Demand for tougher internet law

Legislation is proposed to tackle online grooming

A Scottish Parliament committee is demanding tougher laws to tackle internet paedophiles.

MSPs considering the Scottish Executive's Protection of Children Bill said they need to be tightened up.

Ministers want to criminalise those who arrange to meet children for sexual purposes over the internet.

The Scottish Parliament's Justice 1 Committee reports that the law is "not yet tough enough to protect vulnerable young people".

MSPs said they were "extremely concerned" the process of contacting a child over the internet - known as "grooming" - would not itself be illegal and that the proposed measures might make only a "marginal difference".

The committee is urging the Executive to bring forward additional measures to tackle grooming Pauline McNeill MSP Justice Committee

Their report urges the executive to bring forward "additional measures" to tackle the problem.

Otherwise, they say the new powers will do little to make it easier for police and prosecutors to bring predatory paedophiles to trial.

The dossier warned: "A small number of prosecutions may result.

"But evidence suggests that the offence will be extremely difficult to prove - particularly in cases where there is no explicit sexual content in previous communications between the offender and the victim which would clearly demonstrate the intent of the offender."

Committe convener Pauline McNeill added: "We are extremely concerned that the offence the bill proposes would not criminalise grooming itself.

"It would only come into effect after the grooming process, at the point when a paedophile moves towards committing a physical sexual offence against a child."

She continued: "We are worried that such an offence would not significantly enhance the ability of the police and prosecutors to bring to trial predatory paedophiles who use the internet to groom their intended victims.

"The committee is urging the executive to bring forward additional measures to tackle grooming directly rather than relying on this and other existing offences."

Legal 'loophole'

The report recommended that the legislation did not set an age limit for offenders and demanded that new "risk of sexual harm orders" will comply with the European human rights convention.

The probe also highlighted "an apparent loophole" in the legislation.

Committee members complained that an offence would be complete only if the adult travelled to meet the child - but it appears to exclude the possibility of a child being induced to meet the adult.

The committee is currently examining a bill to create the specific offence of "grooming" and bring in 10-year jail terms for those meeting children for sex.

A forensic psychologist previously told MSPs about the dangers of online journals, or blogs, and pictures posted directly online.

Rachel O'Connell said adults could use weblogs to learn about children.

Dr O'Connell told the committee that the emergence of moblogs - mobile weblogs - allowed even faster transfer of pictures to the internet using mobile telephones with cameras.

The Scottish National Party's Stewart Stevenson backed the findings published on Thursday, and called on the executive to act on its proposals.

He said: "Scotland's children deserve the most comprehensive protection possible from abuse. Without further work this bill will be a missed opportunity for the executive."