New measures for sex offenders planned

LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) Government moves to allow parents the right to information about people in contact with their child could hinder work to manage sex offenders, a leading children's charity said today.

The plan to allow parents or guardians to ask for information about possible child sex abusers is one of a series of new measures due to be announced by the Home Office.

These will also include offering more ''chemical castrations'' to serious offenders, according to media reports, although these would remain a ''treatment'' and would not be compulsory.

The NSPCC said it was concerned about allowing parents access to details on paedophiles saying that inappropriate information could be given out unless clear guidelines were established and sufficient resources put in to implement them.

Director Mary Marsh said the plans could affect the care of around 30,000 known offenders living outside of prison.

She said the government should introduce a ''fail-safe'' system that will ensure all children are fully protected.

''We always urge members of the public to report their concerns, but agencies are already struggling to keep track of known offenders in the community,'' said Marsh.

She said the police dealt with around 5,000 reports of children who have been raped every year.

''Investigating reports of sexual offences against children, bringing offenders to justice and managing them when released into the community is placing severe strain on agencies,'' Marsh said.

The proposals for England and Wales could, for the first time, give parents, guardians and carers some access to details about convicted paedophiles.

The Home Office has completed a review into how information about child sex offenders should be handled.

Mothers could request a police check if they have concerns about a new partner, for example.

But ministers are expected to rule out adopting a version of the ''Megan's Law'' adopted in the United States, which allows widespread access to details about sex offenders.

Sara Payne, who has been fronting a campaign for a British version of the US law after the murder of her daughter Sarah by a convicted paedophile in 2000, said castration should be compulsory for sex offenders.

''You are placing an honour-based system on people who have already shown they have absolutely no honour,'' she told the BBC.

''These are people that rape, molest our children, take photographs of what they are doing, they have already shown that they are of the nastiest people in the world because of what they do to children.'' REUTERS PY RK1315