MP calls for crack down on suspected sex offenders’ travel

Earlier this year, Channel 4 News accompanied the police to Kenya on the trail of a British man suspected of abusing African children. Police say it’s very difficult to keep track of suspected sex offenders travelling abroad.

Now, a Conservative backbencher told me she’s going to amend a bill currently going through Parliament to toughen up the law.

Nicola Blackwood, a member of the Home Affairs select committee, said: “Even though we have over 60,000 registered sex offenders in the United Kingdom at the moment, only an average of five travel bans are imposed every year and this is because the bar that police need to jump over in order to get these bans is simply too high.

“An ACPO review found that actually the current law is obctructuing police in getting the orders that they need to get in order to proterct children from sexual exploitation.

“I’m proposing to bring in a new child sexual abuse prevention order and this would mean that police simply have to bring evidence to a court, and a court would have to be satisifed that an order is necessary to protect children inside or outside the UK from sexual abuse and then they could put in place an order to do so.”

No conviction needed under new plans

Existing court orders can prevent convicted sex offenders from travelling overseas, or coming into contact with children in this country. Under the new law police wouldn’t have to convict someone. An order would apply also to suspects – those potentially a danger to children.

The current three court orders would also be replaced by a single new order.

The poverty in countries like Kenya makes children very vulnerable. The current inadequate law in Britain makes them more vulnerable still, experts believe.

But it’s not just children abroad who campaigners say would be protected.

One mother from Yorkshire who doesn’t want to be named believes the new law might have stopped her daughter being abused.

‘Would have made a huge difference’

” I think it would have made a huge difference if they has stepped in at beginning because for me the evidence was there. if they had used this new prevention order.

“She probably wouldnt have suffered the abuse, her sister wouldnt have been taken to the party and more girls could have been protected,” she said.

“It would make a big difference and make the grooming side difficult. So if they can’t groom the girls and brainwash the girls it would make a massive difference if they could get that in place.”

Ms Blackwood first dreamt up her “Childhood Lost” campaign after seeing seven men in her constituency convicted of offences including rape, facilitating child prostitution and trafficking. But she believes others who are a danger to children will never face justice.

The law change has the support of leading charities, police and lawyers.

But as parliament debates the MP’s amendment, there will be many who argue that in removing a potential danger to children, a dangerous legal precedent is being set.