A Home Office minister has admitted more must be done to stop sex offenders changing their names and vanishing after a Labour MP hit out at a “dangerous loophole”.
Sarah Champion told the House of Commons it was “truly chilling” that those who commit horrendous sex crimes can make a “nonsense” of systems to keep track of them.
It comes after a bill was put forward by Tory MP Mark Fletcher, who said Rose West, Ian Huntley and Vanessa George were among those who have been able to do so.
Ms Champion, MP for Rotherham, said: “Unless this loophole is closed, it makes a nonsense of the schemes the public rely on to detect offenders.
“For example, the sexual offenders’ register, the child sex offenders disclosure system, the domestic violence disclosure scheme and the Disclosure and Barring Service, all of which are reliant on having the correct name.”
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She said sex offenders being able to change their name has a “truly chilling” impact on abuse survivors, some of whom were in the public gallery of the Commons.
Ms Champion told MPs the “scale of this issue is breathtaking”.
Tory minister Sarah Dines suggested there are several tools to help the Government manage “the risk” of sex offenders, but added: “I do accept and concede that there is always more work to be done.”
The government faces pressure to release a review into the problem, with Ms Dines saying she was “carefully considering the findings”, stressing some of the content is “very sensitive”.
Shadow Home Office minister Jess Phillips tweeted shortly afterwards: “Government refusing to publish review into the number of sex offenders missing from the register after name changes and other circumstances.
“Minister says it may be sensitive, but the only possible sensitivity is that it would show Government failing. It’s been written, publish it.”
Mr Fletcher said it feels like “we are prioritising the rights of sexual offenders over the rights of the general public”.
The MP for Bolsover also said it is “unacceptable” and a “tremendous slap in the face” for victims for the Government not to publish a review into the issue.
The Home Office minister added: “As I’ve made clear, public protection and safety is our number one priority and we’re committed to ensure that the police and other agencies have more and better tools to assist them to more effectively manage registered sex offenders.
“So in a nutshell, a lot has been done but there is more to do. We need more joined-up systems and I’m going to try and do my little bit in my short time to address these issues.”