Essex Police Polygraph Leads to 9-Year Sentence: Eastwood Case

Background and Arrest

Thomas Eastwood, 28, of no fixed address, was a registered sex offender being managed by the Essex Police Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) team [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. As part of routine monitoring, Eastwood undertook a polygraph examination through which he disclosed details of historic child sexual abuse [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. The offences related to the abuse of one girl in the Tendring district of Essex, taking place between 2006 and 2011 [2]Verified Sex offender jailed for rape and child abuse images
Confirms Eastwood was charged with three counts of rape, two of assault by touching, and one of possessing prohibited images; sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May 2020.

Following Eastwood's disclosures during the polygraph session, the information was shared with the Essex Police Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT), which approached the victim, who confirmed the details of what had taken place [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. Eastwood was subsequently arrested in Harwich in January 2020 [2]Verified Sex offender jailed for rape and child abuse images
Confirms Eastwood was charged with three counts of rape, two of assault by touching, and one of possessing prohibited images; sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May 2020. His offender manager had also previously found images depicting child abuse on his mobile phone in July 2018 [2]Verified Sex offender jailed for rape and child abuse images
Confirms Eastwood was charged with three counts of rape, two of assault by touching, and one of possessing prohibited images; sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May 2020.

Charges and Sentencing

Eastwood was charged with three counts of rape, two counts of assault by touching, and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child [2]Verified Sex offender jailed for rape and child abuse images
Confirms Eastwood was charged with three counts of rape, two of assault by touching, and one of possessing prohibited images; sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May 2020. At Chelmsford Crown Court on 2 March 2020, he admitted all charges [2]Verified Sex offender jailed for rape and child abuse images
Confirms Eastwood was charged with three counts of rape, two of assault by touching, and one of possessing prohibited images; sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May 2020. On 28 May 2020, he was sentenced to nine years in prison with a further five years on licence [2]Verified Sex offender jailed for rape and child abuse images
Confirms Eastwood was charged with three counts of rape, two of assault by touching, and one of possessing prohibited images; sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May 2020.

Detective Inspector Nathan Hutchinson from MOSOVO described the polygraph as "a fantastic tool and tactic to gather information to provide an accurate assessment of the risk of re-offending" [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. He stated that "the abuse he admitted to may not have come to light without the polygraph examination unless the victim had decided to report it in the future" [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. Detective Constable Roxanne Smith from the Child Abuse Investigation Team praised the victim's "unparalleled strength, dignity and bravery throughout the investigative process" [2]Verified Sex offender jailed for rape and child abuse images
Confirms Eastwood was charged with three counts of rape, two of assault by touching, and one of possessing prohibited images; sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May 2020.

What Is MOSOVO?

The Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) team is a specialist unit within Essex Police that monitors and risk-assesses sexual and violent offenders in the community [3]Verified Profiles - Job roles: Crime and Public Protection Command
Confirms MOSOVO officers risk assess and monitor sex offenders within the community and work with prisons to integrate offenders through MAPPA. MOSOVO officers work with prisons to safely integrate offenders back into society through Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) meetings [3]Verified Profiles - Job roles: Crime and Public Protection Command
Confirms MOSOVO officers risk assess and monitor sex offenders within the community and work with prisons to integrate offenders through MAPPA. The MOSOVO officer role is specifically trained in the response to and management of sexual or violent offenders, combined with active risk management (ARMS) to prevent further offending and safeguard the public [4]Verified MOSOVO officer professional profile
Confirms the MOSOVO officer role is specially trained in management of sexual or violent offenders and active risk management (ARMS).

Essex Police is responsible for a population of over 1.8 million people across an area of 1,420 square miles [5]Verified Essex Police
Confirms Essex Police is responsible for a population of over 1.8 million people and an area of 1,420 square miles. If you are in the area and need polygraph services, you can visit our page on lie detector tests in Essex for professional testing options.

