To ask a sex offender not to attend

[Pondlife87]

I have recently found out a sex offender teaches an exercise class I teach. He has served time for secretly filming women in the shower and on the toilet, and for having indecent (classified as severe) photos of children on his computer. It has made me feel very vulnerable. What would you do?

Contact police on 101 and explain what you have here.
If he is managed they will check to see he has disclosed attending the class and if any safeguarding need to be put in place.

Why is anyone worrying about whether he'll b e ostracised???

He didn't worry about the privacy and consent of those he filmed, nor of the victims of the child porn images he had.

His actions have consequences. One of those was arrest and jail. Another is not being welcome into many environments - ESPECIALLY those with public bathroooms and changing rooms where he offended last time!

I am not cncearned about ostracising as such but there is less risk when one knows where an offender is and he/she can be monitored compared to when they go underground. Also cases where Innocent people have got hurt when vigilantes take matters into there own hands.

The SO will have conditions attached to his release from prison/suspended sentence.

Your best course of action is to contact 101. But also inform the management of the facility that you are renting.

Hopefully the police will advise accordingly to what course of action you should take. If there are any conditions attached to his licence and he has breached them, the police will contact the probation service.

He may still be subject to licence, which may have relevant restrictive conditions on it. I'd report it to 101 & police can action if needs be.

If he's not on licence/SOR then not a lot you can do.

If it was me as an adult I'd be more worried about the risk he poses due to the voyeurism conviction rather than child pornography. Could you make a rule that everyone leaves all personal belongings in a locker/car? (So that he can't secretly film)

Other than that whilst it's an unpleasant thought as long as you don't have suspicions he is filming ing you id let him get on with it.

Sex offenders are more likely to offend when feeling isolated/stressed-yoga may be a positive activity for him which reduces both isolation & stress which will in turn lower the risk of offending.

Will the leisure centre want someone who had convictions for filming women in public toilets even want this man on their premises?

Your duty towards other women comes before him.

I'm another one who would refuse to attend a class if I knew a man attending had this background.

Again, are the changing rooms mixed or single sex?

Is he your only male attendee? If he is and you don't want the difficult conversation, you could tell him you are becoming a female only group

Then he'll reappear in three months' time, identifying as a woman.

I'vé mixed feelings here. On the one hand he has done his time.

I don't like the idea of people googling everyone to see if they've got skeletons in the cupboard.

If it was just the photos of the women he might not reoffend. But having the child abuse pictures is another thing entirely. I think you need to tell the leisure centre and take it from there. A lot of organisations care about who they rent their premises to, so I don't think it matters whether they hire you to teach the class, or you hire their premises. If it's one of the big chains like Places for People for Everyone Active they might have their own safeguarding lead, if not maybe contact their legal team. Don't go via the manager of the centre, that's too low down the chain and you don't want tittle tattle.

But be very sure you are right and that there hasn't eg been a successful appeal you've missed in your research.

Places for People OR Everyone Active

Another thing to consider is that yoga is popular with mothers as it is low impact. Could he decide to befriend one?

We have the right in this country to refuse service, provided it is not a protected characteristic. If you rent then you can tell him to fuck off - if you are a hired teacher you would have to raise it with the leisure centre. I absolutely would.

Another thing to consider is that yoga is popular with mothers as it is low impact. Could he decide to befriend one?

This! ^

He’s responsible for his own actions. It is not OP’s problem if he “goes underground” after being asked to leave - it’s unfair to attempt to place that weight on her shoulders. For someone with indecent images convictions, it’s a suspect choice of job - surrounded by women dressed in typically tight fitting gym gear in various yoga positions, whilst he also has access to public bathrooms/showers and changing rooms. It’s not an appropriate job for someone known to take perverse covert photography and it’s unfair to place the class attendees in such a compromised/unsafe position if he potentially continues his past behaviour. I’d assume your workplace would be open to legal action if he reoffends and this information was to become public knowledge - you’re not protecting your clients.

His needs do not trump the attendees. I wouldn’t want to train/undress/shower/go to the bathroom etc with someone who has a history of taking covert perverted photos. Regardless of how ostracised he may feel.

