Deputy Gregory Guida has issued an official response to a petition from paedophile hunter Cheyenne O’Connor, which called for offenders’ time on the Sex Offenders Register to begin at the time of release from a custodial sentence.
During their time, subject to such notification, sex offenders are required to provide certain information about their circumstances to an authorised officer, are subject to a level supervision by the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements and may be subject to other conditions.
The minister said that he supported the principle of the petition, which has gathered 1,060 signatures since being lodged in early June, and recognised the strength of public feeling on the matter.
But Deputy Guida said there were practical barriers to changing the law, and that he also felt there was sufficient protection for the public at present.
The response states: ‘In order to make the amendment requested in this petition, it would be necessary to make an amendment to primary legislation.
‘This would necessitate the allocation of both policy and law-drafting officers at a time when both of these areas are under pressure to deliver other important projects, which were themselves delayed as a result of the Covid pandemic.
‘The minister considers that, given the current arrangements provide a sufficient safeguard against potential harm that sex offenders pose, it would not be proportionate to delay other important pieces of work such as the Domestic Abuse Law, for which there are arguably not
adequate protections for vulnerable victims in place.’
The default minimum period for a convicted sex offender to be subject to notification requirements is five years, and the ministerial response noted that those responsible for sentencing were aware that such measures began on the day of conviction, and could be extended beyond five years as the court deemed appropriate.
The requirement to place offenders under notification requirements applies to those who have committed certain sexual offences or sexually aggravated offences, as outlined in the Sex Offenders (Jersey) Law 2010 (the Law), in order to protect the public from potential harms that could be posed in the event of reoffending.
The response stated that the Home Affairs Minister wished ‘to reassure Islanders that there are safeguards in place to ensure that those who pose a risk to our community are monitored appropriately’.
