Murder sparked call for 'Sarah's law'

Sarah's murder sparked protests across the country

LONDON, England -- Sarah Payne's murder sparked a nationwide campaign for a change in the law on paedophiles.

The News of the World newspaper led demands for a so-called "Sarah's Law" which would allow parents to examine the register of paedophiles.

The crusade had the backing of Sara and Michael Payne, who also met politicians to press for the legislation, and the newspaper insisted: "Child sex perverts jailed for life must never be released. They must never get parole. Life must mean life.

The concept of Sarah's Law was based on the U.S.'s "Megan's Law," which commemorates seven-year-old Megan Kanka who was raped and murdered by a paedophile.

The child was strangled and her body stuffed in a plastic toy chest by neighbour Jesse Timmendequas in the New Jersey suburb of Hamilton Township in 1994.

MORE STORIES Man guilty of Sarah Payne murder

The U.S. law gives communities the right to know when a sex offender moves into the neighbourhood, and makes a sex offender register open for public inspection.

Access to the information varies between states, but in New Mexico the names of sex offenders can be downloaded from a Web site.

In the UK in the weeks after Sarah's murder, opponents of a public register argued it would drive paedophiles underground, breaking links with experts who were trying to stop them re-offending.

Ultimately, it would put more children at risk, they insisted.

The government promised a review of the law. Several weeks later, the then home secretary, Jack Straw, announced that he was rejecting demands for a public register.

As a concession, he said police forces would publish the number of sex offenders in their area, the risks they posed and the precautions that had been taken. They would not, however, reveal any names. The first publication of these figures is due to take place next summer.

Straw also tightened controls on paedophiles, introducing a five-year jail term for breaching court orders designed to keep them away from past victims or certain areas. These measures came into force in June.

In July, the current Home Secretary David Blunkett announced the law would be tightened to protect children from paedophiles who "groom" them for abuse in Internet chat rooms, often by pretending to be children themselves.

Home Office proposals -- still being considered but which already have Blunkett's backing -- have suggested that there should no longer be automatic release for serious sexual and violent offenders who have served two-thirds of their prison terms.

Blunkett has said: "I believe that, if the parole board decide it's necessary, such offenders should stay behind bars for the whole of their sentence and then be closely supervised for years after their release."

For example, a rapist who is sentenced to 15 years and would currently serve only 10 would remain locked up for the full term and then be supervised outside prison for up to another 10 years.