Is it legal or morally right to tell other people about someone else's criminal record?

[M08my]

I'll try to keep this vague because I don't want to be identified.

I've just found out that someone I know (not a close friend) is a convicted paedophile. Done very harmful and disturbing stuff. Found it reported in a local newspaper. I'm sickened because he's offered to babysit for me before (we refused). He's got a suspended sentence so isn't in prison.

We aren't close but we have some mutual friends who are closer, including his best friend. If we tell them, is that breaching his (the paedophile's) right to privacy? It is reported in a local newspaper for anyone to see, but isn't a famous case, chances are they'd never see it if we didn't tell. None of the other friends have kids.

My instinct is I want people to be told. I wouldn't tell his employer, just closest friends. But I'm not sure what's right.

I'm a bit emotional about it (mostly angry and scared).

I don’t know but rather than saying directly he is a paedophile could you suggest they Google his name mentioning there is something worth reading in the local press about him?

I would expect he’s on the sex offenders register and not allowed unsupervised contact with children. I would be tempted to contact the police for advice. The reason local newspapers report on these cases is to warn people - it’s in the public domain for a reason.
I think I would have to say something, to protect the children.

Oh sorry, I misread your OP about children. But it isn’t breaching his right to privacy to speak out. It’s a matter of public record.

The problem is he has a fairly common name, and there's some relatively well known people with his name. So I've tried googling and you just get the famous people. (The criminal is definitely the one who is our friend though, its not a mistake).

The only way to tell them would be to show the article to them ie tell outright.

I should say, our former friend, obviously

How would you feel if your mutual friends had a child with them when they met up? Or introduced him to other people who had children/vulnerable people? And something happened to that child in his presence? Although I don't think it's legally your place, morally I would be inclined to tell them that he has a criminal record for paedophilia. Would your friends forgive you if they didn't know and found out later down the line? Isn't that was a sex offender register is for? Absolutely no need to protect him! Just because it wasn't your child victimised doesn't mean you don't have a duty to share his crime.

Tbh I’d imagine it’s likely that they already know. Plenty of people decide to stay friends with convicted paedophiles. Christ knows why, but they do.

But yes, the information is a matter of public record, so you’re not telling them anything they couldn’t come across when surfing the internet iyswim.

Tell them to google his name with the name of the local paper.

Also once you found out who he was and he offered to babysit you should have gone to the police "to ask them for advice" mentioning the sex offenders register and his "offer".

Au contraire

I would say you had a moral obligation to tell them.

A person I know went to jail after looking at indecent images of children howler is married and has kids who he looks after un supervised
All born after he came out of jail wife stood by him so just because you’re on the sex offenders register it doesn’t mean anything it seems. I don’t think you should tell people
however I don’t think someone who has done terrible things to children should be on a suspended sentence or walking about near our kids or their own just personal opinion. I was told by the criminal justice social worker that the terms of his registration were none of my business - this is why children are not safe!

I’d contact the police and tell them exactly what you said about the babysitting offers and then finding out his history. If you can work it out give dates when he made the offers. If you do know the specific dates narrow it down to eg between October 2021 and May 2022 he offered to babysit more than three times. Given what he’s been convicted of he may end up having to serve that suspended sentence.

Telling other people is very risky and inadvisable. You may find his best friend already knows and has accepted some story about pop ups, accidental downloads or someone else using his computer.

If you don’t know

If they have children I'd think you have a moral obligation to tell people who may take up that offer of babysitting.

I think if he touched their child, and it came out in 20years time the finger would be pointed at you, you knew but never said anything.

Since he has been convicted I wouldn’t hesitate to tell people.

Fuck that, he lost his ‘right’ to privacy when he offered to baby sit your children. I think you have a moral duty to warn others’ whose children he may baby sit.

Since you said he has a common name, how do you know it is him in the newspaper? My DH has a common name and was once arrested by the police in a case of mistaken identity. It wasn’t until they’d done his biometrics that the police realised they’d gotten the wrong Joe Bloggs and so released him with an apology.

Tell them. Not in a gossipy way, but so they can adequately safeguard their child.

I say this as someone who has a sex offender in the family. I was lied to and as a result allowed my child to spend time with him. I'm still struggling to come to terms with the repercussions of this and am unable to forgive all the people that knew and failed to tell me.

Why on earth have you not told the police he has offered to babysit?!?!

I would try and clear it up because if he has a common name I would be seriously worried that it may not be this person and you may be incorrect. Could you show your mutual friends the article and ask them if they know about it? It's not breaching right of privacy because the court case and conviction are a matter of public record . Doesn't mean to say you have the right to get the pitchforks out but there is always going to be challenging issues with registered sex offenders in the community and it's tough to find a balance.

And it's perfectly legal if you read about it in the paper. If you'd been informed via a police disclosure - Sarah's law - then you'd be in serious trouble for even hinting at anything. But if it's already in the public domain, there's nothing stopping you from talking about it to anyone.

@2022again has it spot on. A conviction is a matter of public record. BUT you have to make sure it's the correct person, otherwise it's very seriously defamatory.

I wouldn’t hesitate to tell people, and I’d also inform the police about his offer to babysit.

Can you not set up a different email address then forward the newspaper article to friends concerned

I would post them the newspaper article - anonymously if you feel you need to

The newspaper will have reported enough details to make it clear it is the right person. They have to or they could be done for defamation by everyone else with that name. So they will have either used a photo or included his age and street address.