Sid Landau - Repeat Sex Offender Whines for Mercy

Landau admitted he had molested many children.

“I led a horrible, horrible life,” he testified. “I took away their innocence, their trust and undoubtedly gave some of them psychological problems for life. … And I am sorry about it.”

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SANTA ANA – Twice-convicted child molester Sid Landau, who was chased from one temporary home to another in the late 1990s by protesters who did not want a pedophile in their neighborhoods, is in court this week seeking release from a state mental hospital.

Landau, 68, has said that because of age and poor health, he has no sexual urges and is not a danger to children.

But Deputy District Attorney Amy Pope will argue that Landau, who was convicted of lewd acts with a 9-year-old boy in 1982 and child perversion of an 11-year-old boy in 1988, still poses a risk.

Attorneys Wednesday started selecting the jury that will be asked to decide whether Landau should remain locked up or be released.

The trial will be Landau's second related to state laws for sexually violent predators. Last year the first one ended in a mistrial when jurors voted 11-1 that he was no longer dangerous. Superior Court Judge Robert Fitzgerald ordered a retrial.

Landau made headlines beginning in 1997, when Placentia police used the then new Megan's Law to pass out fliers warning residents that they had a convicted child molester living in their neighborhood.

Protesters held picket signs, wore T-shirts reading “Get Rid of Sid” and rallied near the homes and motels where Landau sought temporary residence. He received death threats and was hounded by protesters and members of the media.

While he was under that scrutiny, Landau twice returned to prison on parole violations.

In 1997, he was taken back into custody after he shoved a television cameraman who was trying to shoot a videotape. In 1999, Landau was found in violation for missing a curfew and failing to check in with his parole officer.

While he was serving time for the second parole violation, the Orange County District Attorney's Office filed a sexually violent predator petition against him, which allowed the state to keep him in a mental hospital until he could prove that he was no longer a danger to children.

In his trial last year, Landau admitted he had molested many children.

“I led a horrible, horrible life,” he testified. “I took away their innocence, their trust and undoubtedly gave some of them psychological problems for life. … And I am sorry about it.”

But Landau also testified that because of his age and health problems, he has his sexual urges under control.

“I just stopped thinking about having sex completely,” Landau testified. “The desires I had before are pretty much nonexistent.”

He said he hopes to live out the rest of his days with his older brother in New York.

The trial, before Superior Court Judge Richard King, is expected to last about a month.

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