Sex offender review

Cathy Jamieson has called for a national audit of sex offender cases following today's Campbell report

News, 18 April 2005

An inquiry has found that there was a "systematic breakdown" in communications between agencies handling a sex offender who tried to rape a two-year-old while on release from prison.

James Campbell abducted the toddler from her Coatbridge home two months after his release on licence. He was serving a three-year jail term for attempting to rape a 90-year-old woman when he was released early.

At the time he was under supervision by North Lanarkshire Council.

A hard-hitting report released today has found weaknesses across all of the agencies involved in the case.

In light of its findings Scotland's council, prison and police chiefs have been instructed to review all their medium and high risk sex offender cases.

Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson has written to local authority chief executives, the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, and chief constables, asking them to ensure that they are confident that sex offenders in their area have been subject to comprehensive and competent risk assessments.

She will also be asking agencies to ensure that the broader lessons and recommendations from the report are used to improve working practices across Scotland to minimise the risk of similar cases occurring elsewhere.

Each report will be required to be submitted to the Social Work Inspection Agency, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary by the end of September.

At that time, the Agency will also undertake a planned inspection of North and South Lanarkshire criminal justice social work grouping during which it will audit the performance of the authorities in applying the lessons from today's report.

Cathy Jamieson said that she is determined that lessons from this case are not just learned locally, but nationally.

She added: "Clearly, all this work will be of little comfort to the victims and their families in the James Campbell case. However, I want to assure them this Executive – in partnership with the new Social Work Inspection Agency – will ensure that every organisation responsible for monitoring and managing sex offenders - in North Lanarkshire or elsewhere - learns lessons from today's report.”