'Alarming' increase in breaches of Sex Offenders Act in 2020

There have been 53 reported breaches of the Sex Offenders Act so far this year compared to 49 breaches in 2019

Fri, 30 Oct, 2020 - 17:59

Ryan O’Rourke

There have been 53 reported breaches of the Sex Offenders Act so far in 2020, according to information released by Minister for Justice and Equality, Helen McEntee.

This is compared to 48 breaches in 2019 and has been described as 'alarming' by the Victims Alliance.

The information came after Independent TD Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, in a Parliamentary Question, if she is satisfied with the level of compliance by persons who are subject to the requirements of Part 2 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001. He also asked the number of breaches of these conditions recorded by An Garda Síochána in the past 12 months.

Of the 48 breaches in 2019, 37 of those have, to date, resulted in follow up proceedings. In 2020, meanwhile, 45 of the 53 incidents have resulted in proceedings.

Responding, the minister clarified that “a person found guilty in court of a sexual offence automatically becomes subject to the registration requirements of Part 2 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001".

The sex offender is obliged to notify the Gardaí of their name and address for a period and any change in address must be notified within a specified time.

According to Ms McEntee, 1625 people are currently subject to the requirements of Part 2 of the Sex Offenders Act, and based on that figure the above figures indicate a compliance rate of over 96% for 2020.

'Alarming' figures

Linda Ní hEdeáin, of the the Victims Alliance welcomed the strict controls in place to those required to report to the Gardai under part 2 of the 2001 Sex Offenders Act.

But, she said, “It's alarming to note that there has been a 10% increase in the amount of breaches reported so far this year compared to the full number for 2019, and we would like to see more detail as to the nature of these breaches and if any of them related to reoffending.”