Convictions for child sex abuse treble over 3 years
THE NUMBER of paedophile convictions has more than trebled in only three years, alarming new official figures have revealed.
There were 729 child sex crimes proved in Scottish courts in 2014-15, compared with only 218 in 2011-12.
Among them, rape convictions against youngsters have increased thirteen-fold.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Government statistics show that record numbers of perverts on orders designed to stop them re-offending were back in the dock last year.
Being on a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) was a factor i n an unprecedented 49 cases, including 13 sex crimes.
Convictions are soaring in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal, which has encouraged victims to come forward, and also because of the welter of abuse images now available online.
But campaigners warn that the system monitoring registered sex offenders (RSOs) in the community
‘We must tell communities’
The professionals doing a hard job monitoring RSOs are overworked and Cummings under-resourced Margaret Ann
is now outdated and at breaking point.
Paul Martin, the Labour MSP candidate for Glasgow Provan, who is leading calls for reform, said: ‘ We now have three times as many child sex offenders being added to the register every year and they all have to be monitored to some degree.
‘This inevitably puts extra strain on the police and social work departments and makes it harder to keep watch on those that pose the greatest risk.’
He warned SNP ministers: ‘Urgent reform is needed now. We have to review how we sentence, treat and track RSOs and we must tell communities when these devious criminals are in their midst.’
Statistics published last week show that 218 child sex offences resulted in a conviction in 201112. In the subsequent years, the figure rose to 352 then 558 and finally 729 in 2014-15.
Convictions f or r ape or attempted rape i nvolving youngsters have rocketed from seven to 91; sexual assaults from 110 to 253 and other indecency crimes from 101 to 385.
SOPOs were introduced in 2004 to rein in sex offenders in the community when police believe they pose an immediate danger.
Each is individually tailored, typically including a ban on drinking, being in play parks or approaching youngsters.
The latest figures show that, in 2014-15, there were 49 convictions where being subject to a SOPO was an aggravator – up from 33 in 2013-14.
Nearly half the prosecutions were for trying to wriggle out of the restrictions, suggesting that offenders were plotting to strike again.
Among the crimes were 13 sex offences, including a rape and two sexual assaults, one count of carrying an offensive weapon and six assaults.
Campaigner Margaret Ann Cummings – whose eight-yearold son Mark was murdered by serial paedophile Stuart Leggate in Glasgow in 2004 – said: ‘ The unmasking of Jimmy Savile has encouraged so many people to seek justice for their own experiences, and advances in technology have created a new type of online paedophile.
‘But there’s no point pretending that these are the only reasons for the conviction rate rising or that system can cope with these extra numbers.
‘The professionals doing a hard job monitoring RSOs are over worked and under- resourced. They are trying to keep track of criminals who are always looking for loopholes.
‘The system is starting to buckle and that means we have to change the way we deal with this problem. Telling the public where dangerous sex offenders are is the best way to keep children safe.’
Scotland has nearly 5,100 RSOs, with more than 3,900 living in the community.
An independent review last year warned that a flood of new internet offenders could ‘challenge… the capacity of agencies’ to keep the public safe.
It added that the Police Scotland target of one specialist officer for every 25 RSOs is probably ‘not sustainable’.
A Scottish Government spokesman said high-profile cases and better record-keeping may have played a part in the rising numbers of convictions, adding: ‘Scotland’s system of monitoring sex offenders is among the most robust anywhere in the world.
‘ Every SOPO i s robustly policed so that those who breach their terms are identified at the earliest opportunity, arrested immediately and face jail terms of up to five years.’