Libby Squire’s mum, Lisa Squire, she was horrified to learn men who commit indecent exposure often avoid being put on the sex offenders register because of a legal loophole
The mum of a 21-year-old student murdered by a prolific sex offender says lives will be saved when a “ridiculous” legal loophole is finally closed.
Lisa Squire, whose daughter Libby was killed in 2019, said she was horrified to learn men who commit indecent exposure often avoid being put on the sex offenders register – meaning they dodge monitoring by police. Ministers voiced their outrage at the outdated legislation amid growing evidence those responsible for such acts can go on to commit violent offences including rape and murder. Libby’s killer Pawel Relowicz had a history of indecent exposure, as did evil cop Wayne Couzins, who murdered Sarah Everard in 2021. This week a landmark Bill making sure offenders do not slip through the net will return to the Commons.
Grieving mum of student murdered by sex offender demands law change to ‘save women’s lives’
Lisa, who branded the change “Libby’s Law part one”, said: “It’s a perfect legacy for Libby. Her death was so preventable, it shouldn’t have happened, but she’s making a difference. If we can learn from her death that’s perfect, it makes it a bit less senseless.”
Under current law, prosecutors need to prove someone aimed to cause “alarm or distress” to get a conviction for exposure. As a result, offenders may instead be charged with outraging public decency – which requires at least two potential witnesses and does not result in being added to the register.
Lisa said: “I never even imagined that they wouldn’t be. When I found out they weren’t I thought it was ridiculous. These are people that we should be watching.”
Announcing the Government will change the law, Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones said: “Exposure is a degrading and cowardly crime, which can often escalate into serious offending. We’re strengthening the law to bolster protection for victims, meaning offenders with a broader range of motivations, such as the intention to cause humiliation or for the purpose of sexual gratification, can be prosecuted – and added to the sex offender register where necessary.
“I am grateful to Libby’s family, and other victims and survivors, who have bravely campaigned for change in this area.” Lisa has called for jail terms for those convicted of non-contact sex offences like exposure and voyeurism.
She has also demanded compulsory treatment programmes to stop their behaviour escalating. She believes her daughter’s death could have been prevented if tougher action was taken against her killer at an earlier stage.
Since the horrific tragedy in Hull, Lisa has campaigned for victims to report all non-contact sex offences to police. Doing so will prevent more cases like Libby’s, she said. Figures uncovered by The Mirror reveal the number of indecent exposure cases reported to police has soared since 2019.
Data from 37 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales show a 15% rise in five years, while arrests have gone up by around 35%. “It’s certainly better than it was, the previous figures were appalling,” said Lisa, who is now training as a counsellor to help survivors of sex offences. I’m really pleased that people are reporting it and they’re being taken seriously.”
Soon after Relowicz was arrested, Lisa was told he had a history of committing sexual offences. He went on to plead guilty to nine sexual offences unrelated to Libby’s murder, including voyeurism and outraging public decency.
“If more people had come forward and reported their experiences, and if police had been able to join the dots there might have been a different situation,” Lisa said. Last year Dame Diana Johnson, now Labour’s Policing Minister, told MPs that in five years almost 250 men found guilty of indecent exposure were subsequently found guilty of rape.
She told the Commons: “Indecent exposure and non-contact sexual offences are gateway crimes that are still not taken seriously enough.” Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that there were 8,878 indecent exposure cases reported to police in 2024, resulting in 1,894 arrests.
In 2019 there were 7,696 from the same forces, with 1,405 arrests. Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) said the rise in reports could indicate “growing awareness” after being “historically under-reported and trivialised”.
She said: “Indecent exposure is deeply harmful in its own right, but can also be part of a pattern of offending that can include rape and murder. It must be taken seriously by the justice system.” The Home Office has commissioned research into the link between non-contact sex offences and violent crimes.
This was a key recommendation of the Angiolini Inquiry, which focused on Ms Everard’s murder. In the first part of her report published last year, Dame Elish Angiolini found investigations into indecent exposure were “poor” and treated as “low-level”.
She called for improvements in the way police pursue reports, as well as study into the link between non-contact offences and violent attacks. A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman said: “Sexual exposure is an incredibly serious crime which can be invasive and distressing for victims. We have been working hard to improve our response to sexual exposure and other non-contact sexual offences.”
He said victims must know that cases are taken “extremely seriously”, with enhanced training rolled out to officers. A Home Office spokeswoman said: “This government is committed to halving violence against women and girls in the next decade. We recognise the devastating impact non-contact sexual offences can have on victims and that there is further to go to ensure people have the confidence to report these offences.
“That’s why we are fundamentally reviewing the police’s response to offences such as exposure and have committed to strengthening their training on violence against women and girls. We have also supported the development of a new training programme on non-contact sexual offences to ensure victims trust they will be taken seriously when they report these offences.”
