Child abusers should be put on register like sex offenders, Tories say
The Conservatives have backed the campaign championed by Paula Hudgell, whose adopted son Tony was assaulted by his birth parents
Child abusers should be put on a national register similar to sex offenders, the Conservatives have said as they backed a campaign by the adoptive mother of a child who was assaulted by his birth parents.
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Shadow solicitor general Helen Grant has called for the register to help stop those who have abused children from falling through gaps in the system.
The proposed register would see those who pose an ongoing risk to children remaining visible to the authorities.
The party will attempt to introduce the child cruelty register during debates on the Sentencing Bill, which will return to the Commons on Wednesday.
Criminals who have served their sentences for serious child cruelty offences would be required to notify the police of their personal details, under the proposed amendment.
It follows campaigning by Paula Hudgell, whose adopted son Tony was assaulted by his birth parents.
Tony was just 41 days old when Jody Simpson and her partner Anthony Smith attacked him, causing multiple fractures and dislocations, and blunt trauma to the face, leading to organ failure, toxic shock and sepsis.
He was left untreated and in agony for 10 days and because of the extent of his injuries both his legs had to be amputated.
Simpson and Smith were jailed for 10 years in 2018.
Shadow minister Ms Grant said: "For child cruelty offenders who have completed their sentences there will be no management, no monitoring, no reporting requirements - such as changes of name or new relationships - and their case details will be archived. This leaves a terrible gap in the system.
"The register would operate similarly to the sex offenders register. It's a vital safeguard to ensure those who pose an ongoing risk to children remain visible to authorities."
The Tories are also proposing to force a vote on a bid to introduce a whole life order for the murder of prison or police officers killed because of their job.
Currently, those who kill an on-duty officer can be given whole life orders, meaning they will never be released from prison.
Under the Conservatives proposal this would be expanded to include offenders who target off-duty officers or those who have left service, with a clear motive of revenge.
In February 2024, armed robber Elias Morgan shot former prison officer Lenny Scott six times for seizing a phone from his cell years earlier.
Shadow justice minister Kieran Mullan said: "The idea that an officer can be hunted down for doing their duty and their killer still avoid a whole life order is indefensible. This amendment is about fairness, respect, and that if you target those who protect the public, you will never walk free again."
He added: "Police and prison officers stand between us and some of the most dangerous people in society. They put their lives on the line every single day, and too often, that risk follows them home.
"When someone is murdered because of their service, whether in uniform or years after they hang it up, it should carry the harshest sentence our justice system allows."