Sex offenders ‘free to wipe slate clean’ as 520 change their names over 3 years

DANGEROUS sex offenders are being allowed to change their names to hide their past – sparking calls for a crackdown.

More than 500 have switched identities in the past three years, figures show.

Due to a loophole, sex offenders can legally alter their name.

Now critics warn that the system leaves women and children at risk of violence and have demanded an urgent change in the law.

Russell Findlay, Scottish Conservative spokesman for community safety, urged the Scottish Government to close the loophole.

He said: ‘It makes my blood run cold to think hundreds of potentially dangerous sex offenders are free to wipe the slate clean and roam free in society with the full knowledge of the authorities.

‘By far the greatest number of victims of such crimes are women and children. Casually allowing predators to change their names puts them at increased risk.’

Analysis from the Tories shows Police Scotland were notified 161 times of sex offenders changing their names in 2019/20, with 162 the following year. In 2021/22, that rose to a record 198.

This means in the past three years there have been 521 Police Scotland notifications of convicted sex offenders changing their name.

Jason Graham raped and murdered Esther Brown, a Glasgow pensioner, in 2021. He was reportedly using the name Jason Evans after serving a prison sentence for raping a nurse in her home.

In 2004, eight-year-old Mark Cummings was sexually assaulted and murdered by paedophile Stuart Leggate, who was living under a false identity in the same Glasgow block of flats as his victim’s family.

Mr Findlay added: ‘Esther Brown’s killer was able to hide in plain sight just by swapping his surname, despite being convicted of a heinous sex crime.

‘People would have no idea if someone living next door is legitimate or hiding a serious conviction and SNP Ministers must close this dangerous loophole before more innocent people are harmed.

‘The Scottish Conservatives would ban sex offender name changes to ensure that public safety is the priority, unlike the SNP who would rather pander to criminals.’

The Scottish Government said: ‘Registered sex offenders are obliged by law to notify the police of any change of name. In Scotland the vast majority of registered sex offenders in the community comply with the notification requirements imposed upon them.’