community activist Hilary Soares has warned.

And Mrs. Soares has spearheaded a small group to get legislation to protect the public from such offenders.

A letter was sent to Public Safety Minister Paula Cox by the group on Monday.

The group -- which includes members of The Physical Abuse Centre, The Coalition for the Protection of Children, The Women's Resource Centre, The Department of Child and Family Services, UBP Sen. Kim Swan and UBP MP Kim Young -- has requested that a board be set and notified of released sex offenders' addresses.

If the offender moves, the board should be notified within ten days of that taking place, they have suggested.

Mrs. Soares announced the actions of the group yesterday at the Hamilton Lions Club's weekly luncheon where Jack Harris, the head of the ex-prisoners' support programme Prison Fellowship, was the guest speaker.

Explaining that serious sex offenders always re-offend, Mrs. Soares said: "It's just a matter a time when they will strike again.'' Locally there are "only a handful of these people,'' she claimed, "about 20 or so.

"But there is no legislation in Bermuda to protect the public from these dangerous people,'' Mrs. Soares stressed. "There is an existing Government committee looking into this problem.

"We just need to put pressure on this committee to take action. It's been talked about here and there and within the previous Government for the past ten years.

"In other jurisdictions the people are protected through a Dangerous Offenders Act, here we have nothing,'' Mrs. Soares added.

The concern was triggered by the recent release of child killer Chesterfield Johnson.

Moved three times already since his release in December, there are conflicting accounts of where Johnson is living now.

Mr. Harris said Mr. Johnson was doing fine as part of the Fellowship's Adopt-An-Inmate programme.

"He attends church regularly and his Tuesday night group meetings,'' Mr.

Harris noted.

"We have managed to get him a house boat,'' he added, "as there has been a problem with trying to house him. So many people pulled out of their promised support for him. There should be no real problem with his housing now.'' The Royal Gazette has learned that Mr. Johnson is living in St. David's.