French President Nicolas Sarkozy last night pledged tougher treatment for sex offenders.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that measures aimed at improving treatment for psychologically ill prisoners are also in the works
His call came in the wake of a scandal over a convicted paedophile suspected of raping a five-year-old boy shortly after his release from prison.
Police said Francis Evrard (61), a repeat offender who spent 18 years in prison for raping children before being freed on July 2nd, snatched the boy from a street in the northern town of Roubaix on Wednesday.
The pair were discovered later that day partly clothed in a garage used by Evrard. He said he had been prescribed the anti-impotence drug Viagra while in prison, and officers found a packet of the pills in his pocket.
Mr Sarkozy said Evrard should not have been released so long before the end of his 27-year sentence when the authorities knew he was still dangerous. New rules would be introduced to ensure such situations did not arise in future, he added.
"We cannot leave free predators, sick people, people who can kill and destroy children's lives," Mr Sarkozy said after meeting the boy's father and grandfather at the presidential Elysée Palace.
"A prisoner like Evrard will not be able to leave prison solely because he has served his sentence," Mr Sarkozy said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
"Prisoners of this type, at the end of their sentence, will be examined by a panel of doctors, and if this college of doctors recognises that they are dangerous, they will not be released. They will go to a closed hospital, where they will be treated," Mr Sarkozy added.
Those who did not accept treatment would stay in the hospital as long as they were considered dangerous, he said. Those who accepted treatment, such as hormonal therapy, would be allowed to leave the hospital with an electronic tag.
The measures would be part of a bill on sentencing planned for November, Mr Sarkozy said, adding that measures aimed at improving treatment for psychologically ill prisoners was also in the works.