How Essex Police Adopted Polygraph Testing

Essex Police became one of the first forces in the country to adopt polygraph testing for sex offender management. Detective constables Karen Halford and Ned Kelly from the MOSOVO team completed an 11-week course to become trained polygraph examiners [6]Verified Essex Police starts using lie detector tests to protect public against convicted sex offenders
Confirms DCs Karen Halford and Ned Kelly completed 11-week polygraph training course and Essex Police secured SHPOs with polygraph conditions. At the time of the Eastwood case, Essex Police was one of only six forces in England and Wales using polygraph testing for sex offender supervision [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team.

The force also became a pioneer in securing Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs) with polygraph conditions. Essex Police secured an SHPO requiring a convicted sex offender to submit to a polygraph test when requested, meaning refusal would constitute a breach of the order and result in arrest [6]Verified Essex Police starts using lie detector tests to protect public against convicted sex offenders
Confirms DCs Karen Halford and Ned Kelly completed 11-week polygraph training course and Essex Police secured SHPOs with polygraph conditions. Since 29 November 2022, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 has formalised the ability of courts to impose polygraph testing as a positive obligation within SHPOs [7]Verified Sexual harm prevention orders ('SHPO') and polygraph tests
Confirms since 29 November 2022 courts can impose polygraph as a positive requirement in SHPOs under PCSC Act 2022, and Court of Appeal upheld polygraph requirements. The University of Kent evaluation included Essex as one of the participating police areas in its major two-year study of polygraph testing effectiveness [8]Verified An Evaluation of Polygraph Testing by Police to Manage Individuals Convicted or Suspected of Sexual Offending
Confirms two-year evaluation across nine UK police areas including Essex, involving 800+ individuals; polygraphed supervisees nearly 6 times more likely to make risk-relevant disclosures.

The Three-Stage Process

As described by DI Hutchinson, the polygraph examination is carried out in three stages: an interview, followed by the polygraph test, and a post-test discussion [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. During the pre-test interview, many offenders voluntarily admit to reoffending or licence breaches before the polygraph instrument is even used [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. Others make admissions after undergoing the polygraph itself [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team.

This three-stage approach is consistent with how Post-Conviction Sex Offender Testing (PCSOT) operates internationally. In the UK, individuals with PCSOT as a mandatory licence condition are typically tested within 8 to 16 weeks after release and every six months thereafter [9]Verified Why polygraph testing does not consistently lead to reduced recidivism for individuals convicted of sexual offending
Confirms systematic review showing 19 studies established that PCSOT elicits significant increase in disclosures; UK individuals typically tested within 8-16 weeks of release. To learn more about how confessions during polygraph examinations affect legal proceedings, see our detailed guide.

Legal Framework: The Offender Management Act 2007

The legal foundation for mandatory polygraph testing of sex offenders in England and Wales is found in Sections 28 to 30 of the Offender Management Act 2007 [10]Verified Offender Management Act 2007 - Explanatory Notes: Sections 28-30
Confirms Sections 28-30 permit polygraph conditions for sex offenders on licence; Section 30 prohibits use of polygraph evidence in criminal proceedings. This legislation permits the Secretary of State to include a polygraph condition in the licence of offenders convicted of relevant sexual offences who are released from custody [10]Verified Offender Management Act 2007 - Explanatory Notes: Sections 28-30
Confirms Sections 28-30 permit polygraph conditions for sex offenders on licence; Section 30 prohibits use of polygraph evidence in criminal proceedings. The purpose is to monitor compliance with licence conditions and improve offender management in the community [10]Verified Offender Management Act 2007 - Explanatory Notes: Sections 28-30
Confirms Sections 28-30 permit polygraph conditions for sex offenders on licence; Section 30 prohibits use of polygraph evidence in criminal proceedings.

