[lettie]

We do have a register in this country too, but at the moment it is confidential (ish)

Let me give you an example of how somebody can inadvertantly end up on this register.

An 18 year old boy has sex with a 14 year old girl. She has told him that she is 17 and he has no reason to doubt that. She becomes pregnant and her parents find out, they subsequently complain to the police in retaliation as he is shirking his responsibilities. Although he thought that this was consensual sex it cannot be considered consensual when one party is under 16. He is subsequently charged with having sex with a minor. His name is entered on the register. His life is ruined, he turns 30, gets married and his wife gets pregnant. Social services become involved because he is a known sex offender, there are case conferences and meetings, he is not allowed to be left alone with his own child.

This example is not far fetched, I have seen very similar happen. I'm not saying that genuine offenders should not be named, but people must realise that not everybody on that register is an actual offender. There are circumstances similar to the above where people have ended up on that register due to a mistake made when young. I will pose a question to all of our members here. How many of you had sex under the age of 16 or with someone under the age of 16 when you were teenagers? Do you think that you deserve to be on the register?