Sex offenders will be BANNED from changing their name if they still pose a public threat, Home Secretary says
SEX offenders will be banned from changing their name if they continue to pose a public threat, the Home Secretary has announced.
James Cleverly is giving the police fresh powers to stop sickos from reoffending under a new identity.
Campaigners have long called for a “Della’s Law” after Della Wright was raped aged six by a man who had legally changed his name five times.
The crackdown announced today also imposes a new legal requirement on staff who work with kids to report any suspected sexual abuse.
Anyone who fails to speak up will be barred from working with children again, while those who try to cover up horrific wrongdoing face jail for seven years.
It comes after the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual abuse laid bare haunting abuses against kids in childcare settings.
Speaking to The Sun, Mr Cleverly said: “It is a perverse and horrific crime with long-lasting impacts on the lives of victims.
“Offenders must face the toughest consequences, the toughest sentences.
“The Sun have done an excellent job of shining a light on some of the most heart-breaking cases.
“This horrendous crime devastates lives, and we will stop at nothing to see those responsible face justice.”
The new changes will be brought in as amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill currently going through the Commons.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman first announced an intention to ban sex pests from changing their name at Conservative conference last October.
It appeared she was proposing a blanket block on offenders from using deedpoll to obtain a new identity.
This horrendous crime devastates lives, and we will stop at nothing to see those responsible face justice
James Cleverly
Asked why this was being scaled back, Mr Cleverly told The Sun: “There are legitimate reasons why people might change their name.
If someone has previously been a perpetrator, is on the sex offenders register, is no longer a perpetrator but is a risk of being a victim themselves, you often get that victim-perpetrator cycle, that might be a circumstance. If someone got married, that might be a circumstance.
“The big difference now is, before this change, the police had no powers to prevent that happening.
“Now if they believe this is being done in order to continue perpetrating crime, they can prevent that from happening. It’s a new power, they’ve never had it before, it’s an important change.”