Sexual Offences
Consultation on the Sex Offenders Act
| This document is published for archival/historical purposes. It will not be updated. |
In June 2000, the Home Office announced its intention to review the Sex Offenders’ Act 1997 to strengthen its operation and effectiveness, thereby increasing the protection of the public. The Report of the Review of Part 1 of the Sex Offenders’ Act 1997 was published in July and is now open for consultation until 19 October.
The report outlines the review process and the areas it considered and contains a series of recommendations to Ministers about reforming the Act, including that:
The range of offences that trigger the registration requirement be widened by:
including burglary with intent to rape as an offence requiring automatic registration;
requiring Courts to consider if a violent offence may have had a sexual motivation.
The number of offenders convicted of indecent assault on the Register be increased by reducing the sentence which triggers registration
The police should be able to apply to a magistrates’ court for an "Order to Register as a Sex Offender" in respect of offenders convicted of sex offences overseas. If the order were granted, it would make such individuals subject to the same registration requirements as offenders convicted in the UK.
This article does not attempt to summarise the report in full, or the range of recommendations. Click here to download the report in full 
PDF 222Kb.
Last update: Thursday, August 28, 2008