CONVICTED sexual offenders in Dorset who apply to be taken off the register are likely to get their requests approved, new figures show.
More than 50 convicted sex offenders in the region have been successfully removed from the register since 2019.
A total of 16 individuals were cleared from the list just last year, and 20 in the previous year.
The data, obtained by the Daily Echo exclusively through a Freedom of Information request, also revealed that between 2019 and 2022, only five applications for removal were refused by Dorset Police out of a total of 64 submitted.
Currently, sex offenders can apply to police to come off the Sexual Offenders Register if they have been on it for more than 15 years.
Dorset Police say that an offender can be removed if they are deemed to “no longer pose a risk”, but while some trust this process, others see it as a concerning level of freedom.
Laura Stewart, a victim of sexual abuse from Bournemouth, has launched a petition to ban convicted sex offenders of this right. It can be viewed here.
The 39-year-old suffered five years of abuse at the hands of her mother’s ex-partner, beginning when she was only 11 years old.
Her abuser was jailed for three years in 2002 after being found guilty on six counts of sexual assault at Bournemouth Crown Court.
He was released after 17 months and has since been removed from the Sex Offenders Register.
She has waived her legal right to anonymity under the Sexual Offences act to speak about her experiences on camera.
Dorset Police said that the process for convicted sex offenders applying to come off the register is governed by national legislation and guidance, principally the 2012 Home Office guidance relating to requirements under section 91F of the Sexual Offences Act 2023.
Superintendent Lindsay Dudfield, Dorset Police’s vulnerability lead, said: “Under this legislation, which is supported by case law, offenders who have been the subject of an indefinite notification can apply to be released from their notification requirements.
"Police must be satisfied that they no longer pose a risk to society having considered a range of factors, which is clearly set out in the guidance.
"Protection of the public remains the priority and this decision is carefully considered.
“In these cases where the offender has been deemed to no longer pose a risk, they will be removed from the register and will no longer be subject to requirements. This can be reviewed if new information comes to light.”
Sadly, Laura is just one of many who have fallen victim to sexual crimes and abuse in Dorset.
In March 2023, 161 incidents which fell under 'violence and sexual offences' were reported in Bournemouth.
The map below, taken from Police UK, shows where in the town the incidents happened.
As part of Laura's investigation into the freedom of sexual offenders, she has also raised concerns over what she describes as a “loophole” in the law which allows those on the register to change their names and “disappear off the radar”.
Under the same FOI request submitted by the Daily Echo, Dorset Police provided the number of convicted sex offenders who had notified them of a name change in recent years.
There were seven instances last year, ten in 2021, ten in 2020 and 14 in 2019.
The force also gave the number of registered sex offenders recorded as missing, which were five last year, seven in 2021, nine in 2020 and eight in 2019.
Responding to these figures, Superintendent Dudfield said: “Those on the sex offenders register are required to notify police of changes to certain personal information, including changes to their name.
"This enables continued monitoring and failing to do so would amount to a breach of registered sex offender’s requirements.
“Just as with other members of society, there are a whole range of circumstances in which a registered sex offender can be reported missing.
“The force has a dedicated response to all reports of sex offenders who go missing. This response is robust and seeks to use numerous methods of investigation to identify the offender’s location.
"All of those offenders that are classified as missing are reviewed on a regular basis and have a dedicated investigative lead.”
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