Net paedophiles could escape jail

Police commanders are to consider plans for an amnesty for internet paedophiles which would let them escape jail.

Paedophiles with child pornography on their computers could be told to hand it over and agree to undergo counselling in return for avoiding a prison sentence.

They could get off with just a caution under the proposals put forward by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a children's charity. But they would still have their name put on the sex offenders' register.

The Association of Chief Police Officers is to consider the scheme as concern mounts that police are unable to cope with the scale of child pornography being downloaded from the internet.

The Home Office has admitted that only 500 people have been prosecuted and 277 convicted out of a list of 5,700 names supplied to British police by the FBI. Thousands of homes and computers are still to be searched.

Donald Findlater, deputy director of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, said potential offenders could be stopped if they were able to seek help. "I don't believe that criminal law is the best way of resolving these major social problems," he added.

But the NSPCC said it opposed the plan and did not want to see sex abusers escape justice.