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Permalink Reply by Seema Chandwani on August 8, 2014 at 16:36

Hi Clive, 

My dyslexia is kicking in. What are you saying?

• The incidents happened in the 80s.
• He stopped teaching in 2004 at the school
• However he was helping with the school work exp 4 weeks a year until 2010.
• He was arrested in 2012

Based on such, he was no where near the school for 2 years before he was arrested (the time it was known). 

He seems to have taken a post in another borough as a hockey coach and chairman. 

• What checks did this Hockey club have in place?
• If they CRB'd him when he started there, this arrest would not have shown up on the CRB report
• If at the time of his arrest the police/council placed him on a list 99 (which I assume they did) then if they Hockey club CRB checked after his arrest, this would have shown up.
• If he informed the police from the time he was arrested he was a Chairman & Coach, then they should have informed the Hockey club. So did the police know?

I appreciate you are angry about this, but I am baffed how Haringey police and Haringey council were meant to know he was a Hockey coach/Chair in another borough?

What you are highlighting is not secrecy, but a flaw in the CRB/DBS system.

• Firstly did the Hockey club CRB/DBS check him?
• If they did, most organisations do CRB/DBS renewals every three years, so his arrest would not have shown up. Some organisations just CRB/DBS check at recruitment stage.
• You'd think once an arrest/conviction comes up on someones record the CRB/DBS people automatically tell the organisation who asked for the CRB/DBS - But they don't. Not just for teachers/coaches but everyone including cab drivers and security guards.

I think we can all learn alot from this awful incident and am glad an inquiry is taking place. But it does the people abused no justice if we go into blame stage before we identify what went wrong.

Of course, you may explain your views to me and I am open to change my mind. 

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on August 8, 2014 at 17:07

SEEMA, I too am glad an enquiry is to take place: it seems that there is much unsatisfactory to enquire about. The then local Ward Councillors – who might have been informed at the time as to what had happened – probably read about it much later, in the same way as you: in the local press.

Had information been shared earlier, there might have been a better opportunity for (any) other victims to come forward. Please see page five of the attached Broadway of July 24 ("How many other boys were victims as well?"

It has to be accepted that regrettable events like this will happen from time to time and the Council is not to blame.

It's how these cases are handled once known where questions need answering and I hope the enquiry will shed light on the process.

Attachments:

• Paedophile teacher.pdf, 1.9 MB

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on August 9, 2014 at 9:57

SEEMA, since this post a former resident has been in touch with me.

He was little impressed with the Mail Online article and he recommended that I read Robert Peston's article in last Wednesday's Times.

It's in The Times Section 2 and I've just read it in my local library.

I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in this matter.

I believe that I am highlighting secrecy.

I wonder if you think Robert Peston would not agree?

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Permalink Reply by Seema Chandwani on August 9, 2014 at 12:40

(REPOSTED AS I PASTED A WHOLE ARTICLE WHICH IS AGAINST HoL RULES)

Hi Clive

I had read Peston's article on Wed. (Which I can't paste due to copyright and is behind a paywall on The Times website)

This is totally different to The Daily Mail asking why he was allowed to be a Hockey coach in another borough, which was the basis of your post and my response.

I do agree something is not right with why the council comms team did not know or have a media plan in place as the story would be huge. But I guess the council Head of News can only act upon things she is aware of and I am not sure she was by the sounds of the article below. However, I'd be surprised if the councils CP team did not know. No doubt they had to help with investigation/records etc.

Even more worrying and what I am hoping the enquiry would show is how Heads and Cllrs in the 1980s and 1990s knew & did nothing. That culture needs to be understood (not only with this case but the historical cases with celebs and MPs coming out now) and we need to ensure that culture no longer exists.

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