The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Wayne Munroe has questioned the value of opening the sex offenders register to the public, arguing that criminal record checks and existing vetting systems already provide safeguards against convicted offenders working in schools and other sensitive environments.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Mr Munroe challenged calls for a publicly accessible register and asked what purpose it would serve in a country the size of The Bahamas, particularly New Providence.

He cited the murder of 11-year-old Marco Archer, who was abducted and killed in 2011, as he argued that knowing where a convicted sex offender lives would not necessarily prevent crimes. Kofhe Goodman, also known as Edwardo Ferguson, was convicted of Marco’s murder in 2013, won an appeal that led to a retrial, was convicted again on May 30, 2017, and was sentenced to 55 years in prison on May 7, 2018.

“What value would it have been for Marco Archer’s parents in Bain and Grants Town to know that there was a sexual offender living in Cable Beach?” Mr Munroe, who represented Goodman during his appeal, said.

Mr Munroe also echoed concerns previously raised by Crisis Centre executive director Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson, who warned that opening the Sexual Offenders Register to the public in a small country like The Bahamas could fuel vigilantism, weaken monitoring efforts and fail to make children safer.

“The one thing that people overlooked is that Dr Patterson is quite clear about the first time you have a retaliation, then no judge will put anyone on the register,” Mr Munroe said.

His comments followed news reporters that a mother believed a convicted paedophile was targeting her ten-year-old child. The mother said she reported the matter to police but was told there was little authorities could do because she had not caught the suspected offender in the act.

Mr Munroe said employers already have tools to identify people with relevant criminal histories.

“If you are hiring somebody to work in a school, they have to be vetted,” he said. “Whether you’re on the register or not, if you’ve committed offences, that will come out.”

“Most sensible employers will ask for a criminal record. Rape doesn’t come off your record. Sexual offences don’t come off your record. So, again, who actually wants to know it and why?”

Social Services Minister Barbara Cartwright has backed restricted access to the Sexual Offenders Register, saying key government agencies and institutions should be able to identify convicted sex offenders while keeping the register closed to the general public.