Call for review into sex offender policy
POLITICIANS have called on Security Minister Paul Goggins to stage a review into the security of high-risk sex offenders after an on-the-run man – who poses a serious risk to vulnerable children – was arrested by police in the Republic.
Paul Hunter Redpath, a convicted sex offender who is on probation, had not been seen since leaving approved accommodation in south Belfast.
The PSNI are seeking to have the 37-year-old returned to Northern Ireland to be placed before the courts for breaching the terms of his probation, after his arrest on Tuesday.
This was the second time Redpath has absconded from a probation hostel in south Belfast, reigniting concerns over the monitoring of dangerous offenders in the community.
He was detained by gardai in the Wicklow area and arrested in Dublin.
It was unclear how long Redpath had been missing from his Belfast accommodation.
Redpath, from Agnew Crescent in Stranraer, was jailed in 2006 for three years after pleading guilty to sexually abusing girls aged 13 and 15 at waste ground in Downpatrick.
Police have said Redpath is known to abuse alcohol and poses a serious risk to vulnerable children and young people.
He will be subject to sex offender registration requirements in the Republic.
DUP MLA for south Belfast Jimmy Spratt has said he will be seeking answers as to why "someone like this was not electronically tagged?".
"I have very serious concerns about this case and it needs to be looked at by all the authorities involved to see what has gone wrong," he said.
SDLP Assembly member Carmel Hanna said the incident raises serious questions.
"I am calling on Security Minister Paul Goggins to review this case, and I will be querying what action he will be taking at present and what lessons are to be learned for the future to prevent cases like this happening again and so I believe the outcome of this case should be made public," she said.
The South Belfast MLA said she appreciated the "difficult decisions that have to be made to reintegrate and rehabilitate people who commit these crimes, however, it is of paramount importance that the balance always weighs in favour of public safety".
Alliance South Belfast MLA Anna Lo also called on Mr Goggins to urgently review the monitoring of offenders.
"We need an urgent review of the management of offenders in hostels and I would like to see Minister Paul Goggins acting swiftly on this issue," she said.
"People need to feel confident that strong measures in place to stop offenders from going missing."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Belfast
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
