Sarah's Law

• The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme / 'Sarah's law’ was a result of a successful campaign to allow parent, carers and others to ask the police if a convicted sex offender has contact with with a specific child
• The campaign came about following the abduction and murder in July 2000 of 8 year old Sarah Payne by Roy Whiting - Whiting had been convicted in 1995 of abducting and indecently assaulting another 8 year old girl
• The campaign for Sarah's law was championed by the news of the world newspaper and backed by Sarah’s parents who were convinced from the start that a sex offender had murdered their daughter
• Whiting was convicted of the crime in 2001
• The newspapers support was a central part to the campaigns success - in July 2000 it named and shamed 50 people it claimed were paedophiles
• The Campaign eventually succeeded in persuading the government to introduce the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme through England and Wales in 2011
• however while anyone can ask the police if someone in contact with a child has a record of child sexual offences, the police are not obliged to disclose information and will only do so if they judge that the child is at risk and it is necessary for safeguarding