Warning over paedophile index

The planned publication of a book giving details about convicted sex offenders in the United Kingdom has been condemned as being likely to encourage a growing trend towards vigilantism.

A New Zealand journalist, Deborah Coddington, intends to publish a British index of paedophiles in October, similar to directories she has brought out in her home country and in Australia. She declared it was time to stop treating the perpetrators of such crimes as victims and called on the public to monitor the activities of paedophiles once they had been released from prison.

But John Scott, of the Scottish Council for Civil Liberties, warned the book could encourage people to take the law into their own hands. He told BBC Scotland's Frontline programme, to be broadcast tonight, that if people had such information they might decide "well, I'm just going to go round and pay a visit to this sex offender".