Tories call for national child cruelty register to protect victims of abuse

Those convicted of child cruelty should be placed on a national register to ensure survivors are not failed by systemic blind spots, the Conservatives said.

Shadow solicitor general Helen Grant said it would operate similarly to the sex offenders register, with those who pose an ongoing risk to children remaining visible to the authorities.

The party is attempting to introduce a child cruelty register as part of measures in the Sentencing Bill, which will be debated in the Commons on Wednesday.

Criminals who have served their sentences for serious child cruelty offences would be required to notify the police of their personal details, under the proposed amendment.

It follows campaigning by Paula Hudgell, whose adopted son Tony was assaulted by his birth parents.

Tony was just 41 days old when Jody Simpson and her partner Anthony Smith attacked him, causing multiple fractures and dislocations, and blunt trauma to the face, leading to organ failure, toxic shock and sepsis.

He was left untreated and in agony for 10 days and because of the extent of his injuries both his legs had to be amputated.

Simpson and Smith were jailed for 10 years in 2018.

Shadow minister Ms Grant said: “For child cruelty offenders who have completed their sentences there will be no management, no monitoring, no reporting requirements – such as changes of name or new relationships – and their case details will be archived. This leaves a terrible gap in the system.

“The register would operate similarly to the sex offenders register. It’s a vital safeguard to ensure those who pose an ongoing risk to children remain visible to authorities.”

The Tories are also proposing to force a vote on a bid to introduce a whole life order for the murder of prison or police officers killed because of their job.

Currently, those who kill an on-duty officer can be given whole life orders, meaning they will never be released from prison.

Under the Conservatives proposal this would be expanded to include offenders who target off-duty officers or those who have left service, with a clear motive of revenge.

In February 2024, armed robber Elias Morgan shot former prison officer Lenny Scott six times for seizing a phone from his cell years earlier.

Shadow justice minister Kieran Mullan said: “The idea that an officer can be hunted down for doing their duty and their killer still avoid a whole life order is indefensible. This amendment is about fairness, respect, and that if you target those who protect the public, you will never walk free again.”

He added: “Police and prison officers stand between us and some of the most dangerous people in society. They put their lives on the line every single day, and too often, that risk follows them home.

“When someone is murdered because of their service, whether in uniform or years after they hang it up, it should carry the harshest sentence our justice system allows.”