§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons the families and victims of the convicted paedophile W. J. McGarry were not informed of his release on 2 April. [45741]
§ Mr. IngramMr. William John McGarry, who had been convicted on 4 April 1995 of 61 offences of assault and gross indecency against female children, was released from prison, time served, on 2 April 1998.
In accordance with agreed joint protocols, the majority of which are contained in CIRCULAR HSS (CC) 3/96—a copy of which has been placed in the Library—the Prison Service served Mr. McGarry with a Notice detailing his requirement—in line with the provisions of the Sex Offenders Act 1997—to register with Police within 14 days of his discharge from custody and, on 2 April 1998, it notified the Police that McGarry was being discharged and was a person required to register.
I understand that Mr. McGarry's release date was notified to the relevant Social Services authority shortly after his committal to prison under sentence in 1996 but that the usual reminders, which are generally issued three months prior to final discharge, were not sent and that is something that I very much regret.
I must stress, however, that all the relevant authorities were notified of Mr. McGarry's release before he was discharged.
Steps have now been taken to ensure that the agreed protocols are rigorously followed.
I would remind my hon. Friend that, while the Prison Service has no liability to identify and notify the victims, or their relatives, of offenders discharged upon completion of their sentence, the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the Probation Service Northern Ireland work very closely with the Social Services in the local area and are confident that the existing arrangements take account of both the needs of the Community and of the offender. Even so, an inter-agency working group is currently considering how best to improve the communication about and the management of the release of such offenders. I expect to receive their conclusions and recommendations shortly.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the RUC Case Unit was informed of the release of W. J. McGarry. [45742]
§ Mr. IngramThe RUC CARE Unit, on inquiry, was informed by the Prison Service on 1 April of Mr. McGarry's impending release.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the normal procedures followed and the relevant agencies involved when the release of a paedophile is pending, including informing the victims and their families. [45743]
§ Mr. IngramAny person convicted of one of the sexual offences listed in Schedule 1 to the Sex Offenders Act 1997 is required, within 14 days of discharge from custody, to register with Police.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service serves such prisoners, during their release interview, with a Notice detailing this requirement. In addition, the Prison Service 257W routinely and automatically notifies the Force Information Bureau of the RUC of the temporary or final release of every prisoner. In the case of Schedule 1 offenders, the FIB is additionally supplied with a copy of the Notice of Requirement to Register served on the discharged prisoner.
As I indicated to my hon. Friend in an earlier reply, the Northern Ireland Prison Service, in addition to liaising with the Police, works closely with the Courts, Probation Service Northern Ireland and the relevant Social Services authorities as well as with Psychiatrists, Psychologists and other professionals involved in case management prior to the release of the offender.
The Prison Service, in common with other agencies, remains seriously concerned that the unregulated release of information about persons convicted of sexual offences may prejudice the work of those agencies assisting the process of re-settlement and re-integration and may also lead—as in recently widely reported cases in England and Wales—to public disorder and the commission of crime.
The Prison Service has, however, in co-operation with other Agencies, agreed procedures to manage the disclosure of information relating to the release of sex offenders where this is judged to be appropriate and is already dealing with such cases.