Critically, Section 30 of the Act provides that any statement made during a polygraph session, or any physiological reaction measured during such a session, may not be used in criminal proceedings against the offender [10]Verified Offender Management Act 2007 - Explanatory Notes: Sections 28-30
Confirms Sections 28-30 permit polygraph conditions for sex offenders on licence; Section 30 prohibits use of polygraph evidence in criminal proceedings. However, disclosures can form the basis of criminal investigation and can be used in civil proceedings [11]Verified Polygraph Testing Of Sex Offenders (Grubin, 2016)
Confirms UK legislation prohibits use of polygraph evidence in criminal proceedings but allows it as basis for investigation and civil proceedings. The Act was piloted from January 2009 in the East and West Midlands probation regions and came fully into force on 6 January 2014 [12]Verified Section 28 - Offender Management Act 2007
Confirms Section 28 came fully into force on 6 January 2014[10]Verified Offender Management Act 2007 - Explanatory Notes: Sections 28-30
Confirms Sections 28-30 permit polygraph conditions for sex offenders on licence; Section 30 prohibits use of polygraph evidence in criminal proceedings. Understanding Miranda rights equivalents in polygraph examinations provides additional context for how legal protections apply.

Since 2014, the scope of mandatory polygraph testing has expanded significantly. The Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 extended polygraph conditions to terrorist offenders, and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 commenced a pilot for domestic abuse perpetrators [13]Verified The Polygraph (Amendment) Rules 2022
Confirms polygraph testing extended to terrorist offenders via Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 and domestic abuse offenders via Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 further broadened eligibility to include offenders convicted by military courts or overseas [14]Verified Crime and Policing Bill: overview impact assessment
Confirms over 9,000 polygraph tests conducted by Probation Service since 2014; further expansion proposed in Crime and Policing Bill 2025. Those interested in how polygraph applies to domestic violence cases can explore our guide on PCSOT polygraph in domestic violence offender programs.

Polygraph Results: Confidentiality and Use

While polygraph results cannot be used as direct evidence in UK criminal courts, the disclosures made during polygraph sessions are immensely valuable for risk management [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. As DI Hutchinson explained, offenders cannot be forced to participate unless polygraph testing forms part of a court order, but participation demonstrates willingness to engage and cooperate with authorities [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. Learn more about polygraph results confidentiality and who can see your report in our comprehensive guide.

When offenders refuse to comply with a mandatory polygraph licence condition, or if they are identified as using countermeasures to manipulate the test, they can be recalled to prison [15]Verified Mandatory polygraph tests factsheet
Confirms offenders who refuse mandatory polygraph licence conditions can be recalled to prison; probation examiners trained to APA standards. Research has demonstrated that mental countermeasures can be successfully identified through examination procedures [16]Verified Confirmed Mental Countermeasure Case in Costa Rica
Confirms that mental countermeasures can be successfully identified through polygraph examination procedures. Breach of an SHPO polygraph condition carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment [7]Verified Sexual harm prevention orders ('SHPO') and polygraph tests
Confirms since 29 November 2022 courts can impose polygraph as a positive requirement in SHPOs under PCSC Act 2022, and Court of Appeal upheld polygraph requirements.

The University of Kent Evaluation (2020)

The most comprehensive UK study of police-led polygraph testing was conducted by the University of Kent, commissioned by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) [8]Verified An Evaluation of Polygraph Testing by Police to Manage Individuals Convicted or Suspected of Sexual Offending
Confirms two-year evaluation across nine UK police areas including Essex, involving 800+ individuals; polygraphed supervisees nearly 6 times more likely to make risk-relevant disclosures. Led by Professor Jane Louise Wood and colleagues including Emma Alleyne, Caoilte Ó Ciardha, and Theresa A. Gannon, the two-year evaluation analysed polygraph testing across nine police areas — including Essex [8]Verified An Evaluation of Polygraph Testing by Police to Manage Individuals Convicted or Suspected of Sexual Offending
Confirms two-year evaluation across nine UK police areas including Essex, involving 800+ individuals; polygraphed supervisees nearly 6 times more likely to make risk-relevant disclosures.

