Murderer worked in schools after being barred

A convicted murderer spent astir 2 years moving with children aft helium was barred from doing so, the BBC has learned.

Rashid Zaman, 44, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, served 15 years successful situation for sidesplitting a antheral who tried to halt him and 2 others stealing a car successful Halifax successful 2001.

After his release, helium began volunteering with the nationalist charity, St Giles Trust, successful 2021, and aboriginal became a paid worker who visited schools and young people's homes.

The foundation said Zaman, who has not responded to the BBC's attempts to interaction him, did not archer them helium had been barred from moving with children and that helium was dismissed arsenic soon arsenic elder absorption recovered out.

The BBC has seen some of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificates that St Giles asked Zaman to provide. The first, from 2021, did not accidental helium was barred from moving with children. But the astir caller one, issued successful March 2023, did accidental helium was barred.

St Giles said its elder absorption was not alert of the result of the astir caller DBS cheque until December 2024, which meant Zaman continued successful his relation - and had interaction with 28 children - aft being barred.

The foundation said it "deeply regret[s] the oversight".

Zaman and 2 different men from Bradford were convicted of stabbing father-of-two Kevin Jackson successful the caput with a screwdriver, and beating him with a portion of wood adjacent his location aft helium tried to halt the radical from stealing his father-in-law's car.

At the clip the justice called the execution "a cowardly and horrific act".

Zaman was fixed a beingness condemnation and was released from situation successful 2017.

Four years aboriginal helium started enactment astatine St Giles, which is 1 of astir 1,500 registered charities successful England and Wales moving with ex-offenders crossed the state to assistance rebuild their lives.

An enhanced DBS cheque would amusement up immoderate erstwhile convictions and whether oregon not idiosyncratic has been barred from moving with children.

It is seen arsenic a captious portion of safeguarding for organisations, and is required erstwhile anyone applies for a occupation with entree to susceptible radical specified arsenic successful teaching, societal enactment and wellness services.

A erstwhile unit member, who wants to stay anonymous, told the BBC that St Giles's safeguarding successful this lawsuit was "appalling", adding: "Clearly thing is going wrong."

They said Zaman went into "about three" schools, sometimes alone, arsenic portion of the charity's SOS task successful Yorkshire.

The aboriginal involution programme prevents young radical falling into transgression activity, and is delivered by ex-offenders arsenic portion of their reintegration backmost into society.

The root said Zaman "was doing outreach work, supporting young radical successful schoolhouse and would liaise with families and transportation retired location visits".

The root called for the foundation to enactment stricter measures successful place.

"I consciousness truly upset and annoyed due to the fact that they are not conscionable putting the young radical astatine risk, they are putting unit astatine hazard too," the ex-employee said.

The DBS did not archer the BBC wherefore helium was allowed to enactment with children successful 2021 and past barred successful 2023, arsenic it does not remark connected idiosyncratic cases.

It said superior offences committed aft 2006 whitethorn pb to idiosyncratic being automatically barred from moving with children, but that offences committed earlier that clip would pb to a discretionary barring investigation.

Not each murderers are needfully barred from moving with children – immoderate volition beryllium capable to entreaty and transportation the DBS that they should not beryllium connected the barred list.

But it is an offence for idiosyncratic connected a barred database to undertake "regulated activity" with a radical from which they are barred. They whitethorn look a good oregon a jailhouse condemnation of up to 5 years.

People connected barred lists tin inactive bash up to 3 days of teaching oregon grooming with children successful immoderate 30-day period, successful definite circumstances. It is not wide whether Zaman exceeded these limits.

West Yorkshire Police said it had launched a transgression investigation. The BBC understands Zaman was precocious arrested.

DBS checks are issued straight to individuals, not the organisation requesting them, but a DBS spokesperson said it was the work of employers to reappraisal employees' certificates.

St Giles refused to reply erstwhile the BBC asked which schools Zaman had visited, however often, and whether parents had been informed.

A spokesperson said Zaman did not archer the foundation astir being barred, which meant helium continued to enactment with children.

"This should ne'er person happened," they added.

"As soon arsenic we became aware, we launched an interior probe and re-checked each Yorkshire unit moving with children, with nary further concerns found. We person since strengthened our interior processes to guarantee this cannot hap again and profoundly regret the oversight."

The spokesperson said the foundation had an "unwavering committedness to safeguarding" and had "immediately" reported itself to some the Local Authority Designated Officer and to the Charity Commission.

They said aft the incident, it reviewed the DBS checks of each of its employees moving with children successful Yorkshire and "no further issues" were identified.

They added: "Every idiosyncratic we employment undergoes rigorous hazard assessments and transgression inheritance checks, and each 1 is profoundly committed to utilizing their ain experiences to assistance others.

"Evidence shows that lived-experience programmes similar ours trim offending by 21%, portion besides providing meaningful employment that allows radical to springiness backmost to their communities."

The nationalist charity's income accrued from £18.4m successful 2022-23 to £21m successful 2023-24 – with millions of pounds of backing coming from authorities grants and contracts.

It has received astir £400,000 from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority since 2020, for section projects.

Alison Lowe, the region's lawman politician for policing and crime, said she would not remark specifically connected St Giles. But she said suspending backing was 1 measurement the assembly mightiness instrumentality against an organisation being investigated for an alleged DBS breach.

She said safeguarding was "the fig 1 astir important issue" for immoderate nationalist authority.

Asked if it was an individual's work to pass an leader if their DBS said they were barred, she said: "I deliberation it's perfectly captious that the leader gets a transcript of that papers truthful that unneurotic they tin marque the close determination and support our communities safe, and peculiarly support our children and young radical safe."

The Charity Commission said it was investigating aft St Giles reported a superior incident.

A spokesperson said it had opened a regulatory compliance lawsuit and it was "assessing the accusation to find our adjacent steps".

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire connected BBC Sounds, drawback up with the latest episode of Look North oregon archer america a communicative you deliberation we should beryllium covering here.