Foster Children Removed After Months Of Living With Convicted Killer
A disturbing case out of New South Wales has triggered intense scrutiny of the state’s child protection system after it was revealed that two foster children had been living in the same home as a convicted triple killer for months—despite authorities becoming aware of the situation late last year.
Local media reports confirmed this week that the two children, aged 12 and 14, are no longer residing in the home following a police operation on Monday that removed Reginald Arthurell from the property. Officers reportedly arrived heavily armed as they carried out the intervention, according to Sydney radio station 2GB.
The revelation has prompted a public apology from New South Wales Minister for Families and Communities Kate Washington, who acknowledged that the situation represented a serious failure within the state’s oversight system.
“It is entirely unacceptable for a vulnerable child in the care of the state to be living with a triple murderer,” Washington said. “It should never have happened and I’m deeply apologetic for what has happened.”
Washington also stated that “very poor decisions were made” after authorities first became aware of the living arrangement in December 2025. A formal review has now been launched to determine how the circumstances were allowed to continue for months without intervention. According to the minister, systemic changes may follow once the investigation is complete.
The controversy began when Arthurell moved into a foster home in Sydney late last year. The home was operated by an elderly woman who had already been approved by the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice to care for two foster children.
Reports indicate that the woman met Arthurell while working at a hospital where he had been a patient. At some point afterward, she invited him to move into the home as a housemate. The arrangement effectively placed the children in a household with a man whose criminal record included three killings spanning more than three decades.
Authorities reportedly only became aware of the situation after the foster carer’s daughter raised concerns.
Arthurell’s criminal history stretches back decades. In 1974, he was convicted of manslaughter for stabbing his stepfather to death in Sydney. Several years later, in 1981, he killed a 19-year-old sailor during a violent robbery. While on parole in 1995, he murdered his fiancée by beating her with a piece of wood.
Court records show that alcohol played a role in all three killings. In total, Arthurell spent nearly 39 years in custody for the crimes before being released from prison in November 2020.
Following his release, Arthurell began transitioning and adopted the name Regina. Public posts documenting the transition appeared on social media in 2021 within transgender community groups. Court documents later confirmed that the transition had been underway for several years.
The recent discovery that a person with such a violent criminal history was living in a foster home housing vulnerable children has sparked widespread backlash across Australia. Critics have demanded answers from government agencies responsible for monitoring foster placements, with some calling for resignations among officials involved in the oversight failure.