The research involved more than 800 individuals convicted or suspected of sexual offences [8]Verified An Evaluation of Polygraph Testing by Police to Manage Individuals Convicted or Suspected of Sexual Offending
Confirms two-year evaluation across nine UK police areas including Essex, involving 800+ individuals; polygraphed supervisees nearly 6 times more likely to make risk-relevant disclosures. The findings were remarkable: supervisees undergoing polygraph testing were nearly six times more likely to make at least one risk-relevant disclosure compared to those in comparison groups [8]Verified An Evaluation of Polygraph Testing by Police to Manage Individuals Convicted or Suspected of Sexual Offending
Confirms two-year evaluation across nine UK police areas including Essex, involving 800+ individuals; polygraphed supervisees nearly 6 times more likely to make risk-relevant disclosures. This applied across all levels of assessed risk [8]Verified An Evaluation of Polygraph Testing by Police to Manage Individuals Convicted or Suspected of Sexual Offending
Confirms two-year evaluation across nine UK police areas including Essex, involving 800+ individuals; polygraphed supervisees nearly 6 times more likely to make risk-relevant disclosures. NPCC Lead for the Management of Sexual and Violent Offenders, Chief Constable Michelle Skeer, stated that the research recommended mandatory polygraph testing as "the most effective method of monitoring" registered sex offenders by police [17]Verified Sex offenders reveal more risk-relevant disclosures through polygraph testing
Confirms NPCC Lead Chief Constable Michelle Skeer recommended mandatory polygraph testing as most effective method of monitoring sex offenders by police.

National Probation Service Statistics

The impact of polygraph testing on a national scale is striking. Since 6 January 2014, the Probation Service has carried out over 9,000 polygraph tests on sexual offenders [14]Verified Crime and Policing Bill: overview impact assessment
Confirms over 9,000 polygraph tests conducted by Probation Service since 2014; further expansion proposed in Crime and Policing Bill 2025. Two-thirds of those tests resulted in significant disclosures, enabling offender managers to refine and improve risk management plans [18]Verified Polygraph testing measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
Confirms over 5,000 tests conducted by National Probation Service with two-thirds resulting in significant disclosures. Police-led testing has shown even higher disclosure rates, with over 70% of tests resulting in previously unknown information being disclosed [19]Verified Risk assessment and polygraph testing
Confirms approximately 3,500 individuals tested and 5,000 police polygraph tests conducted; over 70% of tests yielded previously unknown disclosures.

These disclosures take many forms — from admissions of licence breaches to revelations of potential contact with children, as was highlighted in the Eastwood case [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. Research using polygraph testing has demonstrated that the average number of offences reported in official records increases dramatically when offenders undergo polygraph examination [20]Verified Chapter 3: Sex Offender Typologies
Confirms polygraph testing dramatically increases disclosure of victims and offenses beyond official records. Our polygraph research database contains the full body of peer-reviewed evidence supporting these findings.

Peer-Reviewed Research Supporting PCSOT

The effectiveness of polygraph testing in sex offender management is supported by extensive peer-reviewed research. Jill S. Levenson (2009) framed PCSOT as an evidence-based social work intervention that improves case management, treatment planning, and community safety monitoring for sex offender populations [21]Verified Sex Offender Polygraph Examination: An Evidence-Based Case Management Tool for Social Workers
Confirms PCSOT is an evidence-based intervention that improves case management, treatment planning, and community safety monitoring. A systematic review by Elliott and Vollm (2018) found that across 19 studies from the US, UK, and Netherlands, PCSOT consistently elicited a significant increase in disclosures relevant to supervision [9]Verified Why polygraph testing does not consistently lead to reduced recidivism for individuals convicted of sexual offending
Confirms systematic review showing 19 studies established that PCSOT elicits significant increase in disclosures; UK individuals typically tested within 8-16 weeks of release.

