Paedophiles

[devilfish]

Should parents be told if paedophiles are living in their area?

[sp1814]

No....definitely not. People, including parents, simply cannot be trusted with that kind of information.

People should be keeping an eye on their kids, and training them not to talk to strangers.

That's what my parents did, and I'm sure yours.

[loopyc]

as a parent i would like to know, but having said that i dont actually think it is a good idea as there would be attacks on innocent people as well as paedophiles, the vigilanties would be out in force.

[vehelpfulguy]

But there are paedophiles the polce know about, and there are paedophiles the police do NOT know about.

Judging by how many people seem interested in this stuff it is safe to assume that wherever you live paedophiles are living in that area.

Sad but true.

[cole13uk]

Well it would only be CONVICTED paedophilles obviously

[joko]

i read a story in some magazine like chat or bella or something about a guy whose life had been destroyed because his name was a bit similar to a paedophiles.

another about a man who looked a nbit like the fuzzy pic that was published and also about a paediatrician who was hounded out of their house because some braindead imbeciles saw the word 'paed....' and were to stupid not to know it wasn't the same thing.

so much as i'd like to know if i had one near me and a smuch as i would think they would deserve a good smack i think the dangers of innocents getting abused is too high - anyone of us could become a target fo rthe most stupid reason - and once something like this happens to you, innocent or not mud sticks

[fat rascal]

i think we should have the same laws that some states in the us have, so we would be pre-warned if a convicted paedophile is moving into your area, there are some kids that would still be alive if that had been the case.

[littleoldme]

joko - that infamous incident with the paediatrician happened about 30 miles along the coast from me, at Paulsgrove (a lovely area - not) near Portsmouth and happened exactly as you describe.

They might not have known the difference between a paedophile and a paediatrician, but you'd have thought the fact that he advertised his profession on a plaque on his wall for all to see might have given them a clue... :-(

[girlygirl]

I am a Parent and I would NOT want to know if a Paedofile was living in my area as I wouldn't be able to control myself if I walked past him/her etc

Like its already been stated, innocent people would get attacked also.

So many reasons not to know!!!!!

[Coobeastie]

No. Can't see as this will help parents in the slightest as realistically what are they going to do with the information.

[lord molly]

my local viccar is a sex offender, convicted but pardoned my the church. his place as village viccar gives him a place on the school govonors board, which i believe to be wrong. if any other person was to join the board, they would be rejected if the had a conviction as such. its is disgusting

[Echo]

No.

[Booldawg]

how curable is paedophilia? maybe the problem lies with the judicial system deciding that these people can be successfully assimilated into society without re-offending. SP1814s theory of making sure your kids dont speak to strangers doesnt really go far enough to safeguard them; How many children have been snatched from either their house or garden by these monsters? Simply put, they do not belong or can be trusted in any society where kids are present. If you dont know who the enemy is or where they are then how can you possibly keep your children safe? By taking away their freedom to allow these perverts to go about their everydat lives? Its been said before, and I'll say it again. There are plenty of remote, unhabited islands perfect for these people to live on.

[jake-the-peg]

I think it's pretty clear that the question that needs answering is what parents would be expected to do with this infomation if it was given to them.

There are some interesting accounts about locals "going round to talk to" sex offenders in their area under Megans Law in the US. There are also some interesting implications to what it does to house prices.

Put together the British preoccupation with both paedophiles and house prices and I could easily see some nasty violence coming from unrestrained access to the sex offenders database.

However I can see a good case to give direct access to it to head teachers for instance.

[devilwoman]

YES YES YES and YES parents should be told, i'm sick of all this drivle of protecting the p's why shoud they be protected? its time this country got tough and locked them away for life, kids should be protected against these evil swines.

[Dom Tuk]

YES YES YES. Lets not have drivel about vigilantes attacking paedophiles. The law has provisions against people who attack others. Use the law and charge people with gbh etc if they attack suspected paedophiles. But give the parents a chance to know who is a paedo. Just as a paedo can and hopefully will be prosecuted for attacking a child...so should a member of the public be charged and prosecuted for attacking a paedo. But let not the chance that vigilante action will happen, preclude sarahs law from being made an act.. Its like saying No point in cornershops as people will shoplift.

[jake-the-peg]

Come on the Devilwoman and Dom

The law gets passed and you find 2 within half a mile from you.

Balls in your court what are you going to do with that information?

[Dom Tuk]

If the person is within half a mile from my home or my childrens school i will ensure that they do not frequent the parks and paths that fall within the area. if the person is living streets away from me i will make sure i know who it is and that my children are aware of him and his house and warned not to talk to him. If he is living next door to me then i will move. if he is seen near the schools then i will be on to the police like a shot. If he is seen talking to children then i will call the police. If he starts a swimming class or a class involving children then i will call the police. But i will not break the law and 99.9 % of families will not break the law.

[Supernick]

NO NO and NO.

1. Most instances of sexual abuse occur within the family, and where the victim knows the abuser. Random attacks are thanfully rare, and we should not assume that all paedophiles are waiting to abduct children off the street.

2. It could drive them underground. I'm sure none of us want a situation where nobodyu knows where they are, police included.

3. The public can't be trusted with that information. Vigilanteism would undoubtedly be encouraged.

4. What message would this give out? i.e we're letting these people out of prison but still deam them to be enough risk that the public should know of their whereabouts. Surely we need to think about sentencing if this is the case.

5. It defeats the purpose of prison in the first place. Our justice system punishes people for their crime, and when they're punishment is complete they can rejoin society. Opening their addresses to the public opens them up to a lifetime of abuse, a lifetime of punishment for their crime.

[Goodsoulette]

Yeah, I like to know. There is someone close to me, who has in the past, let me know when a paedophile ahs moved into my area. I am greatful for the information. My kids are not old enough to play out on their own, in my opinion but it has made me more wary of letting them play in the garden unsupervised.

Some people have different opinions of how old a child can play out. I live in a quiet pretty traffic free street so its not uncommon to see a 3/4 yr old out with only an 8 yr old brother or sister looking after them. Maybe if their parents were better informed they wouldnt be out like this.

[jake-the-peg]

Really Dom|? and if a child goes missing I suppose you won't be round there like a shot with a pitchfork in hand?