Published Date: 16 May 2007

MEP demands paedophiles travel ban

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann has led to a demand for an immediate ban on the free movement of convicted child sex offenders across Europe.

Tory Euro MP Struan Stevenson said the case of the missing four-year-old had

• "highlighted the ludicrous loopholes in current legislation covering the movement of convicted paedophiles".

The Scottish MEP has written to the European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Franco Frattini, asking him to consider the situation.

He took action after discovering that in the first four months of this year more than 100 convicted paedophiles from the UK have been permitted to travel to Portugal - where Madeleine was on holiday with her family when she was snatched 12 days ago.

Mr Stevenson wants the Commissioner to look at bringing in new regulations which would force the 27 European Union member states to share information about convicted paedophiles and to notify other countries about their travel arrangements.

He also raised the possibility that they could go further than that and ban all travel by the most serious offenders - such as paedophiles who are put on the sex offenders' register - for life after serving a lengthy jail term.

Mr Stevenson said:

• "I was horrified to discover that over 100 convicted paedophiles, whose names appear on the sex offenders' register in the UK, have been allowed to travel to Portugal on holiday so far this year.

• "No attempt was made by the UK authorities to notify their opposite numbers in Portugal as to the identity of these dangerous child-predators until after the kidnapping of Madeleine McCann came to light."

He added:

• "I assume that thousands may be travelling at any given time throughout the EU. I have therefore written to the Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security - Franco Frattini - asking him to consider a new regulation which will force EU member states to share information about convicted paedophiles and, most importantly, to notify each other of the travel arrangements of such people.

• "I have even suggested that the Commission may wish to go further, by banning all travel by the most serious offenders, such as those paedophiles who have been entered on the sex offenders' register for life, following a long jail sentence."