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).

Avoid discussing or speculating about the matter with friends over text.

Communication can be malicious even when shared in private. The central issue in court will be thst it has been communities to a 3rd party.

Furthermore you wouldn't want any regrettable commentary by yourself to potentially be circulated to others.

Other then I think that you will be fine :)

Ignore @BeNice01. Whilst they are correct that you cannot be sued for defamation if the information you give is true, they are wrong about malicious communication. For a charge of malicious communication, it is not enough that the communication has caused distress or anxiety to someone. The communication must be indecent or grossly offensive, or a threat, or information that is false and which the sender knows or believes to be false. Further, the prosecution would need to show that it was your intention to cause distress or anxiety to the recipient or to any other person to whom you intend to find out about the contents. Any prosecution in the situation described by BeNice01 would fail on at least two grounds - you did not intend John to find out about the contents and, more importantly, the information is not indecent, grossly offensive, a threat or false.

If he's been convicted of paedophilia, how come he didn't get a prison sentence?
This doesn't make any sense.

The vast majority don't

It depends on the actual offence. Some offences would definitely result in a prison sentence, but some may result in a community order or a suspended sentence if the nature of the offence is at the bottom end of the scale in terms of harm and culpability. Some of the less serious offences will almost always result in a community order or a suspended sentence.

I suggest you read more about it. The short answer is there's so many of them that there aren't enough prisons to fit them all.

He's been given a SHPO, sexual harm prevention order, on top of the suspended sentence, which I think is common, reading about it...that's like, the police can install monitoring devices on his laptop and ban him from going to playgrounds or soft plays. I mean I don't know P's SHPO but that's what they can include.

I wish he was locked up though.