Don't give evil a place to hide

THERE are few instincts more basic, more primal, than a parent's drive to protect a child.

In return, vulnerable and innocent youngsters look to adults for safety.

But sometimes this natural bond is not enough. Sometimes all the good parenting in the world can't defeat the evil drives of others.

Devoted Margaret Ann Cummings understands this terrible truth. Her beloved son Mark was a happy eight-year-old, playing near his Glasgow home, when neighbour Stuart Leggate lured him off the street, sexually abused him and then murdered him in cold blood.

Throughout the five years since, Margaret Ann has struggled with guilt over whether she could have done something to stop Leggate. The truth is, she could not.

Margaret Ann had no idea her neighbour was a convicted paedophile. She had no idea he had an unstoppable desire to prey on children.

Margaret Ann - along with every other parent in the Royston community where Leggate was housed - was kept in ignorance by the authorities, who somehow "knew best".

Of course, the police who were supposed to monitor Leggate, the social workers who arranged for him to live among children, and the officials who gave him the flat where he committed his crime, did not know best.

They failed Mark and his mother because the law insisted they kept the truth about the paedophile a secret.

Had Margaret Ann known what kind of monster was in her community, she could have taken steps to stop Mark being anywhere near him.

Today, we print extracts from a chilling letter from Leggate to Margaret Ann. The murderer admits he was a danger to children from the moment he was housed near them.

In a just world, Stuart Leggate will never be freed.

But we know that other Stuart Leggates exist. We know many of them will be released from prison and housed near unsuspecting families.

That's why we - and Margaret Ann - say it's time for Mark's Law. It's time for every parent to have the right to know when a paedophile is housed in their communities.

Allowing the likes of Stuart Leggate to hide among decent, loving families is shameful.

Mark's Law - a simple piece of legislation in memory of a smiling, brave and cherished little boy - would prevent that happening.

That doesn't seem like very much to ask for at all.

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