someone under the age of 18.”
Machol was arrested on the afternoon of 7 December in Canning Street, in the city’s north shortly after the press conference.
He was taken into custody at Footscray Police Station.