'Blind Eye To Child Sex Tourists'

Sara Merchant, Sky News reporter

A charity has accused the Government of turning a blind eye to paedophiles who abuse children abroad.

'Sex tourist' Gary Glitter listens to a guilty verdict in a Vietnam court

While Britain's laws against child abuse are tough, many sex offenders are travelling to Eastern Europe, North Africa, the Sub Continent and the Far East to take advantage of poverty, desperation and corruption.

A report by ECPAT UK claims the British Government is failing to prevent child sex tourism.

While Britain has prosecuted only five sex offenders for child sexual abuse abroad since 1997, the USA has prosecuted more than 50 - and Australia has prosecuted more than 25.

We do think there has been some progress but we do think the Government has turned a blind eye to some offences committed abroad - not following up on allegations of abuse all around the world, leaving governments to deal with it on their own.

ECPAT UK director Christine Beddoe

Many paedophiles volunteer to work in orphanages or as teachers.

In 1998, a British teacher working with children in Thailand was sentenced to 33 years for abusing boys.

His sentence was cut and he was deported back to the UK in 2001.

Since then he has taken up various teaching posts in developing countries and is now working in China teaching children as young as five.

ECPAT UK is calling for an urgent shake up in the way the UK deals with British nationals who have been prosecuted aboard for child sex offences.

The charity wants them brought back to the UK and risk assessed.

A new law came into force last month which means those who commit offences against children abroad face prosecution here - even if the offence isn't illegal in the country it was committed.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "From the autumn, we also intend to make registered sex offenders notify the police of any travel abroad.

Govt to clamp down on sex tourists

"We also recently signed the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse which sets standards to ensure that countries criminalise the sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adopt similar standards of investigation.

"We will also take any further action that is necessary, and believe these changes that we have made will see the number of sex offenders' prosecuted increase."

When ex-pop singer and convicted child sex abuser Gary Glitter is released from jail in Vietnam, he will be flown back to Britain immediately.

On arrival, he will be questioned by police and then go on the sex offenders register.

Zoe Hilton, of NSPCC, said: "It's important he comes back to UK and that he's managed because we know how high risk he is and the risk he will just go to other countries and slip off the radar again, we can't take that risk. He needs to be managed and monitored and supervised."