Sex offenders will be prevented from evading detection by changing their name
Sex offenders will no longer be able to change their name and hide from the consequences of their crimes under new measures to be introduced by the government today.
Criminals like paedophile Ben David Rose have previously been able to adopt a new identity and target new victims after being convicted.
But the new laws will ensure official documentation such as passports and driving licences cannot be altered without explicit approval from the officers tasked with monitoring the offenders.
The move will form part of the landmark Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced in the House of Commons later today.
Campaigners including Della Wright and the Safeguarding Alliance have been calling for the change for several years.
It was originally promised by the previous Conservative government under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – but the change never became official, as the general election was called before MPs could vote on it.
Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women, said sex offenders are ‘often highly sophisticated and will go to extraordinary lengths to manipulate others’.
Offenders like rapists and paedophiles have been able to change their names, move abroad and lie on job applications so their ‘torrid histories would not come up in a background check’, she said.
The Birmingham Yardley MP told Metro: ‘Now as part of the Crime and Policing Bill, which enters Parliament today, offenders who clearly pose a danger will not be able to change their names and must ensure that they inform the police if they are likely to come into contact with a child.
‘But if we are to achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls within a decade then every single part of the system must be tightened up.
‘We will not hesitate to go further if necessary, using every tool at our disposal to make sure predators are behind bars and victims receive the support they deserve.’
Jess Phillips said registered sex offenders have ‘rightly had conditions set upon them after committing horrendous crimes’ (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
The Home Office said the measures will additionally cover the changing of ‘aliases and names online’ to limit the opportunities for sex offenders to escape detection.
If they refuse to notify their probation officer about name alterations, online aliases or changes to contact details, they could end up back in court facing a tougher sentence such as a fine or potential prison time.
Offenders will also be blocked from accessing places where they could have unsupervised contact with vulnerable people or kids.
Those who pose a threat to children specifically will need to let the police know in advance if they will have any contact with children in a private place, or if they plan to leave their main residence for five days or more.
Sarah Champion, the Labour MP who has spent years calling for the loophole to be closed, told Metro: ‘I have been proud to campaign alongside victims and survivors especially the wonderful Della Wright and the Safeguarding Alliance who first exposed this dangerous flaw.
‘Within days of Labour entering Government, I was back lobbying the Home Office on this preventable risk.
‘Whilst I welcome today’s reforms as a step in the right direction, I’m concerned that some changes still rely on sex offenders doing the right thing and notifying the authorities of changes in circumstance. Sadly, sex offenders rarely do the right thing.
‘The devil will be in the detail of the legislation, which I will be closely scrutinising to ensure it delivers the best possible protection for victims and survivors.’
A Home Office official pointed to the case of Ben David Rose as an example of the behaviour the new laws aim to tackle.
Rose was known as Ben David Lewis in 2015, when he was caught with naked photos of children on his phone by a worker at a summer camp in Bushey which he founded.
He was handed a two-year suspended jail term – but changed his name the day after he was convicted.
With his new identity, he was able to find work in Spain as an au pair and teaching at a private school, and he committed a string of offences against more children as young as seven.
Rose was handed a 138-year prison sentence by a Spanish judge in May 2022, and is expected to serve 20 years.
The new Crime and Policing Bill contains a raft of changes to the UK law enforcement and justice system (Picture: Vuk Valcic/Getty Images)
Gabrielle Shaw, chief executive of National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said the measures ‘send a clear message to survivors that their experiences matter and that meaningful action is being taken to prevent further harm’.
She added: ‘Prevention is key to breaking cycles of abuse, and ensuring tighter controls on known offenders is a vital part of that commitment.’
The bill being introduced to the House of Commons today is described by the government as ‘one of the biggest legislative updates to crime and policing for decades’.
Beyond the updates to restrictions on sex offenders, the bill will also introduce a new criminal offence covering spiking and create a duty to report child sexual abuse.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: ‘For too long communities have had to put up with rising town centre and street crime, and persistent antisocial behaviour, while neighbourhood police have been cut.
‘And for years too little has been done to tackle the most serious violence of all including knife crime and violence against women and children.
‘That is why the new Crime and Policing Bill is about taking back our streets and town centres, restoring respect for law and order, and giving the police and local communities the support and tools they need to tackle local crime.’
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