A FORMER youth worker and brother of killer Katherine Knight - the first Australian woman to be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole - has made a failed bid for bail on the basis that he is no longer a risk to the community.
Neville Roughan, also known as Neville Joseph Knight, has pleaded not guilty to 52 charges of sexual and indecent assault relating to nine young boys over a 34-year period.
The 72-year-old appeared in the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday via audio visual link from Junee Correctional Centre to make a fresh bid for bail, his lawyer telling Justice Julia Lonergan that listening devices showed Mr Roughan no longer posed a risk to children.
But Justice Lonergan said the prosecution case against Mr Roughan was strong and involved him allegedly "preying" on nine young boys between 1969 and 2003.
Mr Roughan was initially charged with assaulting two young boys at Muswellbrook and Gateshead but more alleged victims came forward after his arrest.
He will next appear in Newcastle District Court next week to get a trial date.
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