𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Around 1,000 ‘monsters’ who “harm and break the bones” of children could be added to a new child abuse register every year, campaigners believe.

Paula Hudgell, the adoptive mum of Tony Hudgell, is calling for a child abuse register to treat the vile thugs the same as sex offenders.

The new child cruelty database, which the Daily Express is campaigning for, would copy the sex offenders’ register, forcing brutes to tell police if they change their names, move homes, get into new relationships, stay in a house for 12 hours or more with children and certain offenders could even be forced to tell officers about any planned contact with youngsters in a private setting.

Campaigners had been hoping that Labour would amend their Sentencing Bill going through the House of Lords this week. But they are now hoping it will be included in the Crime and Policing Bill.

And ministers, in a series of meetings, have privately indicated they hope to make the change. Some 900 to 1,000 offenders could be added to the register every year, a Home Office official told Shadow Solicitor General Helen Grant.

Policy chiefs don’t want to overwhelm the police by leaving them too many fiends to monitor, it is understood. But they are trying to close the loophole that allows child abusers to move homes, change their homes, or form new relationships undetected.

Ms Grant said: “Experience shows that ex-offenders can move across county lines, change their names and disengage from services to avoid scrutiny.

“That makes detection harder and risk management even more challenging. Mirroring the structure of the Sex Offenders Register for child cruelty offenders would go a long way towards fixing this, with mandatory notification requirements for offenders and monitoring and management by the police.

“Before Christmas, Conservatives tabled an amendment to the Sentencing Bill to establish a Child Cruelty Register. Labour MPs voted it down.

“Following further meetings with Ministers in early January, I now hope the Government will introduce its own amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill when it reaches Report Stage in the House of Lords in the coming weeks.”

Shadow Justice Minister Kieran Mullan said: “Every year hundreds of vile criminals are convicted of child cruelty offences. We simply cannot leave it to chance that they don’t end up free to abuse children again unfettered.

“No safeguarding system is perfect but we should do what we can to keep track of these individuals to protect potential future victims from falling into their hands.”

Under Mrs Hudgell’s proposals, police will be able to monitor child abusers to prevent them attacking more youngsters. And the database would be linked to that used in Clare’s Law, which allows women to check if a partner has a violent history.

This means parents could, for the first time, check if their new partner has a history of abuse towards children.

Speaking to the Daily Express as we back Mrs Hudgell’s crusade, the campaigner said: “Sex offenders are absolute monsters. But so are people who harm children and break the bones of children. Why should they be treated any differently to a sex offender, if anybody wants to be that cruel and that violent to someone so small, like Tony?

“He was five weeks old. Everything was so tiny and they were able to twist and break and bend and punch a tiny, tiny baby. Why should they be treated less than a sex offender? If we can end up saving, even one child, then it’s totally worth it.

“They could turn around and say about money or something like that, but when you think about how much Tony has cost the system with their [his parents] prosecution, and prison, all his operations and his ongoing care for the rest of his life, it’s just extortionate.

“You can’t put a figure on a child’s life.”