Criminals who have changed identities

[nameymcnamechangeagain]

Does anybody believe they have ever met anybody that is a criminal who has had their identity changed? Just reading a book that touches on the subject and was interested to know I guess, I always wonder how it works, the likes of two notorious killers for example, he thought of them out amongst us and we’d dont know, morally it doesn’t sit right with me (or most people I’d have thought!)

Released prisoners who have committed horrible crimes will sometimes do things like change their name, dye their hair, that kind of thing. I've worked in that field and they've gone on to do ordinary jobs, mixing with ordinary people who have no idea what they've done in the past. The thing is, there is no other option. If certain people didn't change their identities they'd be hounded, quite possibly killed.

I get that, but has it not been proven several times that these criminals go on to commit more crimes and such as the general public are at risk? I don’t know, that wasn’t really my question! Was just interested if any mumsnetters have ever suspected anybody

I have suspected somebody doing this or perhaps having been a witness, but probably the former, based on not much really but things just didn’t add up!

I've also worked in the field so have encountered many people that have changed their names.

I can't find any reliable statistics or indeed any relevant news stories about criminals changing their name in order to reoffend. It is just "fear" pieces, particularly about paedophiles.

The fact is that a person who has changed their name by deed poll has to report this to the police and if on licence, probation. It is only the public that does not have that person's previous name. The public knowing the name you had at sentencing does not prevent reoffending (as seen by multiple offenders who do not change their name) so I cannot agree that a name change would enable further offending.

In reality save for high-profile cases you won't really know if someone is a criminal or not based on their name alone, and if you are googling everyone you meet to see if they might have appeared in the news having committed an offence, that is quite worrying behaviour.

Haven’t met a criminal who is has changed identity but have met someone who had to change their identity due to some thing that happened. It was pretty obvious from when I first met them that things didn’t add up and the DCs kept letting things slip, we all turned a blind eye to the inconsistency and after a few years they told us they had changed ID and a few details why.

Not always. The example you mention in your OP, yes we have heard a lot about one of them but the other? Not a word. He is clearly living his life somewhere. (if you're talking about who I think you are!).

I think the danger in suspecting is that it can snowball into supposed fact and then the person could be wrong. Sorry, again I know I am not answering your question!

In my personal life no I haven't met anyone like that and in my working life, obviously I knew who they were.

Isn't there only 4 people in the UK who have had their identities changed upon release?

Anyone can change their identity if they want to. Change your name by deed poll, invent a back story, change how you look etc. Tax payer funded identity changes like the ones you’re talking about mean new NI number/documents etc. You are given a “family history” and a new life is funded. Every angle is covered and yes this doesn’t happen often. But anyone can change enough to fool most people.

@Meruem you have it right but that’s what scares me? Is some poor women out there living their life with monster?? How is that ok ffs??

If you mean Venables and Thompson, isn't one of them gay?

And there is no 'poor man/woman', their partners know who they are. Isn't that one of the conditions?

I don't quit understand what OP is asking.
do you mean have any of us ever met someone whom we suspected may have previously committed an offence ?
a particular type of offence ?
isn't there some law whereby a person can check if their new partner has any history of domestic abuse; the law being named after a victim.

I'm sure I must have bumped into someone who is a reformed criminal. They're likely just people I meet in the streets like a shop assistant, waiter, someone at a party or maybe even a coworker. I do know that my close friends are not former convicted criminals because we share a lot about our past (unless they're lying ). If I really like them, then I would accept their past... unless they're a convicted murderer.

And there is no 'poor man/woman', their partners know who they are. Isn't that one of the conditions?

You'd wonder who'd choose to continue a relationship with some of the high profile former criminals, I mean who'd choose to have children with a man who'd murdered a toddler ? Or with a woman who pretended her child was abducted ?

I don’t know if that’s a condition!

But my thread was actually just asking if anybody has ever felt like they may have come into contact with high profile people such as those two, pure curious speculation nothing else!!

I think in the days of social media it's very easy for people to share photos of people they think are criminals and May be entirely innocent it's very worrying ,a few months ago some idiot local to me shared the photos on Facebook of a couple I vaguely know through ds1 school as they were apparently up.to something dodgy in Asda this was shared hundreds of times on Facebook with no evidence and a very flimsy story, some of the comments were absolutely vile and particularly so as the ccouple were not white British,