The Government today denied harbouring a paedophile at the centre of a deepening extradition row.
Children's charity Barnardos was alarmed that the former chef Paul Hunter Redpath, convicted in Northern Ireland of abusing two young girls, was able to cross the border.
Its Director of Advocacy, Norah Gibbons, said: 'Our current system of tracking sex offenders in the Republic is woefully inadequate and it is putting children at risk.
'For example, offenders are supposed to sign on at their local garda stations where they live but there is nothing to stop them from working in a completely different part of the country.
'There are still thousands of people working with children and vulnerable adults in this country who have never been vetted.'
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, ISPCC chief executive Paul Gilligan said the Sex Offenders Act gave gardaí very few powers to deal with such individuals.
Paul Hunter Redpath, who was convicted of sex offences against two young girls, had been the subject of a PSNI search after he failed to adhere to the conditions of his probation.
Redpath, originally from Stranraer in Scotland, was given a three-year jail sentence and the same length of probation for indecent assault and having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
A cross-border search that started when he failed to return to his accommodation ended with confirmation that Redpath was now in the Irish Republic.
A PSNI spokesperson said that the PSNI had shared all information and documentation on Redpath with the gardaí.
But she refused to comment on any extradition plans, saying: "All options are being explored."
Gardaí say the 35-year-old has now registered in the Republic, and the PSNI confirmed that.
