SteamshipTime
10-19-2004, 10:49 PM
From The Herald (http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/26277-print.shtml)
This is how Britain's social democratic government treats murderous pedophiles:
CHILD campaigners yesterday called for tough measures to monitor paedophiles after a man on the sex offenders' register was convicted of assaulting and murdering an eight-year-old boy.
Stuart Leggate, 28, who had three previous convictions for abusing children, sexually assaulted and strangled Mark Cummings before throwing his body down the refuse chute of a tower block in Royston, Glasgow.
Lord Dawson gave Leggate a life sentence and ordered that he must serve 20 years behind bars before being allowed to apply for parole.
However, the case raised questions about how someone who was regularly monitored by police and social work staff was still able to approach and murder the eight-year-old.
It also heightened concerns about how known paedophiles can be effectively integrated into communities without warning parents about their presence. Campaigners called for more intensive resources and electronic monitoring to try to prevent such tragedies being repeated.
Police officers warned that even tagging Leggate could not have prevented what happened. Ministers say they are currently looking at ways to tighten the sex offenders' register and improve child protection.
Margaret McKay, chief executive of the charity Children 1st, said: "What we need to know is what is being done to prevent these shocking events from occurring. Once somebody has been identified as posing a danger to children, what supervision and treatment do they receive in order to ensure that risks to other children are removed?"
Sandra Brown, founder of the Moira Anderson Foundation, a charity that supports the families of victims of abuse, said immediate improvements were required.
"This case highlights the concerns of parents about where our children can be safe. Our experience shows us that although the police may be monitoring these people, sadly that is not enough. I would definitely advocate tagging them – it is not going to stop them altogether, but it will at least tell us where they are. We are also very concerned at the sheer numbers of people convicted before 1997 and who are not on the sex offenders' register."
Recorded sex crimes against children in Scotland show a significant increase over the past 10 years. In 1990, there were 1045 reported crimes of lewd and indecent behaviour, rising to 1466 in 1999. Sexual assaults in the same period increased from 1458 to 1933.
Chief Superintendent Kevin Smith of Strathclyde Police, commanding officer of the division in which Mark lived, said: "Fundamentally, we cannot watch these people 24 hours a day and I think the circumstances showed that basically it was an opportunity exploited within a very few minutes.
"That's the difficulty – while there are sex offenders in the community, there will always be that element of risk. We hope to minimise or mitigate against that risk, but I think the charities are right in saying that there remains a risk."
Nicola McCall, a neighbour of the Cummingses, described Mark as "a great wee boy". She said: "We're disgusted with what has happened. Twenty years is not enough. The state can try and rehabilitate these people, but in some cases it doesn't work. We were so shocked. People should have been told who this guy was and why he was living here."
Earlier, Mark Stewart, prosecuting, told the High Court in Glasgow: "Leggate said he 'lost the rag big time' and began hitting the child for no reason.
"Then he went on to explain how he put his hands over Mark's neck and started strangling him until the child started to turn blue. He used both hands and changed them until the child stopped breathing."
Donald Findlay QC, defending, said Leggate thought he had come to terms with all his problems until his "old self" returned and took over and he found himself unable to stop.
This is how Britain's social democratic government treats murderous pedophiles:
CHILD campaigners yesterday called for tough measures to monitor paedophiles after a man on the sex offenders' register was convicted of assaulting and murdering an eight-year-old boy.
Stuart Leggate, 28, who had three previous convictions for abusing children, sexually assaulted and strangled Mark Cummings before throwing his body down the refuse chute of a tower block in Royston, Glasgow.
Lord Dawson gave Leggate a life sentence and ordered that he must serve 20 years behind bars before being allowed to apply for parole.
However, the case raised questions about how someone who was regularly monitored by police and social work staff was still able to approach and murder the eight-year-old.
It also heightened concerns about how known paedophiles can be effectively integrated into communities without warning parents about their presence. Campaigners called for more intensive resources and electronic monitoring to try to prevent such tragedies being repeated.
Police officers warned that even tagging Leggate could not have prevented what happened. Ministers say they are currently looking at ways to tighten the sex offenders' register and improve child protection.
Margaret McKay, chief executive of the charity Children 1st, said: "What we need to know is what is being done to prevent these shocking events from occurring. Once somebody has been identified as posing a danger to children, what supervision and treatment do they receive in order to ensure that risks to other children are removed?"
Sandra Brown, founder of the Moira Anderson Foundation, a charity that supports the families of victims of abuse, said immediate improvements were required.
"This case highlights the concerns of parents about where our children can be safe. Our experience shows us that although the police may be monitoring these people, sadly that is not enough. I would definitely advocate tagging them – it is not going to stop them altogether, but it will at least tell us where they are. We are also very concerned at the sheer numbers of people convicted before 1997 and who are not on the sex offenders' register."
Recorded sex crimes against children in Scotland show a significant increase over the past 10 years. In 1990, there were 1045 reported crimes of lewd and indecent behaviour, rising to 1466 in 1999. Sexual assaults in the same period increased from 1458 to 1933.
Chief Superintendent Kevin Smith of Strathclyde Police, commanding officer of the division in which Mark lived, said: "Fundamentally, we cannot watch these people 24 hours a day and I think the circumstances showed that basically it was an opportunity exploited within a very few minutes.
"That's the difficulty – while there are sex offenders in the community, there will always be that element of risk. We hope to minimise or mitigate against that risk, but I think the charities are right in saying that there remains a risk."
Nicola McCall, a neighbour of the Cummingses, described Mark as "a great wee boy". She said: "We're disgusted with what has happened. Twenty years is not enough. The state can try and rehabilitate these people, but in some cases it doesn't work. We were so shocked. People should have been told who this guy was and why he was living here."
Earlier, Mark Stewart, prosecuting, told the High Court in Glasgow: "Leggate said he 'lost the rag big time' and began hitting the child for no reason.
"Then he went on to explain how he put his hands over Mark's neck and started strangling him until the child started to turn blue. He used both hands and changed them until the child stopped breathing."
Donald Findlay QC, defending, said Leggate thought he had come to terms with all his problems until his "old self" returned and took over and he found himself unable to stop.