POLICE RECORDS IN the UK have found that hundreds of convicted sex offenders have gone missing from across the country.
It comes as concerns were raised in the Dáil this afternoon that Ireland’s outdated sex offenders register could mean those missing from the UK could be hiding here.
The BBC are reporting that 396 sex offenders are currently wanted because their whereabouts are unknown.
Some of those offenders have been missing for over a decade with one offender missing for 14 years. Independent TD Denis Naughten said:
It is likely that some of the 400 convicted rapists and paedophiles missing in the UK are here in Ireland and posing an unacceptable risk to women, children and vulnerable adults because of our outdated sex offenders register.
“This is because any of these convicted rapists or paedophiles can visit Ireland from Britain or Northern Ireland unknown to the authorities and can roam around the country without having to register with the Gardaí.
The failure to close down this loophole could have catastrophic implications for vulnerable children.
He believes the Sex Offenders Act 2001 is not fit for purpose and needs to be reformed urgently ‘to ensure more effective management of sex offenders’.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say