The limitations of CRB checks are tragically proven

[AyatollahPies]

Horrifying, truly horrifying.

 

BBC NEWS | England | Nursery worker admits sex abuse

 

 

Nursery worker admits sex abuse

Colin Blanchard (L) Vanessa George © Angela Allen ® - Allen courtesy of Raymonds picture agency

The three met over the internet

 

A Plymouth nursery worker and two other people have pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting children and distributing indecent images.

 

Vanessa George, Angela Allen, from Nottingham, and Colin Blanchard, from Rochdale, all 39, appeared at Bristol Crown Court, having never met before.

 

Abuse was recorded on mobile phones and images exchanged via e-mail and text.

 

One investigating officer said some of the images were so explicit they "truly defied belief".

 

Detective Superintendent Adrian Pearson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Those three individuals have shared quite willingly and freely images, texts, fantasies of the most serious level you could imagine."

 

The identities of the children who were abused at George's nursery are unknown.

 

Wept in court

 

The public gallery was packed with about 30 parents who wept as the guilty pleas were entered.

 

One man pointed at Blanchard and was asked to calm himself by the usher. Allen wept as she pleaded guilty while Blanchard showed no reaction and George hung her head in the dock.

 

 

The probability I would have to say is very low that we will identify any of these children

Detective Inspector Costa Nassaris

 

Chilling bond between abusers

 

The abuse began in September last year and they were arrested in June following a police investigation. Three forces were involved - Devon and Cornwall, Nottinghamshire and Greater Manchester.

 

They trio admitted to 37 out of 38 counts.

 

George, who worked at Little Ted's nursery in the Efford area of Plymouth, pleaded guilty to 13 charges including sexual abuse of children and making and distributing indecent images of children.

 

She pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual assault which was ordered by the judge to lie on file.

 

Her arrest sparked massive public outrage and angry scenes during earlier court appearances.

 

Allen, of Nine Acre Gardens, Nottingham, admitted five counts of sexual assault and distributing indecent images of children.

 

Website contact

 

IT worker Blanchard, of Yea Fold, Smallbridge, near Rochdale admitted 19 counts of sexual assault and distributing indecent images of children.

 

The three are believed to have met on the social networking website, Facebook, and had not met in person.

 

 

If I were a parent I would want to know whether my child was abused or not

Judge John Royce

 

They exchanged thousands of e-mail and text messages between them containing images of child abuse, the court heard.

 

Blanchard was arrested on 6 June after one of his colleagues found obscene pictures on a work computer.

 

Examination of his laptop computer led to the arrests of George and Allen.

 

No-one else is believed to have been involved.

 

Judge John Royce warned the three abusers they faced substantial prison sentences.

 

He said the "decent" thing for George to do would be to co-operate with police in identifying all the abuse victims in the photographs.

 

Speaking to George's lawyer, the judge said: "Your client must know it seems to me who she has abused and who she has not. If I were a parent I would want to know whether my child was abused or not."

 

Detective Inspector Costa Nassaris, of Devon and Cornwall Police public protection unit, said: "No individual child has been identified from the images, and that's down to the nature of the images themselves.

 

"Work is ongoing, we've not given up on that but the probability I would have to say is very low that we will identify any of these children."

[synaesthesia]

Very true, and very sick. I sincerely hope these people get locked away for a long time.

 

I still get asked to provide ID as well as my CRB number at a couple of sites I deal with (in the nurseries) and whilst it might prove a slight inconvenience I'm happy to continue to do so in the knowledge that it could potentially keep people like that away.

[plexer]

Thats just it doesnt make any difference. Have to do something though.

[teejay]

That's the problem, from what I understand they had CRB checks so it shows how useless they are.

Really don't know the answer to this one as the gov't is already so intrusive that I don't think any more surveillance would be tolerated or justified.

Probably best answer is really strict sentencing for crimes like this, preferably life sentences and by that I mean full life sentences, not ones where they are out in 10-15 years.

[ButterflyMoon]

Just goes to show a CRB check is like an MOT it is only valid for the day it was done........nuff said