Success of sex abuse treatment highlighted

Only four out of 114 sex offenders who underwent treatment at a specialist abuse organisation have re-offended.

One in Four said the figures were “quite extraordinary” given the damage the individuals could have done otherwise.

Maeve Lewis, executive director, said the voluntary- body was one of only two community-based sex offender programmes in the country. She said there should be one in “every single county”, as long as they were run by appropriately skilled and qualified staff.