Child abusers should be made to join a sex offenders register-style scheme so they cannot “disappear” and repeat their crimes, the Conservatives have said.
Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy described the proposal as a “vital safeguard”.
Criminals convicted of certain sex offences must tell police about changes to their name or address, their travel plans and any contact they have with children.
Conservative frontbenchers in the Lords have tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, designed to set up a similar child cruelty register.
If agreed, criminals convicted of child abuse offences – including child cruelty, infanticide, causing or allowing the death of a child, and female genital mutilation – would be told to hand over their personal information to the police once they leave court or prison.
“A serious justice system cannot allow people convicted of brutal child cruelty to disappear, potentially able to repeat their crimes against other children unchecked,” Mr Timothy said.
“Protecting the most vulnerable must come first, and the Conservatives’ amendment would do exactly that.
“It is a vital safeguard to make sure those who pose an ongoing risk to children remain seen by the authorities forever.”
Alicia Kearns, a Conservative shadow home office minister in the Commons, said offenders “can change their name, move county, and simply disappear once their sentence ends”, which she added “cannot be right”.
She continued: “We track sex offenders because the risk doesn’t end at the prison gate, the same must apply to those cowards convicted of child cruelty.
“A child cruelty register will keep dangerous individuals visible to police and puts children’s safety first.”
The Crime and Policing Bill has already cleared the Commons but faces further scrutiny in the upper chamber before it can become law.
Peers will begin a process to amend the Bill at report stage next Wednesday.
By Alice Padgett
