The Scottish Government is being “urged” to tackle sex offender policy by MSP
MSP Russell Findlay found in a recent report that hundreds of sex offenders across Scotland have been legally allowed to change their names.
He said that this “Makes their crimes invisible to anyone they develop a personal relationship with.”
This is because they become far harder to find on a sex register.
He added: “The SNP government say that public protection measures are strong enough, but as we’ve seen with so many tragic cases, that’s simply not the case. There is a very real chance that a predatory criminal will use this loophole to strike again.”
It is a legal right for anyone in the UK to be able to change their name, and this includes registered sex offenders.
However, a Police Scotland spokesperson has said: “Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, Section 84, RSOs are required, within three days, to notify the use of a name which has not previously been notified to the police.”
“Failure to do so is an offence punishable by up to five years imprisonment.”
Findlay is hoping to see some development soon on tackling this loophole because he first raised the alarm about this two years ago, and has seen no action.
