Sex offence register breaches rise

THE number of registered sex offenders being prosecuted for breaching strict monitoring rules placed upon them as part of their convictions has risen in recent years.

There are currently about 1,100 people who are subject to the rigours of the Sex Offenders Act 2001, which means the person is subject to a reporting requirement — or is placed on the sex offenders register — and must tell An Garda Síochána where they live and travel to. Failure to comply with this is a criminal offence.

Garda sources said people have been found not to be complying, and although such prosecutions are “infrequent”, they are rising, partly since gardaí were given the power to make an arrest in such cases in 2008.