20/11/2006

Sex offender hands himself in to police

A paedophile who was featured on a new website aimed at tracking down missing sex offenders has handed himself into police.

Gordon Stewart was one of five sex offenders whose details were published on the new site after they breached their notification requirements and disappeared.

He handed himself into police in Aberdeen and it is believed that he was then arrested.

The site, which was launched on Friday, was set up by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre in order to appeal for information about sex offenders who have gone missing.

Those who are featured on it are offenders who have already been convicted and punished for their crimes, but who then breached their notification requirements and disappeared. Doing so is an arrestable offence, which is punishable by up to five years imprisonment.

The details on the website include the names and ages of the offenders, as well as where they have gone missing from, and a photograph.

However the details of their convictions are not included.

Mick Laurie, chief executive of Crimestoppers, said: "We are pleased that the campaign has already had an impact with the site receiving so many hits and the surrounding publicity resulting in one wanted individual contacting the police themselves.

"It is not surprising that there is so much interest in this campaign from the public but it is vital that they do not approach any of these men."

(KMcA/EF)


Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

15 September 2003
Multi-agency approach to dangerous criminals hailed
Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) have made a "significant difference" to the way police and probation officers protect the public from the risks posed by dangerous offenders in the community, the Home Office has claimed today.
17 November 2006
Website launched to track missing paedophiles
Some of Britain's most wanted child sex offenders have been identified on a new website. The site, which was set up by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre, has been established in order to appeal for information about sex offenders who have gone missing.
14 June 2011
Tougher Checks For Sex Offenders
Proposals to introduce tougher checks on known sex offenders have been published today. Currently, sex offenders are required to notify the police of personal details such as address and national insurance number annually and whenever details change.
16 February 2011
Appeals Launched Over Sex Offender's Register
Sex offenders across England and Wales are to be given the right to appeal against having their names registered with police for life. To ensure public safety, Home Secretary Theresa May said the bar would be set as "high as possible" regarding appeals. She added that police would decide when an offender did not have to register their details.
03 March 2010
Sex Offender Identity Scheme Widens
More parents across the UK have been given the power to identify convicted paedophiles in their community. Home Secretary Alan Johnson said the scheme will improve protection for children by giving members of the public a formal mechanism to enquire about those in contact with young people.