Paper defends paedophile campaign

The original campaign caused outrage

The News of the World has defended its return to a controversial campaign of "naming and shaming" child sex offenders.

The Sunday paper has published names and photos of seven convicted paedophiles, the whereabouts of six of whom are unknown.

Editor Rebekah Wade told BBC One's Breakfast With Frost it was "only right and fair" that parents were told of any child sex offenders who might be living unsupervised amongst them.

Whilst there are 110,000 convicted child sex offenders in Britain, living unmonitored, it is only right that the public has controlled access

Editor Rebekah Wade

"The fact is, that if you have paedophiles in society that aren't monitored they will strike again," she said.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott told the same programme the tactic was "public-spirited" and comparable to the BBC's Crimewatch UK programme.

He said the paper had been more cautious this time around than last year, when it published addresses of convicted child offenders, leading to "deplorable" vigilante attacks.

The paper's campaign follows the conviction of known paedophile Roy Whiting for the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne.

Editor Rebekah Wade is backing Sarah's Law

Ms Wade said there were about 100,000 convicted paedophiles in England and Wales who were not on the police's sex offenders register.

And even those who were, such as Roy Whiting, often went "totally unsupervised" because of lack of police resources, she said.

Ms Wade said the paper was continuing to demand full implementation of Sarah's Law - a range of measures including the ability of child carers to access details of any child sex offenders in their area.

"Whilst there are 110,000 convicted child sex offenders in Britain, living unmonitored, it is only right that the public has controlled access," she said.

Tougher sentencing

Ms Wade and Sarah's parents Sara and Michael are due to meet Home Secretary David Blunkett on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

Mr Prescott said many parts of Sarah's Law had been implemented in England and Wales already, but there was "some disagreement" over the issue of public access to information on paedophiles.

Scotland's Justice Minister Jim Wallace recently ruled out such a move north of the border, but has proposed a series of new measures including tougher sentencing for sex offences.

Mr Prescott said: "If you do it in the way they originally proposed in the News of the World, frankly it will drive it underground which (makes it) much more difficult to actually find these people and keep track of them.

It is about reducing the threat and it is about the best way of achieving that - and we have some disagreement on this essential point

John Prescott

"At the end of the day it is about the children, it is about reducing the threat and it is about the best way of achieving that - and we have some disagreement on this essential point."

His comments follow a promise from Mr Blunkett to give communities a greater say in the way convicted paedophiles are managed.

Writing in the News of the World, Mr Blunkett said he wanted community representatives to join the "experts and professionals" on local protection panels.

He also proposed tougher sentencing for sex offences, and said he was considering other measures such as tagging.

Police backing

Four of the photos published on Sunday were supplied by the Metropolitan Police, and the others from various local police forces, according to the newspaper.

Scotland Yard said Raymond Perkins, David Baron, Zia Alowi and Tuan Quang Ho had served their jail sentences but had gone missing after failing to sign on the sex offenders register.

I want to encourage the public to be vigilant, not vigilante

DCI Bob McLachlan
Scotland Yard

Detective Chief Inspector Bob McLachlan said: "They are all thought to be in the London area although they could be living elsewhere.

"I want to encourage the public to be vigilant, not vigilante."

Anyone who has information about the whereabouts of the four should contact Scotland Yard on 080 8100 0040 or 020 7230 3104.