 | Personal signature - what's in a name change? |
Deed pollsMore people than ever before are changing their name by deed poll.
Surprisingly, there are no official figures, but one estimate says that there were more than 40,000 name changes across the country in 2006, compared with less than 15,000 a decade ago. Inside Out finds out why people change their birth names and makes some worrying discoveries along the way. Meet Rolf HarrisMeet Alan MacDonald - or should we say 'Rolf Harris'. The 23-year-old from Holmfirth has changed his name in honour of his show-biz hero, but why on earth did he do it? Whatever his motives, he's become a bit of a local celebrity as a result of the change.  | | Alan MacDonald changed his name to 'Rolf Harris' |
Another man from Huddersfield became Shakin' Stevens whilst a football fan became Mr Save Barnsley Football Club. But there's other reasons why some people change their name, sometimes because they have a criminal record. The Yorkshire Ripper is no longer called Peter Sutcliffe. Whilst in Broadmoor, he changed his name by deed poll to Peter Coonan. The Soham murderer, Ian Huntley, changed his name when he moved from Grimsby, and got a job as a school caretaker without any doubts surfacing about his past. In a different town, with a new identity, he committed a double murder which shocked the country. Web worriesOne website, which looks pretty official, gives those wanting to change their names an easy way to do it. Deed polls | A Deed Poll is a legal document, a type of legal contract - it only concerns one person.
A Deed Poll binds the person who signs it to a course of action as detailed on the Deed Poll document. Deed Polls can be used for several purposes but the main one is a change of name.
The legal name for a deed to change a name is called a Deed of Change of Name. The declarations in the Deed Poll commit the signatory to abandoning use of their former name, using their new name at all times, and
requiring persons addressing them to use their new name. Names can be rejected on the grounds of including numbers symbols, or punctuation marks, being impossible to pronounce, being vulgar or offensive or suggesting an inherited title or honour. |
The service is confidential and very easy to use. There's a long list of people here you're supposed to contact, and there's advice on every stage of the process. There are scores of deed poll web sites, offering a cheap and easy name change service. No one is suggesting that what these sites do is illegal. Customers are expected to tell the truth when they give their personal details. If you're a sex offender, you are supposed to inform the police. One thing you can't change is your birth certificate. But who is checking that you do what you're supposed to do, and that you tell the truth? Although websites provide one of the easiest ways to apply for a name change, some commentators think it's too easy to put in false information. All changeRolf Harris changed his name as a joke, but even he's worried about the lack of background checks. At the bank, his new name wasn't a problem - they were happy to say "yes" to his account changeover. But there's a worrying side of the whole name change system. For Timothy Cuffy, a convicted sex offender, exploiting the system was simple.  | | Murdered - Sandy Hadfield was Timothy Cuffy's victim |
When he finished a six-year jail sentence, he decided to change his name to Timothy Barnett. In Lincoln, Cuffy moved in with a woman who had three children.
One of their school friends was 13-year-old Sandy Hadfield. Cuffy murdered Sandy. He was jailed for life and is serving at least 20 years, but Sandy's mother thinks the system let her daughter down. Before the killing, some local people had been suspicious of Cuffy. But he had changed his name, making it hard to check out his background. The name gameInside Out decided to try out how easy or hard it is to change your name. First of all we made an application using the UK Deed Poll Service website. Once we received our name change certificate, we were told that it was up to us what we did with it. However, the UK Deed Poll Service told us that: "It's clear on our website that we are a private company. "We don't check details - bodies like the passport agency will do that. We supply a certificate - the name change is only valid once you've changed most of your personal documents. "Only a tiny minority try to abuse the system. We regularly pass on information to the police and government agencies."
From Wakefield Prison, Cuffy has offered his own opinion about name changes. He says that if a violent criminal like him wants to disappear, he can. The only way to stop him, he claims, is keeping him in prison. Tracking dangerous criminalsSince the Cuffy case, MAPPA, a national system for tracking dangerous criminals, has been introduced. There's also a sex offenders' register. But Social Services in Lincoln say the system still has loopholes.  | | Convicted sex offender Timothy Cuffy - changed his name |
Two different Government departments deal with tracking criminals and deed poll name changes.
The Home Office said the MAPPA tracking system ensures dangerous offenders are properly risk assessed and robustly managed in the community.
The Department of Constitutional Affairs says: "If the present law gives rise to issues, they will be dealt with on a case by case basis as they arise. "There are no plans to change the law."
In the meantime Sandy's family are rebuilding their lives. But they're worried that, while it's so easy to change your name, other people will suffer the same way. Links relating to this story:A link that appeared on this story was the subject of a complaint upheld by the BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites | 
Inside Out - Yorkshire & Lincolnshire: Friday February 9, 2007