sparked fears because of a lack of treatment programmes over the two decades he has spent behind bars.

Chesterfield Johnson, now 46, was sentenced to death for the murder of 11-year-old Paget schoolgirl Connie Furtado, who was raped and strangled with her own school tie two decades ago.

But the conviction was later reduced on appeal to manslaughter and the then-maximum of 20 years in jail -- and he is due for release in the next few weeks.

Last night Coalition for the Protection of Children chief Sheelagh Cooper said: "It's a tragedy because this man will have served his time and served it without completing any significant treatment programme for his violent behaviour or violent sexual behaviour.

Ms Cooper speaking for her own organisation, the Institute for Child and Family Health and PARENTS, which provides counselling services for children and parent training, added: "The programmes for both these kinds of behaviour have only recently begun and I don't even know whether he has been part of them, Even if he has, he will not have completed a course, which is of fairly significant duration.'' And she called for new legal powers to make sure those convicted of crimes of sex or violence attend aftercare programmes.

It is understood Johnson is already being released on community work programmes.

And he has been signed up to join the Wood Shop programme -- set up to teach former prisoners the skills to earn a living and rehabilitate them back into society -- when he is released.

During the two-and-a-half week 1978 trial, Supreme Court heard that Johnson was illiterate and had the mental age of a child.

A young woman testified that in 1972 when she was still at school Johnson threatened to strangle her with her tie before stripping her and sexually assaulting her, although the girl was not raped.

A psychiatrist told the court that his opinion was that Johnson was of subnormal intelligence and suffering from a psychopathic disorder.

Ms. Cooper said: "We have had 20 years of this man's life to do something significant, at least an attempt to change his behaviour and we have essentially wasted that time. We only have ourselves to blame if he was to re-offend.'' Johnson is understood to have become a skilled carpenter during his time in Casemates and Westgate Prisons.

Wood Shop organiser Clevelyn Simmons refused to comment on whether Johnson would be joining his programme.

And relatives of Connie still living on the Island also declined to comment.

The girl's parents returned to the Azores shortly after her death.

Acting Health and Social Services Minister Quinton Edness said he could not comment until he had researched the Johnson case.

But he added -- in general terms -- once a prisoner had finished a sentence, they had to be allowed to continue their life.

Mr. Edness said: "He has been assessed and re-assessed -- certainly he has served his sentence and according to the law, he is due to come out and there is nothing anybody can do about that.'' Prisons chief Edward Dyer said yesterday it was not departmental policy to discuss releases.

He said: "We don't advertise when anybody's due to get out for good reasons.

When it's time for them to go, we just let them go.'' But Ms Cooper called for new legal powers to make offenders attend aftercare courses -- even after sentence had been completed.

She said: "It's not only in our interests, it's in the interests of the offender too. This is not about punishment -- it's about healing and protection which also includes him.''