Hartlepool petition against sex offender by-election candidate

Christopher Killick admitted a voyeurism offence last year following a campaign by his victim

Hundreds of people have signed a petition to make it illegal for sex offenders to stand for public office.

Christopher Killick, a candidate in the Hartlepool by-election, was convicted last year for filming a naked woman in a hotel room while she was unconscious.

Petition organiser Sarah Gate, 33, said people were "really quite angry" over his decision to stand.

Mr Killick, 41, said "offenders should be allowed to aspire to high things because that is rehabilitation".

"I didn't get involved in this election only to win this election because that would be extremely unlikely - I want people to talk about my ideas," he said.

'Barefaced cheek'

Ms Gate noted people who are bankrupt in England and Wales are not allowed to stand as MPs, but people on the sex offenders register were, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"Most people can't believe that it's not the law already," she said.

"If you are a sex offender you can't be a teacher or a doctor, so why can you be an MP, a representative of the people?" she said.

She added Mr Killick had got the people of Hartlepool "all wrong" if he thought they would accept his actions and he had a "barefaced cheek" to be running for the position.

More than 1,400 people have signed the petition.

Click here for the full list of candidates standing in the Hartlepool election.