ATTACKS ON CHILDREN

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28440, 21 November 1957, Page 11

ATTACKS ON CHILDREN

Treatment Of Sex Murderers

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, November 20. A plea for an institution in Britain where child attackers could be detained and treated was urged in the House of Commons by Mr F. W. Harris (Conservative) who claimed that “the anger of the people” called for such action. He said that this proposal and the idea of a register of sexual offenders had been put forward by the father of Edwina Taylor, a four-year-old girl assaulted and murdered last August by Derrick Edwardson, who was sentenced to life imprisonment. In turning down the suggestion, the Home Office Under-Secretary, Mr Jocelyn Simon said: “Do not let us terrify parents into the belief that child murderers are stalking the streets of every town.” Repeating Offence Before any murderer was released, careful consideration was given as to the risk of repeating the offence, he said. No murderer was discharged because a given period of time had elapsed Mr Harris said that a Streatham housewife, the mother of two children, had launched a petition calling on the Government to establish an institution where sexual offenders against young children could be detained and treated. The reception to the petition has been quite overwhelming and in the first week some 4000 signatures were obtained. Mr Harris said that it was in the power of the Home Office to establish such an. institution immediately. ‘‘The public is absolutely shocked by these appalling offences and the state of affairs under which the Home Office is permitting such criminals to be released before being certified by medical experts as cured. Bad Counsellors

Mr Simon said that he could well understand the feeling of those wjio demanded drastic action but he said that horror and revulsion were not good counsellors. It was not true that there had been a great increase in child murders in Britain and it did no service to parents to alarm them with exaggerated stories.

The facts were that in the six months from the passing of the new Homicide Act this year there had been four, or possibly six. sex murders of Children compared with three for the same period in 1955. Some 5000 persons were convicted of sexual offences every year and figures showed that four-fifths of those convicted were first offenders. One in ten was reconvicted.

‘‘l am not convinced that the proposals suggested would help to protect the public, particularly children, from the sex offences,” he said.