Definitely seek further advice from higher management/safeguarding/solicitors

Can you speak to your local police station. You can get information about previous sexual/violent offences I think, Sarah's law? I think it would be relevant because of being in the leisure centre. Better to get advice, they will know if he is a risk and I am sure they will advise you.

Don’t do anything yourself op. Leave this matter to the police. Phone them and tell them where and when he goes to your class and that you know he’s a convicted man etc.

They will then look up the conditions he is allowed out and about on. If he is breaching any they will sort it. If he is not supposed to go to such places and he has hidden it from his social worker and breached conditions of early release they can put him back in jail.

Imagine that happens and he knows it’s your fault. Do not put yourself in a vulnerable position. He could come after you on release.

It could be that he has served his time and ‘been rehabilitated’ (if that’s possible with all the intensive prison treatments they apparently have) and there is no legal basis for him to be removed from your class.

If you spread gossip about him and endanger HIS safety then you will be in trouble with the police yourself. They always tell vigilantes to butt out and let them deal with things. I think that’s good advice for you too. Only the police can protect you and your fellow women.

I would contact the police and get advice. Personally I would hate him to be attending the class but it's very difficult as not sure there is an official reason for him but to attend.

Regarding child pornography, that is the terminology regularly used by judges in court for charges relating to those looking at child abuse images online. It absolutely does not suggest consent whatsoever and is only on MN that this is suggested. There are many court cases where child pornography is listed as the offence and correcting this terminology is totally irrelevant to this thread.

Why would he have a social worker? Boggling.
The media you read will probably give you sentence details, if he's still on licence or registered he will have conditions, if he offended in a similar location it's likely he's prohibited from frequenting gyms etc without the express permission of his supervising officer, who would want to check it out eg an all make boxing gym may be fine. If he's still on licence you could contact the local probation service they will be managing his licence or you could contact your local MOSOVO police team if he's not on licence but still registered.

No way would I want him in my class.

I feel quite isolated in my own world atm, friend of mine in a relationship with a convicted paedophile and lots of people think he's done his time. I'm horrified and can't come to terms with it at all. I'd love to start a thread but worried it would be too visible. Interesting seeing the replies to this situation...makes me feel a bit better

I would have thought there would be some restrictions on what activities someone on the sex offender's register could do? Maybe suggest he finds an all male group, given his issues. I don't think you need to spare his feelings, it's a safeguarding issue. He certainly wouldn't be allowed to teach a class with his record, so attending yours shouldn't be an option either. I second the idea to check for hidden cameras.

mnthrowaway202020 He,s not working there he is attending as a fee paying member of the public.

trickyisntit I'm with you. No forgiveness.
"done his time"?! It's never ending for the kids.

@Trickyisntit Ugh, I feel for you. Your friend is an idiot and so are the people who support her, saying that creature "has done his time". Child violators' "time" will never be up. They will NEVER change -- they will just get more devious and more cruel and more dangerous.

Please say your friend has no children.

How can people be so deliberately blind and naive and fucking stupid?

I don't know why she's doing it, it's making me very unhappy. She's got older boys. I'm at a loss.

My sentiments still stand with him being part of the class. It’s still not OP’s responsibility to prevent him from “going underground” as she tries to protect herself and others.

Businesses are entitled to refuse service to patrons for any reason provided that it’s not discriminatory - as in the legal definition of discrimination. His convictions do not constitute protected characteristics or afford him any further legal protection against bans than anyone else. Arguably I would say that a ban is justified under these particular circumstances if this even went to court, it’s a proportionate means to achieve a legitimate aim. Just refund any fees paid for cancelled sessions back to him.

Someone with his convictions shouldn’t have free access to changing rooms/bathrooms/showers - he needs to be monitored in these areas at all times. I wouldn’t even trust him to have a camera phone during the actual yoga sessions as again he has previously taken perverse covert photography. His own actions have made him a risk.

Also do children frequent your workplace in other classes etc?

Sounds like he's groomed her too. Must be awful to watch.

vortex I agree, she's very vulnerable emotionally.

@Fifteenthnamechange You're more bothered by the voyeurism over the pictures of children being raped? It's not a competition but it's clear which one is worse.