Rapists' names on sex offenders register infringe their human rights!

London, December 20 (ANI): British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is considering an appeal against a High Court ruling following which thousands of rapists and paedophiles may seek to be taken off sex offenders register to protect their human rights.

She is concerned that it might mean that some of the most dangerous sex offenders would not be required to keep the police up to date with their addresses and movements.

Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, a sex offender sentenced to 30 months or more "shall be subjected for life" to the register's notification requirements, without any review.

Lord Justice Latham, Justice Underhill and Justice Flaux held that the current registration scheme wrongly denied sex offenders the chance to prove in a review that they no longer posed a risk of re-offending, and thus it breached their rights.

In a test case brought by two convicted offenders, they ruled that the registration scheme was incompatible with the right to private and family life, under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is unhappy with the judgement.

"We are extremely disappointed with today's High Court judgement and are now considering an appeal," the Telegraph quoted a Home Office spokesman as saying.

"The UK has one of the most robust systems of managing sex offenders in the world. The notification requirements form an important part of this system. They provide an invaluable tool to the authorities in allowing the police to keep track of the whereabouts of individual sex offenders and managing the risk of known sex offenders," he added. (ANI)