Lancashire school hired teacher 'arrested for possessing indecent images of children'
A paedophile teacher was able to work at a school in Lancashire for months while under investigation for making and possessing indecent images of children.
The Hollins secondary school in Accrington was “deeply shocked” to learn 26-year-old Liam Taylor had been charged with the crimes while working at his previous school on the Isle of Man last year.
.jpeg?trim=0,2,0,0&crop=&width=640&quality=65)
The school says it is investigating why nothing was flagged during Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, when Taylor was appointed to the job last summer. He then left the school at the end of the autumn term due to “health reasons”.
Taylor, 26, of Hindle Street, Darwen, pleaded guilty last month to two counts of making indecent images of a child, two counts of making prohibited images of a child, and two counts of possessing images of a child.
The hearing took place at the Court of General Gaol Delivery, Isle of Man, where Taylor will return for sentencing on March 20.
The court heard Taylor was working as a teacher on the Isle of Man where he abused his position of trust to obtain a number of non-indecent images of students. He then edited the pictures using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to make them indecent.
Police on the Isle of Man confirmed Taylor did not commit any contact offences against any of his pupils.
The Hollins school in Accrington said it was horrified to learn about about Taylor’s crimes, but said there was no suggestion that the disgraced teacher did anything inappropriate during his spell at the school.
How did he get the job?
The school said it received positive references from a previous employer and safeguarding checks “came back clear”.
It said there are “clearly some questions that need to be explored and answered”, and it is working closely with Lancashire County Council’s designated officer for safeguarding to find out why nothing was highlighted in the recruitment process or during the criminal investigation.
A spokesperson for The Hollins said: “We recently became aware that someone who worked at our school for the autumn term pleaded guilty to offences of making and possessing inappropriate images of children at the end of January.
“The offending took place when he lived in the Isle of Man prior to joining us.
“Given the positive references we had from this individual’s previous employer, plus the fact that an enhanced safeguarding check came back clear, we were deeply shocked to hear this news.
“It is also important to stress that there is no suggestion that this individual did anything inappropriate during his time with us, and he left after just a few months for health reasons.
“There are, however, clearly some questions that need to be explored and answered. We are working closely with the local authority designated officer for safeguarding, who is in turn in contact with colleagues in the Isle of Man, to find out why nothing was flagged either as part of the recruitment process or during the criminal investigation.
“I also want to assure you that our recruitment processes are robust, and an initial review of this case has shown that we followed all our safer recruitment policies. We will continue to raise our concerns to the highest possible level.”
Lancashire County Council said its “safeguarding teams are currently supporting the school”.
Who’s at fault?
A DBS spokesperson said: "While DBS supports safer recruitment practices, it is ultimately the responsibility of an employer to request a DBS check.
“For organisations to demonstrate best practice, it is advisable that employers should obtain receipt of the most recent certificate applied for before employment in regulated activity commences to ensure only suitable employment decisions are made.
“DBS has a long-standing and ongoing commitment to make employers in regulated activity aware of their responsibilities and best practices - which include applying for checks as part of the recruitment process prior to employment.
“We are working closely with organisations in the education sector to support their understanding of DBS processes to ensure that safeguarding remains a priority in recruitment processes.”
“We are unable to comment on individuals in line with legislation and policy.”