Convicted sex offender Devaun Cox is to be released into the community tomorrow.

Kathy Lynn Simmons, the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, has issued a public notification of information regarding his pending release.

The notice listed Cox as a 38-year-old Black male and the nature of his conviction as sexual assault. It said his address is unknown.

He is being released from custody for a sexual assault on a woman patient at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. The offence occurred in January 2021 and in December 2022 he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment.

Cox has previous convictions dating back to 2012 when he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for intruding on the privacy of a young girl, and in 2013 he was convicted again for intruding on the privacy of a young girl and jailed for three years.

In 2017 Cox was convicted again for intruding on the privacy of a young girl and jailed for three years. He appealed the conviction and it was upheld in 2018. He has two previous convictions for prowling.

The public notification said: “Pursuant to Section 329H of the Criminal Code 1907, the Minister of Legal Affairs is empowered to disclose information in relation to sex offenders who are considered to present a risk of significant harm to the health or safety of the public, an affected group of people or an individual.

“In accordance with this power, the minister, after consulting with the Commissioner of Police, has determined that the public should be notified of the impending release of the following sex offender: Devaun Cox.”

The Act enables the minister to issue the notice having regard to “the need to protect the public, an affected group of people or an individual, and the objective of effective management of sex offenders”.

It adds: “Notification may include such identifying information (including a photograph of the sex offender) as the minister may determine.“