Art teacher David Mason was amazingly granted custody of a child despite having served a three-year jail sentence for abusing a boy scout.
He gave authorities in the UK the slip by pretending to have suffered memory loss so he could get a new name and national insurance (social security) number. Can you believe it?The astonishing story was only uncovered in 2009, when police investigating him over fresh child abuse allegations, ran a fingerprint check and discovered his real identity and the earlier conviction, which dates back to 1982.
Mason was convicted a second time, after confessing to 24 counts of abuse against children between the age of 5 and 14, and handed an indefinite prison sentence in December 2009.
The horrifying case was initially kept secret by authorities, until a UK High Court judge released details to the press, to highlight failure of security measures.
Bosses at Kent County Council have admitted the proper checks were not carried out and vowed to overhaul the way they screen potential foster parents.
What a terrifying tale HollyMoms. Do you think enough is done to protect our children from predators like David Mason?
– Ian Garland
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Jesse James
Posted at 4:54 PM on May 6, 2011
Why didnt they check his fingerprints intially when he said he had amnesia. Failure in government.