British Paper Stops Naming Pedophiles

L O N D O N, Aug. 5 -- Britain’s top-selling Sunday tabloid, TheNews of the World, said Friday it was calling off its campaignto “name and shame” pedophiles in the community.

The paper had been pressured by government ministers, thepolice and social workers who wanted it to stop its campaign, which they said could drive child abusers underground.

Angry Mobs

A number of people have been targeted by angry mobs sincethe paper began publishing pictures of people with child abuseconvictions. Some of those attacked were victims of mistakenidentity.

A riot broke out in the southern town of Portsmouth lateThursday night when a mob looking for a pedophile laid siege toa house, threw stones, broke windows and overturned cars. In the process, they trashed his neighbor’s house as well.

Also Thursday, police blamed the newspaper’s campaign forjeopardizing an undercover operation to arrest a sex offender inthe Canary Islands after his picture was printed in the paper.

Stuart Kuttner, managing editor of the paper, which is part ofRupert Murdoch’s News International stable, said it would focusnow on “Sarah’s Law”— a campaign for new legislation to betterprotect children from sex offenders.

“We’ve moved forward,” he says. “What we’re talking about is the introduction of Sarah’s Law…and that’s what we care about.”

Kuttner said the parents of Sarah Payne, the 8-year-oldwhose abduction and murder last month triggered the campaign,backed the paper’s decision.

Similar to Megan’s Law

“Sarah’s Law” would be similar to “Megan’s Law,” U.S.legislation named after a 7-year-old American girl who was rapedand murdered by a neighbor in 1994. It requires convicted sexualpredators to register with police and allows authorities to warnlocal residents of their presence in the community.

Kuttner said its actions served a purpose in acceleratingthe debate about changes to the law. The paper was now workingwith the police and social services to draw up proposals.