Sex offenders need to be supported, says prison chaplain

SEX offenders released from prison should be supported rather than demonised, the chaplain of Arbour Hill prison said yesterday.

Speaking a week after convicted sex offender Fr Ivan Payne was forced by angry residents to leave his accommodation in the Dublin docklands area, Fr Fergal McDonagh said naming and shaming sex offenders only made the situation worse.

“When we publicly name them, it gives the impression we’re doing something to protect our children. But it doesn’t protect them at all. The sex offender just moves somewhere else.”