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People who download child pornography may pose a low risk to children and should be assessed accordingly, sexual crime expert Ray Wyre told delegates at Community Care Live yesterday.

Police are "not gathering evidence in a way that can confirm low or high risk," said Wyre.

"Most" offenders downloading child pornography will not commit "hands on" abuse of children, said Wyre.

The rights of offenders’ own children must also be considered, according to Wyre.

"Removing a parent from a child when there is no risk to the child is abusive of that child," said Wyre.

It takes "courage, experience and skill" for social workers to assess sex offenders as low risk, he told his audience.

Managing and assessing risk in adolescents who abuse in their youth and then go on to have families or seek employment working with children was also covered in Wyre’s presentation.

Click HERE for all today's articles from the exhibition