At Conservative Party Conference, the Home Secretary has announced that sex offenders will be banned from changing their names and gender for life to prevent them from disguising their identity.
The law currently places the onus on offenders to declare any change of identity, and many thousands have failed to do so, enabling them to avoid being tied to their crimes. Between January 2019 and June 2022, almost 12,000 sex offenders were prosecuted for failing to tell the authorities about a change in identity, despite it being a legal requirement.
Following the case of Ceri-Lee Galvin, Lucy had campaigned in parliament to see this change in the law and is pleased to see that the Home Secretary has taken these concerns seriously.
Lucy Allan MP said:
I am so glad that the Home Secretary is taking this issue seriously. For too long the most devious sexual offenders have been able to evade identification by simply changing their name or gender and refusing to declare it.
This glaring loophole was obviously going to be used by sex offenders who have already demonstrated their moral depravity. Too many victims have seen those who caused them harm disguise their identity and I am glad that under the Home Secretary’s new plan, this will no longer be possible.
This is a huge victory for those who campaigned for a change in the law and will make our streets safer, whilst giving victims the reassurance that those who caused them harm will not be able to hide among us.
Photo above: Lucy Allan MP and Home Secretary Suella Braverman KC MP
