SHOCK AS CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER EMPLOYED AS COUNCIL WARDEN IN REDBRIDGE
REVELATIONS that a convicted sex offender was employed as a warden in a tower block where dozens of youngsters live have sparked calls for an urgent review of the police checks system for council staff.MP Alan Whitehead stated that the case of Francis John Cleverley, who was sentenced to three years' probation after admitting four indecent assaults on a teenage boy, must never happen again.
The offences were committed last year in Cleverley's warden flat in Sturminster House, Redbridge.
It was revealed at his trial in Southampton Crown Court that Cleverley has a history of similar offences, all committed between 1971 and 1981.
The council's original job application form, submitted in 1990, asked him to declare previous convictions, but he failed to list any.
Mr Whitehead indicated that the council could not be blamed for hiring Cleverley, but the case highlighted a loophole in the system.
Currently, wardens in tower blocks are not listed under Home Office rules as requiring police checks, unlike jobs in social services and education.
A Home Office spokesman mentioned that upcoming legislation would enable employers to request criminal record checks.
The council suspended Cleverley after his previous convictions surfaced last autumn, during an internal review when his recent crime was revealed.
He admitted to abusing a boy, now aged 15, who visited his flat in Irving Road and whom he consented to sexual acts with.
Cleverley's case has caused the council to conduct further checks on employees.
After the court hearing, Cleverley, aged 52, claimed he was not asked about his past convictions and expressed regret, saying, 'I know it is my fault but I wouldn't have gone for the job if they'd asked me about it.' The judge warned him that his sentence was a 'last chance' and reminded him to keep his hands off boys aged 14 and 15.
A council source mentioned they are now double checking employee records to prevent similar cases.
Cleverley remains suspended pending a disciplinary hearing.
