No amendments were submitted so this bill proceeds directly to a final division.

Sexual Offences (Name Changing Loophole) Bill

A BILL TO

close the loophole in the Sexual Offences Act 2003

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows –

Section 1: Definitions

(1) For the purposes of this Act, ‘the Act’ refers to the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Section 2: Amendments to the Sexual Offences Act 2003

(1) At the end of Section 82 of the Act, insert:

(8) No registered sex offender may change their name through an unenrolled deed. They must seek an enrolled deed poll for their name change.

(a) Official notification of the name change and the new name must be sent to the appropriate police force.

(b) Once the police have notified they shall send back a notice of acknowledgment to the applicant and Royal Courts and then only shall the Royal Court of Justice approve a name change. Once the name has been changed the Royal Court of Justice shall send a final notice back to the police.

(c) No service or organization shall accept an unenrolled deed poll from a registered sex offender.

(c) Any sex offender who changes their name without following this process shall be liable to criminal prosecution and barred from using any services with their new name.

(d) Any party that knowingly assists a sex offender in creating or processing a deed poll in violation of this act shall be liable to prosecution.

Section 3: Extent, Commencement, and Short Title

(1) This Act extends to England and Wales.

(2) This Act comes into force four weeks after the day on which it is passed.

(3) This Act may be cited as the Sexual Offences (Name Changing Loophole) Act 2020.

This bill was written by The Rt. Hon. /u/ThreeCommasClub on behalf of the LPUK.

Vote Content, Not Content, or Present by 12 January at 10pm GMT.