How freed sex offenders have struck again in record numbers
RECORD numbers of sex offenders were convicted of serious crimes last year.
Figures show paedophiles and perverts supposedly being monitored in the community were guilty of a catalogue of offences including rape, attempted murder and indecent assaults on children.
In all, 72 registered sex offenders (RSOs) were sentenced for 94 serious or sexual crimes, according to Police Scotland statistics released under Freedom of Information legislation.
Margaret-Ann Cummings – whose eight-year-old son Mark was killed by a convicted paedophile in Glasgow in 2004 – said: ‘Don’t forget these are just the crimes that have been reported, solved and successfully prosecuted. Who knows how many crimes sex offenders are actually committing?
‘There are now more RSOs than ever; the numbers keep rising but police and council budgets keep shrinking. So what does “monitoring” really mean?
‘You can’t keep piling more and more onto frontline officers and social workers and expect driven and devious sexual criminals not to exploit the gaps.
‘In America and Australia, they won’t free sex offenders while they still pose a serious danger and people are told when an RSO moves into their neighbourhood. It works. Why not let sex offenders readmit themselves to prison if they are struggling with urges to re-offend?
‘There’s so much more Scotland could and should be doing to cut these terrible figures.’
The 72 RSOs convicted in 2015-16 compares with 69 in 2014-15 – the previous highest – and only 39 five years ago.
Of the latest data’s 94 offences, there were six rapes, 11 sexual assaults, four serious attacks – including an attempted murder – and five robberies.
There were 33 cases of indecency and 27 regarding pornographic material, of which 12 and 23 respectively involved children.
Two were guilty of voyeurism and there were single counts of meeting a child for sexual activity abduction, attempting to procure a prostitute, stalking, obscene communications and police assault.
At the last count, there were 5,257 RSOs in Scotland, with 3,985 living in the community.
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Douglas Ross said: ‘There is a place for the monitoring of serious criminals in the community, but that monitoring has to be completely effective – otherwise the public will be placed at risk.
‘These figures suggest dangerous individuals are not being kept track of well enough. That has to change.
‘The Scottish Government has to ensure offenders aren’t released before they’re ready and, when they are, that they can’t pose further risk to society.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The monitoring of sex offenders is more stringent than ever before. Those who breach their terms are identified, arrested and can face jail terms of up to five years.’