Man lands job at popular Merlin attraction while facing allegations of paedophilia

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb, who has a toddler son, suggested he will now push for the law to be changed.

Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.

A leading attraction in Blackpool is under the spotlight after employing a person who was being investigated in relation to paedophilia allegations.

The man, who has now been sacked since he has been convicted of the allegations, was able to land the job and work around children for months despite the legal process.

It means that there are calls for the law to be changed to strengthen the safeguarding when someone is going to be working around children.

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Man lands job at popular Merlin attraction while facing allegations of paedophilia

Blackpool. Credit: Brian Deegan

By Michael Holmes

A man was able to land a job working with children at a popular Merlin attraction in Blackpool while facing allegations of paedophilia, it can be revealed.

He is not suspected of attacking any youngsters at the venue, which cannot be named for legal reasons, but his conviction for a historic child sex crime has sparked major concern about vetting processes at the family friendly business - and others like it.

The tourist hotspot, visited by tens of thousands of youngsters and their families every year, said the employee, who worked there for months while the legal process against him was ongoing, was sacked immediately after being found guilty.

A venue spokesperson told The Blackpool Lead: “A former employee was convicted of a serious offence which took place a number of years ago, prior to - and wholly unconnected to - his time working with us.

“We can confirm that at no time during their employment was this individual left alone, or unsupervised, with guests.

“His employment was terminated immediately following the conviction.

“The safety and wellbeing of children, families and colleagues remains our greatest priority.”

The attraction did not answer, when asked, if it carried out a background check - officially known as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check - when recruiting the man.

Because his job did not see him left alone with children, the business was not legally required to conduct such a check.

But resort MP Chris Webb, who has a toddler son, suggested he will now push for the law to be changed.

While the most basic DBS check, which costs £21.50, would have only revealed any existing unspent convictions and cautions, an enhanced check, which costs £49.50, is more thorough and could have flagged the ongoing legal case against the worker and prevented him from getting a job involving close contact with children.

Only those working in schools, hospitals or other organisations currently face the toughest check, which can include the release of police intelligence and active court cases.

Webb said: “It’s shocking that a child sex offender was able to work around children at one of Blackpool’s tourist attractions.

“Whether or not they were ever left alone with children is beside the point - parents quite rightly expect robust safeguarding wherever children are present.

“Safeguarding children should not depend on voluntary good practice; it should be a legal requirement.

“I will be raising this directly with Blackpool Council, the Government and urging all independent businesses in Blackpool to introduce DBS checks for staff working in child-facing environments.

“Children’s safety must always come first.”