The Shadow Minister for Health and Seniors has called the lack of a public register of sex offenders in Bermuda "scandalous".

Louise Jackson spoke out following the conviction of former rapist Ze Selassie for the murder of schoolgirl Rhiana Moore. Selassie, 33, raped a woman in her own home ten years before being sentenced to life for the murder of 14-year-old Rhiana in May 2008.

Despite being sentenced to six years' imprisonment for the rape in 1999, he was released on parole just two years later, despite being labelled a 'high risk' offender.

Selassie was not placed under any supervision by the authorities legislation enabling such monitoring of offenders was only passed in October 2001.

The law also enabled information to be released to the community on sex offenders, but has lain dormant since.

Attorney General Kim Wilson told The Royal Gazette last week that dangerous offenders under a supervision order were required to notify Police of their address for up to ten years.

The Minister of Justice could also order the disclosure of any details, including photographs, relating to an offender to individuals or groups if he or she was thought to pose a significant threat.

Since 2001 however, there have been no such instances where information has been made public.

Although Senator Wilson said the onus was on members of the public to request it, she admitted details on dangerous offenders were not made public automatically due to human rights concerns.

Campaigners from both the Women's Resource Centre and the Coalition for the Protection of Children have called for a public register to be made available on sex offenders.

Yesterday Mrs. Jackson said: "I truly hope that Government will listen to the people to get a sex offender register in place and will make it work.

"The murder of 14-year-old Rhiana Moore and her unborn child by a convicted sex predator was the latest in a long string of sex crimes that may have been prevented by the existence of a sex offender public register."

Mrs. Jackson cited an assault on an eight-year-old girl by a serial sex offender who was subsequently jailed in 2002 as an example.

"The lack of a register in Bermuda is scandalous," she said. "There is provision in the law for the public to be informed about sex offenders, but that decision is up to the discretion of the Minister of Justice.

"Otherwise, there is no provision for general public notification, despite ongoing calls for one."

Mrs. Jackson said: "In September 2003, a tearful mother whose six-year-old daughter was the subject of a sexual assault court case involving a convicted paedophile, called for a register to better protect children.

"In 2004, Det. Sgt. Mark Clarke, who ran the Police Juvenile Domestic Crime Unit, called on the Government to curtail the number of sex crimes against women and children, through the adoption of a national strategy to prevent child abuse and domestic violence."

Government did not return this newspaper's request for comment on the consideration of a public sex offender register by the time of going to press.