Ray Hadley has gone in to bat for a grandmother who is now a convicted criminal for outing a predator on Facebook.

Disability pensioner Maxine Davey was last month found guilty of unlawful stalking after attempting to raise the alarm that a convicted paedophile had moved back into town.

Edward James Thomson was sentenced to a maximum of two years and nine months in jail after being found guilty of rape and multiple counts of indecent treatment of children under 16.

He was released after serving just one year behind bars, allowing him to move back into the Queensland town of Calliope.

It led Ms Davey to film a video of Thomson’s house and vehicles, and upload it to Facebook, not knowing it was illegal to do so.

“We owe her a great debt of gratitude, as do the people of Calliope,” Ray said. “They now know, thanks to her and her conviction, that Edward James Thomson is among you.

“Can you understand how reprehensible it is, given … there’s no remorse, there’s 12 months in jail – a paltry sentence – and he’s got the audacity to tell Dan Nolan, ‘It’s caused my family a lot of stress’?

“I think you raping a little girl may have caused your family more distress than what Maxine Davey has done.”

Press PLAY below to hear Ray’s defence of Maxine Davey 

An appeal attempt by Thomson in relation to the crimes was unanimously dismissed earlier this year.

Ray shared details of the paedophile’s crimes as he combed through the appeal document.

Press PLAY below to hear more 

You can read the 31-page appeal judgement in full here.

Dan Nolan, the journalist who initially put together the A Current Affair story last night, told Ray he’s sure most “normal-minded” Australians would be outraged on behalf of Maxine Davey.

“If the community had faith that paedophiles would be punished appropriately, sentenced appropriately, … then we wouldn’t have situations like this occurring.”

Press PLAY below to hear Dan Nolan reveal more of the case details 

Being a disability pensioner, Ms Davey cannot afford to appeal her sentence, after Legal Aid advised she plead guilty to the charge.

She has reportedly been overwhelmed with offers from the public to pay for her legal fees.

Image: A Current Affair