Finite notification periods are halved if the person is under 18 when convicted or cautioned. In April 2010 the United Kingdom Supreme Court ruled that indefinite notification requirements contained in of the 2003 Act were a breach of individual human rights as they were disproportionate. As a result of this, appeals against indefinite inclusion within the register were introduced. Appeals can be made to the local police force by an offender after inclusion on the register for 15 years. If the local police force declines to remove the offender from the register, they may appeal to a magistrates' court.
Information held on ViSOR
Upon initial registration, offenders must provide the police with the following information:
Additionally, when visited by MAPPA officers, they will be invited to, but need not, provide:
Employer's name and address
ISP details
Car registration
Telephone number
Offenders must inform the police within three days if there are any changes in their name, address, bank details, passport or other ID document. Offenders must also inform the police at least seven days in advance of any foreign travel, and they must register any addresses in the UK at which they stay for more than a total of 7 days within any 365-day period. They must provide:
Date of departure;
Destination country ;
Point of arrival in each country to which he/she intends to travel;
Carrier he/she intends to use;
Return date;
Point of arrival on return to UK;
Accommodation arrangements for the first night.
Offenders must confirm their registration annually. That is, if they have not needed to inform the police of any changes above, they must attend a designated police station to register if they have not done so for a year. Failure to comply is an offence, subject to a penalty five years imprisonment. On 13 August 2012, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 Regulations 2012 came into force. Under the new regulations, a subject on the Sexual Offenders Register is now required to provide the police with details of all bank accounts, credit cards, passport details and any foreign travel regardless of its duration. They are also required to notify to the police weekly if they are not registered as regularly residing or staying at one place. They also have to notify the police where they are living in a household with a child under the age of 18.
Development
Construction of the ViSOR application began in January 2003, with a first release of functionality to a pilot site November 2003. The system was subsequently rolled out to a further three pilot sites during early to mid-2004. National rollout began November 2004, and was completed April 2005. ViSOR is now in use across all 45 geographic police forces in the UK. Roll out to the Prison and Probation services of England and Wales was scheduled for 2006/7, but was considerably delayed and not completed until the autumn of 2008.
s have shown support for a European Sex Offender Database. In 2007 a NSPCC report suggested the failure of EU countries to share criminal records properly and was in their opinion "leaving children at risk in the UK." In 2008 the High Court ruled that permanent inclusion on the register was disproportionate and incompatible with the European Convention of Human Rights. A number of European countries such as Spain, Germany and Italy that in the past have stated that sex offenders' registration as in the UK is a breach of the European Convention of Human Rights. France has implemented a national judicial sex offender database that has been adjudged to be legal by the European Court of Human Rights in the Gardel v. France decision.
