Reforms urged after sex attacks bungle

The Council for Civil Liberties says the wrongful detention of a man over a string of Sydney sexual assaults highlights the need for tight controls on what police can release to the media.

The 23-year-old went to police to clear himself on Saturday after he saw himself in CCTV pictures that were released to broadcasters and newspapers.

He was initially charged with stalking and assaulting six girls and refused bail, but was released two days later after forensic testing cleared him.

The girls, as young as 16, were assaulted by a man armed with a knife near bus shelters in western and north-western Sydney.

Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman says police need a court order to intercept phone calls and similar rules should apply before they publicly release images of possible suspects.

"A public splashing of your face is even more destructive to your reputation than listening in to your telephone calls," he said.

"That's why we say, particularly because of this incident, but this incident has brought to a head simmering problems in this area for a long time."

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Joey's weekend of hell mistaken for a rapist
Joey De Mesa said... I have got records at work that show that I was at work but they didn't do any research. A 23-year-old man wrongly locked up on Sunday by police who suspected him of stalking and assaulting teenaged girls says he barely slept or ate while incarcerated.