Editor's note: This is an updated report by Bernama. An earlier version of this report was retracted by Bernama for being erroneous, with an apology to Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today said the registry of convicted paedophiles in the country will be updated in a comprehensive manner soon.

She said this was vital due to the fact that the official records in the registry were only from 2017 onwards, and that there also other weaknesses that needed improvement.

In the case of 27-year-old convicted paedophile Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin, Wan Azizah said the man was studying abroad when he was found guilty of child pornography in 2015, and that the government must be fair in tackling this issue.

“There are two sides to the story. He has served his sentence or part of it... do we want to punish him for life?

"At the same time we want to keep our children safe as well, so we need to be balanced,” she told reporters after launching the Kedah-level Santuni Rakyat Programme at the Aman Central shopping centre in Alor Setar yesterday.

In May 2015, Nur Fitri, who was studying at Imperial College in the United Kingdom, was sentenced to five years’ jail by the Southwark Crown Court in London after pleading guilty to 17 charges of possessing more than 30,000 images and pornographic videos of children with intent to distribute.

He was extradited to Malaysia after serving a reduced jail sentence of nine months.

He is now pursuing a doctorate degree at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

- Bernama