Paedophile ex-magistrate Peter Liddy leaves prison after 25 years

Former magistrate and child sex offender Peter Liddy has been released from the Adelaide Remand Centre after serving his 25-year jail term. (ABC News: Eva Blandis)

Notorious paedophile and former magistrate Peter Liddy has been released from prison after serving a 25-year jail term for sexually abusing four children.

The 82-year-old has been released onto a strict home-detention supervision order.

The South Australian government is pursing applications to have him indefinitely detained, or placed on an extended supervision order.

Notorious paedophile and former magistrate Peter Liddy has taken his first steps of freedom after serving a 25-year prison term for sexually abusing four children.

Liddy was jailed in 2001 for sexual offending against four children between 1983 and 1986 while he was volunteering at the Brighton Surf Life Saving Club.

He has been placed on an interim supervision order with strict conditions, including home detention, while the South Australian government pursues an application to have him indefinitely detained.

The 82-year-old's release comes after the Supreme Court refused Liddy's bid to shelve those proceedings.

Despite questions from the media as he left the Adelaide Remand Centre his only words were "excuse me".

Peter Liddy was jailed in SA in 2001 for the sexual abuse of four children. (ABC News)

The conditions of the interim supervision order include restricted internet access and a ban on contact with children, including a prohibition on going within 50 metres of any school, kindergarten of public playground.

Last month, the Supreme Court heard the premises where Liddy would live were "currently being assessed", but that there were "complexities" which could not be articulated in open court.

Advocate for abuse survivors, lawyer Andrew Carpenter, said he felt for the victim-survivors "who thought this day should never come".

"They were shocked, they never thought that he would ever be the kind of person that would be released," he said.

Andrew Carpenter says Liddy's release marks a dark day for South Australia. (ABC News: Che Chorley)

He said the victim-survivors were also "quite disheartened" that the government had not moved to keep Liddy indefinitely detained sooner.

"[The victim-survivors] have been dealing with the trauma — for not just the 25-years he's been in prison — but ever since they were children, when he first abused them," he said.

"It's a bit of a kick in the guts for them, especially the fact that he's shown no remorse and still denies his offending.

"That monster they've been avoiding all