Family and Friends Forum

They've been talking about doing this for ages. I didn't think it would be approved. This heavily influenced my belief that together we could move on and build a life.

What happens if they get married and choose to change their name to their partners?

If these crimes were treated differently, with no media + internet whipped up hate/labels there would be no need to change your name.

think the govt are so desperate to keep in power they are grasping at straws to drag people's attention - away from what they SHOULD be addressing. ie HS2 and the crumbling health service - people living in poverty, crippling mortgages the list goes on..

ahhhh sex offenders, let's crucify them a bit more!

No like for her I'm afraid......

Yet you can be released from prison following serving a sentence for murdering a child and be given a whole new identity ????

This could have been a sensible proposal - that passport, DWP, DVLA let police know of changes of name, so that they can ensure offenders are meeting their requirements under SOR and catch any who are dodging them, without undermining rehabilitation. Would also be much quicker to get the change through given all the court cases this will throw up.

Reading this is so upsetting, this narrative comes up in the news every few months and makes me feel hopeless about the future. I don’t know how I can be with my OH if he can’t change his name.

I don't think I have ever said this on this forum for fear of being identified, but his case was in the media and I have lived in fear of someone finding out and attacking my property ever since. Luckily had no backlash but if he can’t change his name none of us will ever escape what he did. It will be constant fear for the rest of our lives, and he will likely never work again.

I fear for my OH when he sees this, he's become depressed in prison and says he has nothing to come out to, and when he hears this I’m terrified he’ll try to take his life. Because if it were me, I would also think well what’s the point if I can’t ever escape my past. I'm even thinking it myself now!!

A blanket ban punishing all sex offenders for life due to the actions of a minority who exploit the system is not fair, especially when you can apply to come off the register! It negates the process of the court setting X amount of years on the register to an offender and the process of being able to apply to come off it if you get put on it for "life". And what about those who are wrongly convicted, those who commit crimes when they’re barely an adult themselves at 18 and just want to be able to move on from their mistakes. If you're in the news and the P word is slapped on a headline with your name then that's it, no chance of ever moving on.

If the gov is going to ban them changing name and gender what’s stopping them going one step further and keeping them all on a register for life

Yep your right Lucy, it's totally a heartbreaking prospect when a person genuinely wants to put this period of their life behind them and move on.

My son is protected in prison, and I dont think he quite realises what he has to face when released. I'm scared facing it alone, he might not be strong enough and give up.

it's very frightening. BUT I have to keep positive for his sake.....

This saddens me. The whole point of our justice system is rehabilitation. Yet this is the very opposite. They mention people who as re offenders who have chnaged their names to continue crimes, when the majority do it just to stop living in fear. Them and their families. The daily mail mentions a lady who reverted back to her maiden name. How will that work? Her maiden is 'her' name, it is the one she was born with! How will that work? And I know of men who have chnaged their name to their wife's name how will that work? So the people who do this to re offend and obviously the paper's have picked the worst cases, will do so just illegally. Where there will be no checks. There was an article the other day about thousands of people on the sor that the police have lost. So the people who abide their restrictions cannot hope to make a better life, a legal life, because them that do not wish to stop or follow the rules go unpunished.



I have been a lot more positive lately, and even though my OH has not chnaged his name he was thinking about it after his probabtion. Not because he will not follow restrictions, not to be able to re offend. Just to live in peace. I have had to remind a family member that my OH is a human being on occasions. I am just so exhausted with the witch hunts. It is never ending. I am thinking on leaving my OH as i am finding it so very hard to cope with, and this coming up in the papers all the time is not helping. Who is looking after us?

I dont want this to come across as a trivial take but wouldnt this discriminate against some more than others. If your name is say John Smith, Paul Jones etc then people googling your name would be more of a needle in a haystack than someone with a more unique name. Also please remember politicians say a lot (especially stuff that appeals to baying mobs) but actually deliver little.

God this is awful. We've just changed my persons name and the hope is he would change back after, this is to protect me and our son, not to exploit any loopholes or avoid anything.

Are there any timescales on this being brought in?

I could say so much on this but I wont as you lovely ladies have said so much of what I am thinking, but it really does not surprise me anymore unless you have walked or walking in this journey no one will ever understand x