In the news recently, a convicted paedophile who was pictured in a newspaper apparently filming young girls in a park, has been arrested for breaching the terms of his release on licence.

Vincent Graham, 59, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March 2001, later reduced to eight years on appeal. He was released on 15 July 2005.

Graham, from Guildford, was arrested on Sunday in response to a report from the Probation Service, Surrey Police said.

The paper claimed he was accompanied by David Ramsden, 73, who was jailed for a year on eight counts of sexual assault on four girls aged 11 to 13.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said it would review any dossier the News of the World had compiled and "vigorously investigate any offences which come to light".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/5115216.stm

This came a week after another convicted paedophile Craig Sweeney, 24, who sexually abused by a three-year-old girl after abducting her from her home in Cardiff, was sentenced to life but can seek parole after five years.

As well as wanting harder prison sentences for assaulting a child, the victim's mother agreed there should be a law in the UK similar to Megan's Law in America, which allows parents access to information on paedophiles living in their local area.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/5092246.stm

This is on top of a six-year campaign by the News of the World for a UK version of the system, known as Sarah's Law, after Sarah Payne who was murdered six years ago.

Dyfed-Powys Chief Constable Terry Grange accused the government of making "policy on the hoof" by pandering to newspaper headlines - a criticism rejected by Downing Street.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5102794.stm

Movement in Government

Home Office Minister Gerry Sutcliffe is going to the US to see how the system works and if a UK version could be introduced.

In the meantime Mr Reid has also decided that paedophiles are to be moved out of probation hostels next to schools.

This decision also comes after the News of the World found 60 had been housed with government approval, at sites near schools.

In a statement, Mr Reid said his "starting point" was "that information should no longer remain the exclusive preserve of officialdom".

"I'm sending my minister to America to discover the best way of ensuring the controlled release of information to the public," he said.

Sarah Payne's mother, Sara, said: "After six years of campaigning this is a tremendous breakthrough. I'm delighted."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5093804.stm

Megan’s Law

Megan's Law which addresses sex offenders and child molesters was signed by President Clinton on May 17, 1996 and has since been adopted in some form by all 50 states.

http://www.megans-law.net/

It arose from the rape and murder of seven-year-old Megan Kanka.

She was killed by Jesse Timmendequas, a known child molester with two previous convictions for sexual offences.

He had moved into the same neighbourhood as her family without their knowledge.

The murder caused outrage in the US and Megan's mother campaigned for a change in the law to give parents access to information on child sex offenders in their area.

Parents must now be informed when offenders move into their neighbourhood after being freed from prison.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5091800.stm

Megan's Law requires the following two components:

Sex Offender Registration

• The 1994 Jacob Wetterling Act requires the States to register sex offenders registered of sex crimes against children.

Megan's Law & Sex Offender Comunity Notification

Megan’s Law allows the States discretion to establish criteria for disclosure, but compels them to make private and personal information on registered sex offenders available to the public.

http://www.megans-law.net/

State differences

A number of states list offenders' details on the internet, allowing parents to enter their own details to check if anyone on the register has moved in nearby.

However, the law takes different forms in different states.

In Louisiana, the public has complete access to information on offenders and their movements.

One company offers e-mail alerts to families warning of sex offenders moving to homes near them.

In Washington state, law enforcement officers can call at every house in the neighbourhood to warn people about an offender moving in.

Sex offenders in Oregon can be forced to display a sign in their windows.

Some believe that Megan's Law does not go far enough and several states are investigating the use of, or have already introduced, chemical or surgical castration for certain sexual offenders.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5091800.stm

Reasons For the Law

Supporters of the law point to cases where registered sex offenders have been discovered working in amusement parks, youth counselling and other activities involving contact with children.

One Californian grandmother told how she had checked the database after growing suspicious that her daughter-in-law, and mother of her four grandchildren, had re-married a convicted sex offender.

"I said, 'What if he's a rapist?' and sure as hell, he was."

A number of official reasons have been given for the use of Megan’s Law:

It assists law enforcement in investigations;

Establishes legal grounds to hold known sex offenders;

Deters sex offenders from committing new sex offenses;

Offers citizens information they can use to protect children from Registered Sex Offenders, child molesters and victimization.

http://www.megans-law.net/

Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens pledged his support for the law in an article published in the News of the World newspaper.

He said the UK version of the law would allow police to vet those who asked for information on paedophiles and would cut down the risk of vigilante action.

"You'd have to be a parent or a child carer, on the electoral roll with a permanent address, have a clean criminal record and no history of violence.

"That's very different from the American system. Much safer, much more controllable," Sir John wrote.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5115000.stm

Reasons Against the Law

But opponents argue it does not give offenders who have paid their dues the chance to merge back into society.

They also question the effectiveness of Megan's Law. Past studies have shown that far fewer paedophiles comply with registration requirements in the US than in the UK.

Also, although Offenders must register their address with the local police upon release from prison, many give bogus details.  And, while others have given their details, but travelled outside their local areas to prey on youngsters in neighbourhoods where no-one knew about them.

Critics also point out that most cases of child abuse occur within the family, and suggest that victims may stay silent if they know a family member will be denounced.

Claire Phillips, director of policy at the Office of the Children's Commissioner, said she was concerned the scheme could draw attention from the fact that children are more at risk from people they know than complete strangers.

"Introducing a version of Megan's Law in the UK would do nothing to help parents keep their children safe from sex offenders," she said.

"In fact, it could increase the risk of sexual abuse from strangers as offenders could be forced underground after being released into the community, making it more difficult for authorities to monitor them.

"And it could encourage vigilante activity within communities."

Ms Phillips said she would prefer to see more emphasis on early therapy for the victims of sexual abuse.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5102794.stm

Problems implementing Megan’s Law

Downing Street says there are "genuine difficulties" in allowing the public to have more information about the whereabouts of paedophiles.

The prime minister's official spokesman said: "The difficult thing in this is to get the balance right between, on the one hand, protecting the public and giving the public as much information as possible, and on the other, making sure that you don't have vigilantes."

He said there were no plans to import US laws immediately, "but we do need to consider how these operate".

"There is genuine concern in communities about this kind of justice and it's right and proper that the home secretary takes account of these genuine concerns," he added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5093804.stm

Further Information

For more information on how Megan’s Law works in the United States as well as information on its implementation in different states, see the following links:-

http://www.klaaskids.org/pg-legmeg.htm

http://www.megans-law.net/

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