To think there should be more done about paedophiles awaiting trial?

[SaucyJackOLantern]

Just found out from listening to local news that our next door neighbour (literally right next door) has been convicted of possessing 1000s of images of child abuse at the most severe level. Which was nice.

Thing is..... he was initially arrested last December, so for eleven months the police have known that there was a paedophile living here. It's a large block of flats with shared entry ways and communal gardens where children play out. He could've done something at any time- particularly as he would've expected he was going to prison anyway.

AIBU to think in situations like this the police should be giving out warnings? Obviously not to name people that are yet to be convicted of a crime, but just a heads up not to let kids out in communal areas unsupervised. Our front door is literally ten inches from his- and both are inside the block that's kept closed by security doors. My 9&8 year old girls have played in the stairwell plenty of times with me thinking they're safe.

I don't know why I'm posting this, and I'm sure I am being U really. But for fucks sake. Why are these people allowed to walk the streets in anonymity?

[Wonc]

Yanbu. At all.

[abitwrong123]

Someone on police bail is allowed to walk the streets in anonymity because our justice system is based on innocent until proven guilty.

Now that he has been convicted he will show up on a search under Sarahs law I believe.

I get what you are saying but how would you put this into practice reasonably?

[chasingtherainbow]

I'm not sure what could be done, but it sounds a little like you are in shock and unnerved. Which is entirely reasonable and I would be too.

We found out last year that a friend who had once been in our close circle of friends was headed to prison to serve out a sentence as he had committed several violent sexual crimes against women. He targeted a certain type of woman of which I fitted the criteria. We felt very odd about it for several weeks.. its the shock of just not knowing I think.


Hooe you're ok OP. wish I could suggest something, but I really don't know what could be done.

[Carrierpenguin]

Yanbu

[HedgehogsDontBite]

The police don't have the resources to deal with the inevitable vigilantes.

[Comito]

If they haven't yet gone to trial then they haven't been convicted. Arrest and charge doesn't mean someone is guilty, that's what the trial is for.

I get that some people think everyone charged with certain crimes should be named and shamed but like it or not, innocent till proven guilty is the way the law works and I wouldn't want it any other way.

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

I do understand that this is very upsetting and worrying news, but until someone is convicted they are innocent. And with paedophilia especially, the potential for vigilante attacks is massive - remember that man who was killed a few months back, just because he was a bit 'odd' and the police had been round to his house?

I do understand why you're upset though.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

YABU. If he was thought to be a risk he would have been in custody until his trial date.

[SaucyJackOLantern]

There'd be no point in me searching for him under Sarah's law bitwrong. I know he's a convicted paedophile. It's on the local police news website.

I certainly wouldn't have bothered looking for him otherwise. Ironically enough, I'm usually the one laughing at the paedo round every corner hysteria.

Consider me well and truly told on that one.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

YABU if your children are old enough to not require constant supervision then make sure you have made them aware of the skills needed to stay safe.

A child abuser who has been detected/arrested/convicted was a unknown one before relying on knowing is stupidity

[SaucyJackOLantern]

I wasn't suggesting that he should've been named.

Just a warning that there was an actual risk on our doorstep. There's hundreds of people round here- there wouldn't have been any reason for vigilantes to pick him out as the risk unless he was grassed up by someone who knew him.

(And quite frankly I wouldn't have cared if he did get outed and kicked to death)

[abitwrong123]

But there is always an actual risk, not just from a predatory adult but from all sorts of things. I think as a previous poster said you have to ensure that if your kids can play out alone then they are equipped as much as is reasonably possible with the life skills to keep themselves as safe as reasonably possible.

[HedgehogsDontBite]

Would you care about the completely innocent guy who gets put in hospital because he's 'a bit weird so it must be him'?

[SaucyJackOLantern]

A bit hedgehog.

But not as much as I care about a paedophile not being allowed to share communal living areas with children without anybody knowing.

As I said, this is a block of flats. It's supposed to be our garden and our home, and we should be able to use it without minces roaming the place. It's not the same as kids playing out in the street.

[Chwaraeteg]

Yabvvvu. What you're suggesting is that a person should be found guilty without a fair trial. That's not how we do things in a civilized society I'm afraid.

[PrettyPictures92]

YANBU in the absolute slightest. My dd was a victim of sexual abuse last year and because of the so called laws I could neither warn anyone who's children he had contact with and received a caution because I wrote a letter to the school he lived right next to to warn them to keep an eye out.

Because of these so called laws he is able to walk free because he threatened and terrified my daughter, who was 3 YEARS OLD at the time!!, so she became absolutely hysterical during the video statement they attempted to take from her. And although her medical exam showed very clear evidence of what she had been through it lacked the dna. Without her video statement and his dna they dropped the fucking case.

Personally I don't give one flying fuck about pedophiles rights to anonymity during their wait for trial, if they have absolutely any contact with children those parents/carers should be warned.

I get to live my life knowing that my daughter didn't get the justice she deserved and he gets to live his life knowing he escaped trial and is free to harm however many more children he wants to. I'm not even allowed to name him for what he's done and my year long campaign to get the case looked at again and include the statements she made to the responding officers and family protection unit included hasn't even made them blink. I get generic, "I'm sorry but due to..... We are unable to open this case" letters in response

The majority of sexual abuse cases for children never even make it to court because the children are that terrified. It makes me sick to the stomach.



Sorry, very sore subject.

[wonderingsoul]

YABU. If he was thought to be a risk he would have been in custody until his trial date.


That's utter crap... It should work like that but it doesn't.

[HedgehogsDontBite]

You'd rather an innocent man be assaulted than up the level of supervision you give your own children? Are you serious? In which case you are being extremely unreasonable and are an example of why the police don't give out this information.

[ClumsyParents]

Saucy, I'm sure you'd care a lot if it was your husband, partner, Dad or brother hospitalised because some brainless vigilante thought he was was a bit weird and therefore he must be the (alleged) paedophile in their area and decided to give him a kicking!

[asmallandnoisymonkey]

Hedgehog has hit the nail on the head with their last post.

Sorry, but YABU. He hasn't been convicted yet - he is innocent until proven guilty, as distasteful as that might be to you.

[SaucyJackOLantern]

He HAS been convicted.

[SaucyJackOLantern]

I would link the news article except for the fact that it obviously has my address in it as well.

[ClumsyParents]

Saucy, he hadn't been convicted at the time you wanted the locals to be made aware of his presence

[Comito]

He has a past conviction, presumably? That still doesn't mean he is automatically guilty of any future alleged offence.

Also, how do you propose the police tell the people in the block of flats? Pop around and say, 'Did you know XX at number 10 is awaiting trial for sex offences but don't tell anyone else, savvy?' It would be all around the town within hours and then a pitchfork-bearing mob would be on your doorstep.