Robert Jenrick says all child sex offenders should lose parental responsibility (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Campaigners say vile paedophiles must be denied the power to control their children’s lives from behind prison bars. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick will challenge Labour to close a loophole and formally strip locked-up child sex offenders of parental responsibility.
Mr Jenrick said it is “absurd” that a new law going through Parliament will only remove this responsibility from inmates if they committed offences against their own children and are sentenced to four or more years. Today, the former partners of paedophiles can face lengthy and expensive court battles to deny these criminals a say over their children’s health, education and where they live.
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The former Tory leadership contender says such criminals should be stripped of their parentless responsibility if they have committed offences against any child, regardless of the length of the sentence.
Cath Pickles, chief executive of Restitute – which supports people who care for survivors of sexual or violent crime – said families have had to “sell their homes” in order to fight legal battles.
In 2023, the BBC reported how a mother had to “spend more than ￡30,000 to protect her small daughter” from her ex-husband and deny him a say on important decisions.
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Mr Jenrick said: “Families should not have to endure the ordeal of tortuous and expensive court cases to free themselves from paedophiles. It should be simple and easy to protect children from proven predators.
“The Justice Secretary must protect all children, not just some.”
He said his proposed changes to the Victims and Courts Bill which would “place the welfare of children first and the rights of serious child sex offenders last”.
Shadow justice minister Kieran Mullan added: “The Government’s proposal has quite rightly been criticised by campaigners for falling short. It’s a half measure that doesn’t do enough to protect children.”
Restitute’s Mrs Pickles wants the loopholes closed.
She said it is “just morally wrong that someone is allowed to sexually abuse somebody else’s child and still keep parental responsibility for their own”.
Describing the plight of parents today, she said: “These parents don’t want their convicted sex offender ex-husbands, ex-wives, whoever it is, having access to their own children. They want to rebuild their lives and one of the things that happens at the moment is parents have to go to family court.”
She said that parents who are often “financially devastated” by the imprisonment of a spouse then face “ridiculous” costs as they fight to prevent the offender having influence over the family.
Mrs Pickles hopes that stripping people who abuse other people’s children of parental responsibilities would help tackle a host of threats.
She said: “I think it would send a very, very strong message to people who are accessing sexual abuse images online or who are carrying out predatory and grooming behaviour... ‘Actually, it doesn’t matter whose child you are abusing – if you do this you will lose parental responsibility for your own children.’”
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, a former surgeon and barrister who now serves as a Conservative MP on Westminster’s justice committee, said: “While the provisions in the Victims and Courts Bill represent a step in the right direction, I believe there is a strong case for going further. It is entirely inconsistent with the principles of child safeguarding that an individual convicted of serious sexual offences against any child should retain parental responsibility.
“The law must reflect the fundamental duty to protect children from ongoing harm and coercion. I therefore support the Conservatives’ proposal to introduce an automatic mechanism for the removal of parental responsibility in such cases, irrespective of whether the offence was committed against the offender’s own child.
“This is not a question of politics, but of ensuring the law is unambiguous in its defence of children’s rights and welfare.”
Children’s commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza told the Sunday Express: “I strongly believe that we must do whatever it takes to keep children safe. Their safety, protection and well-being are of paramount importance.
“If that means restricting parental responsibility in extreme cases where it’s in a child’s best interests, then that’s what we must do. I want to see a robust Victims and Courts Bill which reflects the lived experiences of child victims and has their voices at the heart of every part of the legislation.”
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Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said she recognised victims’ concerns and would ensure the law is strong as it needs to be.
She said: “We are protecting children and ensuring victims are properly supported. These changes will, for the first time, introduce an automatic suspension of parental responsibility for offenders who sexually abuse their own child and receive a prison sentence of four years or more – removing the need for victims to go through court to secure this.
“I do recognise the concerns raised by victims and campaigners and will continue working closely with them to ensure the law is as strong and protective as it needs to be.”
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