Four rapists amongst seven removed from Sex Offenders Register by West Mercia Police

Four convicted rapists along with three convicted of sexual assault have been taken off the register by West Mercia Police since 2012, figures revealed following a Freedom of Information request show.

The number includes five who committed sex crimes against children under 16-years-old.

The seven offenders make up a third of the 21 who have applied to the police force to be removed from the register following a change in the law in 2012.

The FOI submitted to the police force asked how many applications for removal the force had received from the date the legislation changed – July 30, 2012 – to January 6 this year.

West Mercia Police spokeswoman Connie Osborne said: "West Mercia Police conducts a robust review process and follows guidance from the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) which is issued to all forces in relation to reviewing the indefinite notification requirements for registered sex offenders.

"Offenders can only apply to be removed from the register 15 years after they complete their initial registration with police following their release from custody.

"Any offender who is believed to continue to pose a risk will have their application rejected and remain subject to requirements under the Sexual Offences Act (2003)."

The force said that 21 applications were received and that seven of those had been approved.

The FOI also asked for the "nature of the offence" that the offender had committed.

Two of the offenders now taken off the register had raped a girl under the age of 16, one had raped a woman over the age of 16 and another had raped a boy under the age of 16.

There were also three who had committed indecent assault – one on a girl under 16, one on a boy under 16 and one on a woman over 16.

Police said they did not hold any information of sex crimes committed by the offenders following their removal from the register.

Since 2012, sex offenders required to sign the register for life have been able to apply to be removed.

They can only seek a review 15 years after the date of their first notification following their release from custody.

This is reduced to eight years for offenders under the age of 18.

But Hannah Taylor, sexual assault referral centre manager at The Glade, based in Telford said: "What does that say to victims?

"The courts have given this verdict and put them on the sexual offenders register.

"You can monitor them a lot better when on it and they must notify when they move address and they are managed by an offender manager.

"When they are removed, this opens up a gap on who works with this person.

"But it is not just the victim – what does it say to the members of the general public that they are no longer being monitored?"

The change in law came when the Supreme Court found that being subject to the notification requirements for life without

any mechanism to have it reviewed was "incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights".

It does not mean offenders come off automatically, and any offender who poses a risk will remain on the register.

A sex offender will only be removed from the register after a "robust review" has been carried out which is led by the police and other agencies to determine what risk the person poses to the public.

Victims have the right to submit information to the police when the offender puts in an application for review.