On 26 November 2001, Ian Huntley was appointed caretaker at the local
secondary school. The job had become vacant after the previous caretaker was
dismissed for having an inappropriate relationship with a female pupil.
Following the announcement of Huntley's conviction for the Soham murders,
it emerged that various authorities were aware of allegations, from a number
of sources, that he had committed one act of indecent assault, four acts of
underage sex and three rapes.
Huntley had also been charged with burgling a neighbour in Grimsby, but he was not convicted, although the charge remained on file.
On the 25th of August 2008, Clydeside Television journalist and
producer Matt Quinn accessed the website of the Care Commission; the agency
in Scotland charged with ensuring that the people who provide care to
vulnerable people are fit to do so.
Using the public search facility on the Care Commission website Matt Quinn
was able to confirm that a man who has a criminal conviction for violently
assaulting another man so seriously he has been left scarred for life
is registered as a childminder.
This is despite Clydeside Television making the Care Commission specifically
aware of that person's record of violence as far back as April 2008.
On the 13th. March 1996, Thomas Hamilton walked into Dunblane Primary
School armed with 4 legally held weapons. In the space of 3 minutes he shot
3 staff and 28 pupils. Of these 1 staff member died and 16 children were killed.
Hamilton started up a number of boys clubs throughout the 1970s and 1980s,
many of which targeted children between the ages of 7 and 11. Many of the
boys who attended the clubs complained that he would make them do things that
made them feel uncomfortable. The complaints were so numerous that local police
investigated Hamilton's clubs.
A Scotsman article by journalist Dan McDougall indicated that Detective Sergeant
Paul Hughes, the former head of Central Scotland Police's child protection
unit, wrote a damning report in which he recommended that Hamilton's gun license
be removed because of his "unsavoury character" and "unstable
personality." However, no action was taken because there was no concrete
evidence of any wrongdoing. Thus, he was free to continue running his boys
clubs.
After Dunblane and after Soham the public were appalled that people like Hamilton and Huntley could possibly be allowed to function in positions of responsibility. And, to be fair, we the public are much better protected from this type of person that was once the case. Or are we? The case we cite above was the catalyst for the programme. In the first instance we were horrified to learn that this violent criminal was allowed anywhere near children and assumed that the authorities simply didn't know about his conviction. We've since been appalled by the apparent inertia and inaction of the "Guardian Agency" involved.
When the case that sparked this programme first came to light we thought we would be investigating a basic lack of communication between the court system and those concerned with the outcome of court proceedings. For instance it's entirely possible that someone already employed in a position of trust could pick up a conviction for dishonesty or violence while their employer remained unaware of the fact.
To some extent that is indeed what we have uncovered. What is more troubling however is that even where information is sought from official sources it's still very possible that the vetted, approved and officially registered people that you or I might be expected to place our trust in are in fact violent criminals.
What reasonable person would leave their child with a man so violent, so out of control an vicious that he is capable of leaving another man seriously injured and scarred for life?
With the working title of "Guardian Agents" this programme has now been approved for production and Clydeside Television Productions are actively developing the script and research for it and acquiring material for inclusion. As always information and contributions from members of the public are most welcome. You can contact us in absolute confidence. Email guardians@clydesidetv.com
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