WITH reference to the reporting of sex crimes by the Evening News, I am astounded at the number of such crimes that are continually brought to light. Is this a sign of the times?

How can a parent protect their children from these fiends, the sex offenders that walk our streets in the guise of taxi drivers, schoolboys and grandfathers?

While the law brings those who are discovered to trial, it is almost certain that one in three will be found not guilty.

Where does that leave the vulnerable victim? In most cases they will almost certainly be traumatised by the offences against them.

But, in the aftermath, having struggled to tell someone about the offence committed they must relive the ordeal, to both see justice done and to help them begin the healing process.

So what of those that do not see justice done? The ones who spend hours making statements reliving the whole sordid, frightening experience, who have to endure the most intimate details of their lives being investigated?

They may receive compensation, which is given on the basis that the police consider they have a valid case, but, how many years have they suffered?

How many more years will they need support?

If an offender is found guilty, they justifiably serve the sentence imposed and any previous history of offences committed is made known.

However, if they are found not guilty by using the very manipulative mind that they possess to commit and conceal the crime in the first place, is any such knowledge withheld?

Society should demand that such facts be made available so that the most vulnerable among us can be protected from the perverts within our midst.

JANET PENN (MRS), Worcester.