Field validation research by Lawrence N. Driscoll, Charles Robert Honts, and D. Jones achieved accuracy rates above 90% for both truthful and deceptive classifications in criminal cases [22]Verified Polygraph Field Test Accuracy of CQT in Criminal Cases
Confirms field validation achieved accuracy rates above 90% for both truthful and deceptive classifications. Research by David C. Raskin reviewed controlled studies showing accuracy above 90% and argued that polygraph meets evidentiary standards [23]Verified The Scientific Status of Research on Polygraph Techniques: The Case for Polygraph Tests
Confirms controlled studies showing polygraph accuracy above 90% and argued polygraph meets evidentiary standards. Donald J. Krapohl validated that polygraph accuracy remains robust even with reduced question formats [24]Verified A Test of the ESS with Two-Question Field Cases
Confirms polygraph accuracy remains robust even with reduced question count, supporting ESS utility for shorter examinations. For a deeper understanding of how these testing methods evolved, visit our guide on polygraph science in the 1970s.

The question of polygraph admissibility has been thoroughly examined. William George Iacono, David Thoreson Lykken, and Charles Robert Honts published a comprehensive point-counterpoint analysis covering the complete spectrum of admissibility arguments under Daubert standards [25]Verified Modern Scientific Evidence: The Case For and Against Polygraph Admissibility
Covers the complete spectrum of polygraph admissibility arguments under Daubert standards for judges and lawyers. Avital Ginton (2023) further advanced the science by calculating base rates in polygraph populations and posterior confidence in obtained results [26]Verified Calculating the Base Rate in Polygraph Populations and the Posterior Confidence in the Obtained Results
Foundational research on calculating base rates and posterior confidence in polygraph results using the case of Israel Police.

Expansion From Six to Multiple Forces

When the Eastwood case was publicised in June 2020, Essex Police was one of just six forces using polygraph testing [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. The positive results have since driven significant expansion. By recent count, police-led polygraph programmes have been adopted by multiple forces, with approximately 3,500 individuals tested and around 5,000 tests conducted by police examiners [19]Verified Risk assessment and polygraph testing
Confirms approximately 3,500 individuals tested and 5,000 police polygraph tests conducted; over 70% of tests yielded previously unknown disclosures. Our page on the Kent Police Polygraph Programme supporting SHPOs provides further examples of how UK forces are using this technology.

Police officers who use polygraph testing consistently rate it as highly effective. In the University of Kent evaluation, offender managers in the polygraph group rated the helpfulness of the polygraph at over 5 on a 7-point scale, regardless of whether risk-relevant disclosures had been made [8]Verified An Evaluation of Polygraph Testing by Police to Manage Individuals Convicted or Suspected of Sexual Offending
Confirms two-year evaluation across nine UK police areas including Essex, involving 800+ individuals; polygraphed supervisees nearly 6 times more likely to make risk-relevant disclosures. A survey of 78 professionals with direct polygraph experience found that 92% opposed the withdrawal of voluntary polygraph use, and 58% supported mandatory testing for all convicted sex offenders [27]Verified The Utility of the Polygraph with Sex Offenders in England
Confirms 92% of professionals with direct polygraph experience opposed withdrawal of voluntary use; 58% supported mandatory testing.

How Polygraph Integrates With MAPPA

Polygraph testing is just one component of the broader Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) framework. MAPPA was established under Sections 325 to 327B of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, designed to protect the public from serious harm by sexual, violent, and dangerous offenders [28]Verified Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA)
Confirms MAPPA was established under Sections 325-327B of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to protect the public from serious harm by sexual and violent offenders. It brings together police, probation, and prison services as the Responsible Authority, with other agencies having a duty to cooperate [28]Verified Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA)
Confirms MAPPA was established under Sections 325-327B of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to protect the public from serious harm by sexual and violent offenders.

