Shocking rise in thugs and sex attackers free to take teaching work

VIOLENT thugs and sex attackers are being approved to work as teachers, sparking fresh calls for them to undergo more robust background checks.

The number of criminals who have been allowed to take on teaching roles in Scotland has risen by almost a quarter from 215 in 2021 to 265 in 2023.

They include those who have been convicted of serious violence – and even sex crimes.

Last year it was revealed that rapist Morgan Prior was given a job working with children after police refused to warn his employer he was facing trial for a number of sex attacks.

He successfully applied for a post as a counsellor with Place2Be, a mental health charity patronised by the Princess of Wales.

The charity was not told Prior – who was jailed for more than three years for rape and sexual assault – had appeared in court.

Prior worked in a school in Arbroath, Angus, until his trial at the High Court in Dundee.

He did not disclose the charges to his bosses or to Disclosure Scotland, which provides criminal records disclosure services for employers and voluntary groups.

A Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check was carried out as standard when Prior applied to Place2Be. Worryingly, the charity said no concerns were flagged in the check and Disclosure Scotland did not raise any later.

Last night the Scottish Conservatives called on the SNP to improve its background checks system to ensure no dangerous criminals are allowed to work in schools.

Tory education spokesman Liam Kerr, who branded the figures ‘deeply alarming’, said: ‘Parents will be staggered to learn that their children could be exposed to someone with a violent or sexual-offending past in the classroom. The PVG scheme doesn’t appear fit for purpose if violent offenders are slipping through the net.’

Under current laws, anyone who goes to work in a school or has a job with close contact to vulnerable people needs to undergo a PVG check.

But figures obtained under freedom of information laws show checks may need to be tightened. Responses gathered by the Scottish Conservatives show the number of people convicted of violent crimes approved for a teaching role has gone up 50 per cent – from 20 to 30 – in the past three years, while the figure for those convicted of sexual crimes has doubled from five to ten.

Place2Be said police told the charity an ‘active decision’ was taken not to inform it about the allegations against Prior.

It added: ‘Disclosure Scotland said it could only reveal information shared by Police Scotland.’

Disclosure Scotland declined to comment.

‘Violent offenders are slipping through net’