IRISH TIMES – June 25 – Under the 2001 Act, a judge has the power to prohibit a person who is subject to a sex offender order from doing anything in order to protect the public from serious harm. Currently, a judge does not have the power to restrict a convicted sex offender from using a dating app after they are sentenced and released. Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone says judges should have explicit banning powers. "I am proposing that we explicitly add something in the new legislation that bans offenders from using these apps. This would make it far more likely that judges would apply such a condition," she said. The Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill which was approved by the government makes provision for the post-release supervision and monitoring of sex offenders. "Now that the bill is being drafted, I am calling for this provision to be included. I will raise this in due course when the Bill gets to the Seanad," said Ms Noone.
by Aine McMahon
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