No figures on offenders from outside State

GARDAÍ were last night unable to say how many sex offenders from outside the jurisdiction are in the country, as a children’s charity said it was concerned what would happen if such a person applied for a job as a childcare worker.

While the names and addresses of 950 sex offenders have been notified to the gardaí, they could not provide a breakdown of how many offenders are from outside the country.

ISPCC chief executive Paul Gilligan said the Sex Offenders Act gives gardaí very few powers to deal with offenders from outside the jurisdiction and that the Republic is at risk of becoming a “safe haven”.