In the Eastwood case, the MOSOVO team worked within the MAPPA framework, with the polygraph providing intelligence that was then shared with the Child Abuse Investigation Team to initiate a formal investigation [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. This multi-agency approach is essential — polygraph testing enhances the overall supervision framework rather than operating as a standalone tool. Those interested in how information flows after testing can read our guide on what happens after polygraph results.

Protecting Vulnerable Victims

The Eastwood case powerfully illustrates how polygraph testing can protect vulnerable individuals, particularly children. The victim in this case was a child who had been subjected to abuse over a five-year period. Without the polygraph examination, these offences may never have come to police attention [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team. The case stands as a compelling example of how polygraph testing serves as a safeguarding tool.

Research by the US Office of Justice Programs found that when polygraph testing is used, the average number of victims reported increases dramatically from official record figures [20]Verified Chapter 3: Sex Offender Typologies
Confirms polygraph testing dramatically increases disclosure of victims and offenses beyond official records. This underscores the role of polygraph as a tool that uncovers hidden offending patterns, enabling authorities to identify previously unknown victims and provide support. Juveniles who are subject to these management systems also benefit — see our guide on PCSOT polygraph for juvenile sex offender supervision.

Anyone considering a polygraph test can explore our options for booking a polygraph test or review our polygraph test prices for more information.

Legislative Expansion

The success of cases like Eastwood's has driven significant legislative expansion of polygraph use in the UK. The Crime and Policing Bill 2025 proposes further extending polygraph testing to offenders convicted of murder where they are assessed as posing a risk of committing a sexual offence on release [14]Verified Crime and Policing Bill: overview impact assessment
Confirms over 9,000 polygraph tests conducted by Probation Service since 2014; further expansion proposed in Crime and Policing Bill 2025. Since 2014, mandatory testing has moved from a pilot programme to a nationwide framework, supported by the American Polygraph Association's training standards [13]Verified The Polygraph (Amendment) Rules 2022
Confirms polygraph testing extended to terrorist offenders via Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 and domestic abuse offenders via Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Since 29 November 2022, courts can now impose polygraph testing as a positive requirement within Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, and the Court of Appeal has confirmed there is no objection in principle to such requirements [7]Verified Sexual harm prevention orders ('SHPO') and polygraph tests
Confirms since 29 November 2022 courts can impose polygraph as a positive requirement in SHPOs under PCSC Act 2022, and Court of Appeal upheld polygraph requirements. This evolution reflects growing confidence in polygraph testing as a supervision and risk management tool across the criminal justice system.

The Value of Voluntary Testing

It is important to note that in the Eastwood case, the polygraph examination was conducted as part of the MOSOVO team's supervision activities. Understanding the nature of voluntary polygraph testing is crucial — while offenders cannot be forced to participate unless it forms part of a court order, the process itself acts as a powerful disclosure tool [1]Verified Jailed sex offender revealed offences following polygraph
Confirms Thomas Eastwood, 28, was sentenced to nine years after admitting offences including rape following a polygraph examination by the Essex Police MOSOVO team.

The University of Kent research found that voluntary and mandatory polygraphed supervisees were equally likely to make risk-relevant disclosures, although voluntary tests more often failed to go ahead due to refusal [8]Verified An Evaluation of Polygraph Testing by Police to Manage Individuals Convicted or Suspected of Sexual Offending
Confirms two-year evaluation across nine UK police areas including Essex, involving 800+ individuals; polygraphed supervisees nearly 6 times more likely to make risk-relevant disclosures. This is precisely why the research recommended mandatory testing as the most effective approach [8]Verified An Evaluation of Polygraph Testing by Police to Manage Individuals Convicted or Suspected of Sexual Offending
Confirms two-year evaluation across nine UK police areas including Essex, involving 800+ individuals; polygraphed supervisees nearly 6 times more likely to make risk-relevant disclosures. A polygraph retest may be conducted if initial results are unclear or if further monitoring is needed.

For those interested in a career in polygraph examination, our page on how to become a polygraph examiner provides information on training pathways, including the rigorous programmes used by UK probation and police services.