The Justice Minister insisted yesterday that a loophole exploited by some sex offenders to avoid monitoring would be closed at the first legislative opportunity.
The Justice Minister insisted yesterday that a loophole exploited by some sex offenders to avoid monitoring would be closed at the first legislative opportunity.
A small number of offenders have been declaring themselves homeless and giving as contact addresses libraries, job centres or even a cemetery, but Kenny MacAskill said new laws would allow much stricter monitoring conditions to be imposed, with registered offenders forced to report weekly, daily or even hourly if necessary.
"We'll be using the first available opportunity in the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill to close it," said the minister of the loophole, which was first identified three years ago in a report to the previous administration.
He said the SNP government proposed the weekly time scale following discussions with police and social work services.
"In the main, it should be weekly. If though it's felt it should be daily or indeed hourly then that can be applied for and granted by the courts," he said.
He added: "This is the first chance we've had. It's not as if though we've not been taking action."
The new legislation will be brought before parliament in 2009 and will come into force by 2010.
