Having spent his first 10 days of freedom running away from reporters and members of the public eager to tell others of his whereabouts on their social media pages, the probation service has finally managed to secure accommodation for rapist Larry Murphy.

The 45-year-old former carpenter is also reported to have registered as a sex offender with the gardaí, as he is legally obliged to do under the terms of his sentence.

But the latest attempts to sort out Murphy's future once again highlight how inadequate the law is to deal with such cases. The fact that Murphy got full remission even though he had refused all the rehabilitation counselling offered to sex offenders has left many people angry and confused.

Now we learn that, even though he continues to refuse to attend a treatment programme, he is being provided with accommodation and food by the probation service at the taxpayer's expense. It is bad enough that the public must pay for that garda presence for the five years of his sentence that Murphy should, by any measure of justice, be in prison. The taxpayer should not have to pay for his food and lodgings too.