MPs call for end to sex offender name changes

Mark Fletcher, the MP for Bolsover in Derbyshire, is due to raise the issue in Parliament

MPs are calling on the government to bring in a law to prevent sex offenders changing their name to avoid going on the sex offenders' register.

Mark Fletcher, the MP for Bolsover in Derbyshire, is due to raise the issue in a bill that will come before Parliament on Wednesday.

He said he became aware of the issue after being contacted by a constituent.

The Home Office said sex offenders must notify police of their personal details every year, including any name changes.

Mr Fletcher, a Conservative MP, said: "What is happening sometimes is offenders are changing their name before a trial and then changing them back again after conviction to avoid the sex offenders' register and keep their original identity.

"Others just change their names after conviction."

Mr Fletcher said he had been contacted by a constituent who had suffered a "horrible crime".

"The person who committed that crime was prosecuted and they are guilty of other crimes as well," he said.

"But I discovered this person is in prison and is trying to change their name.

"They are a sex offender and I thought 'this can't possibly be true' but it is."

Labour MP Sarah Champion has been working with Mr Fletcher on the issue

He said he had been working on the matter with Labour MP Sarah Champion and planned to raise it via a Ten Minute Rule Bill.

This allows a backbench MP to make his or her case for a new bill in a speech lasting up to 10 minutes.

He said he appreciated a change in the law would not be straightforward.

"There are issues around common law and the right to be able to change your name but we are talking about some of Britain's most dangerous criminals and I think they should have that right withdrawn," he said.

"I want to get this sorted; safeguarding is incredibly important.

"I think it's absolutely appalling that sex offenders can change their name and escape scrutiny and escape the authorities.

"And perhaps most dangerously they can get a DBS check, if we aren't careful, under their new identity and end up working in schools, care homes and other places where there are vulnerable people. Unfortunately there are cases where that's happened.

"This is a loophole and it needs fixing."

'Devastating consequences'

Ms Champion said her written parliamentary questions had unveiled the scale of the issue, including the fact that more than 16,000 registered sex offenders had breached their notification requirements between 2015 and 2020.

She said: "People are incredulous when I tell them registered sex offenders are changing their names to evade detection.

"This loophole is deeply concerning and there is considerable evidence of its devastating consequences.

"I have repeatedly demanded the government urgently act to prevent this. I genuinely don't know why they don't when the system is already in place to prevent this.

"In 2021, the Home Office agreed to my new clause to commission a review into this issue, which has now been completed, but we have still seen no results and no action taken.

"The police have the powers to place a marker on registered sex offenders' files at Her Majesty's Passport Office and the DVLA, so that if an application for a name change comes through, the relevant officer will be alerted.

"I am calling for this to be in place on all registered sex offenders' files."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "To ensure registered sex offenders cannot hide their criminal past, they must notify police of their personal details every year and whenever they change - this includes any name changes.

"Failure to comply, including providing false information, is a criminal offence punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.

"We have further strengthened the regime for managing registered sex offenders and those who pose a risk through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act."

They added all applicants for DBS checks were required to sign a legal declaration confirming they had disclosed both their current and previous identities.