Post by Islamic Revival on Jun 10, 2005 0:36:16 GMT -5
Abuser 'forced family to flee home'
Police unable to stop paedophile living near his schoolgirl victim
Steven Morris
Friday June 10, 2005
The Guardian
The family of a schoolgirl claim that they have been forced out of their home after a paedophile who was jailed for sexually assaulting the child moved back into their street after being released.
Relatives of the 10-year-old girl yesterday said they had to move because she was terrified that she might be attacked again.
She refused to sleep in her bedroom and was frightened to go to school for fear of bumping into the man who had assaulted her.
The local authority which has been dealing with the case expressed its concern, but said the man could not be made to live elsewhere.
Campaigners claimed that the case showed that the government was not doing enough to deal with sex offenders. However the government insisted that under new regulations, the police can prevent offenders from returning to the area where their victim lives.
The man, who is 48 and from a town in mid-Wales, was jailed in May last year for eight months after admitting indecent assault. He was released after five months and, to the horror of the girl and her family, moved back into his home a few metres from his victim.
Powys County Council offered to find the family a new home, but initially they refused to move. However the girl's mother said their lives had become intolerable. She claimed that the man had taunted her about how close he was to the girl. She said: "It was hell."
The mother said she felt she had to keep an eye on her daughter all day and night, and the girl had become quieter and more reserved. She did not want to go to school because she had to walk close to the man's house to get there.
A spokesman for the county council admitted that the paedophile's return had been a "hideous surprise". The council took legal advice but was told that it could do nothing because he had spent less than a year in prison.
The Dyfed-Powys police force claimed it had taken "all appropriate action" allowed by law. It said it also had to take into account the man's human rights. He had not reoffended, and the police were monitoring him.
Campaigners claimed that the case highlighted failings in the way sex offenders are controlled after they are freed. Some called for the law to be changed so that when a sex offender is convicted an order can be made to stop him returning to the area where his victim lives.
Sara Payne, the mother of Sarah Payne who was murdered by the paedophile Roy Whiting, described the case as "disgusting". She said it showed that chldren were still not getting the protection they needed.
The Home Office declined to speak about the case. However it said the Sexual Offences Act 2003 police gave police and probation officers the right to go to a court and try to get a "sexual offences prevention order". The orders are designed to give the authorities the power to deal with offenders. One of the options open is to stop an offender going near the victim or their home.
A court has to be convinced that the order is necessary. If an offender breaks the order he can be imprisoned for up to five years.
The police would not say if they had sought an order in the current case.
Police unable to stop paedophile living near his schoolgirl victim
Steven Morris
Friday June 10, 2005
The Guardian
The family of a schoolgirl claim that they have been forced out of their home after a paedophile who was jailed for sexually assaulting the child moved back into their street after being released.
Relatives of the 10-year-old girl yesterday said they had to move because she was terrified that she might be attacked again.
She refused to sleep in her bedroom and was frightened to go to school for fear of bumping into the man who had assaulted her.
The local authority which has been dealing with the case expressed its concern, but said the man could not be made to live elsewhere.
Campaigners claimed that the case showed that the government was not doing enough to deal with sex offenders. However the government insisted that under new regulations, the police can prevent offenders from returning to the area where their victim lives.
The man, who is 48 and from a town in mid-Wales, was jailed in May last year for eight months after admitting indecent assault. He was released after five months and, to the horror of the girl and her family, moved back into his home a few metres from his victim.
Powys County Council offered to find the family a new home, but initially they refused to move. However the girl's mother said their lives had become intolerable. She claimed that the man had taunted her about how close he was to the girl. She said: "It was hell."
The mother said she felt she had to keep an eye on her daughter all day and night, and the girl had become quieter and more reserved. She did not want to go to school because she had to walk close to the man's house to get there.
A spokesman for the county council admitted that the paedophile's return had been a "hideous surprise". The council took legal advice but was told that it could do nothing because he had spent less than a year in prison.
The Dyfed-Powys police force claimed it had taken "all appropriate action" allowed by law. It said it also had to take into account the man's human rights. He had not reoffended, and the police were monitoring him.
Campaigners claimed that the case highlighted failings in the way sex offenders are controlled after they are freed. Some called for the law to be changed so that when a sex offender is convicted an order can be made to stop him returning to the area where his victim lives.
Sara Payne, the mother of Sarah Payne who was murdered by the paedophile Roy Whiting, described the case as "disgusting". She said it showed that chldren were still not getting the protection they needed.
The Home Office declined to speak about the case. However it said the Sexual Offences Act 2003 police gave police and probation officers the right to go to a court and try to get a "sexual offences prevention order". The orders are designed to give the authorities the power to deal with offenders. One of the options open is to stop an offender going near the victim or their home.
A court has to be convinced that the order is necessary. If an offender breaks the order he can be imprisoned for up to five years.
The police would not say if they had sought an order in the current case.