Sex offenders face longer terms

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Certain sex offenders could be kept in jail for much longer than at present, an overseeing body has said.

Masram - which manages sex offenders - has attempted to reassure the public following the release of a man who raped a 91-year-old woman.

Eamon Foley served eight years of a 16 year sentence for the attack against Mary Ann McLaughlin in 1999.

The NI Sex Offender Strategic Management Committee said new laws will keep dangerous offenders in jail.

Willie McAuley of the organisation said: "Those who are identified as posing a serious risk to the public at the point of having served their sentence may be subject to indeterminate sentencing, or sentencing for public protection.

"So there are measures coming in from April this year.

"From that date on, anyone who falls foul of the legislation by way of that type of offending behaviour do leave themselves liable to the risk of being imprisoned for a very, very long time."

'Monitoring Foley'

Controversy continues to surrounded the release of Eamon Foley.

He remains unrepentant and insists he is innocent.

He has been living with his daughter in a County Tyrone village since his release last month.

Foley is a category three offender - the highest risk - and is one of six dangerous sex offenders living in the community.

The management of sex offenders is overseen by many agencies, including the police.

The PSNI said it was continuing to monitor Foley.

The 47-year-old raped Ms McLaughlin at her home in Castlederg in 1999. She died several weeks later.

Her niece, Jean McCaffrey, said he should not have been released and said the system was at fault.