Ever met someone you later learned had done something really bad? **Content warning: thread contains mentions of child abuse**

[user2848502016]

Just asking because a few months ago someone I worked with suddenly stopped coming to work... then we found out he had been found guilty of possessing child porn 😬
He hadn't been working with us for long so didn't know him that well but he just seemed like a nice, slightly boring middle aged man! I know you can't ever tell by looking at someone but it just made me think anyone I know could be doing anything behind closed doors.....

Thread titled edited by MNHQ to add a content warning

The decades that passed with no sign of mental instability, or any sign of murdering anyone are also relevant.

Once someone has fully served their sentence they regain their status as a typical citizen, including the right to presumption of innocence. We don't punish people for crimes beyond their sentence, so if he's not considered to be any more of a risk to anyone that any other random member of the public, there is absolutely no justifiable reason for denying him employment purely because he has a historical conviction.

I'm not sure you can make any claims about mental state without knowing the particulars in any case.

Yes, but lecturing in a university is not necessarily working with "vulnerable" people. It's also possible to ensure that he's never in a position whereby he is alone with, or in the company of students who might be considered vulnerable.

A lot of lecturing positions are nothing like full time. It's possible he's only ever going to be in the building for an hour at a time, possibly even with weeks or months between visits.

Sorry, I might not have been clear. He wasn’t employed he was one of the patients. As I was “technical staff” I wasn’t allowed any information about the patients in the groups I taught. As a safeguarding strategy it was hopeless as it protected nobody. The guy who taught woodwork had been letting someone with about 5% sight use power tools. Another member of staff was grabbed by a patient in a lift. Only then was she told to put him into the lift, press the button and jump out before the doors shut, then leg it to the next floor to meet the lift.
You couldn't make up the things that went on. But this was late 80s — no whistleblowing policy, none of the procedures we expect to be in place today.

I have no explanation for the five I knew personally, but all of the others I’ve met through my job as a social worker, unfortunately. I’m afraid to say that these people are far more common than most people realise 🙁 one of the teachers in particular was an absolute shocker as he was one of those teachers everyone loves and before his arrest the kids called him a “legend”. With some people it’s just impossible to tell what they really are.

I was engaged to a man who lived in another country. He cancelled a visit as he "had to go to court for a parking fine". It seemed a bit far fetched so I googled it and he was actually on trial for causing death by dangerous driving of a 17 year old girl. I spoke to him about it and he was very rude and un remorseful (think women driver jokes) so I terminated our relationship. Shame he didn't get a custodial sentence.

A dad of a child I used to teach (whose mum worked in the school!) had been in prison some years before for killing someone on the road while he was drunk. He didn't learn his lesson, because he was caught again, drunk, while driving while awaiting his court date.
I never liked the man before knowing this. Liked him even less after learning what he did.

Scout leader, well regarded, gave up a lot of his spare time helping with various groups, camping trips, disabled boys etc. Always funny, helped with fundraising, had been in our house, offered lifts for boys, on their own,when parents working to jamboree etc. Took the scouts boy to France with his scout leader pals. Had no reason to think of anything bad. He went mad when my son knocked over his laptop. He was part of a ring of local men , edited faces of kids onto photos wierd shit. We all trusted him and we were devastated at how we had trusted him. The police spoke to all parents at the church. Apparently none of our kids were involved ( though I still have doubt )but police said that would have been the next step. Shocking how easily we were all groomed by him. I wouldn't trust anyone with my kids now. He got 7 years. I'd scratch his eyes out if I saw him. We even bought him Xmas presents with a card saying thanks for all you do. I felt a failure as a mum.

Are you the lecturer's mum or something 😂

Ah, I see, I missed the "adult teacher" bit sorry

My husband has a friend who stabbed someone when he was a teen. I was quite shocked as he seems lovely but I suppose a teenage fight when both are drunk is kind of forgivable (as in, doesn't mean he's fundamentally a bad person).

More shocking was a neighbour, he was elderly and perfectly pleasant. Another neighbour showed me an article and he had been convicted of possession of child porn and kidnapping an 11 year old and repeatedly raping her over the course of about two weeks. This happened in the 90s but tbh i don't believe he should be out (and I'm usually all for rehabilitation, but this guy has a cute dog and likes to chat and I don't trust his motives). A few months ago I was coming into our housing block and saw a girl of about 10 or so walking his dog. I called the police and he hasn't appeared since. So hopefully he's back in prison. There are certain crimes that I'm not sure you can be rehabilitated from.

Heh, no, I just work somewhere where we carry out enhanced DBS on all prospective employees because we provide a service to vulnerable people, so I've had to make decisions about whether someone with a historical conviction can work with us or not, so I can see why the university assessed this man for risk and concluded he's appropriate for the role even though his conviction will have been disclosed.

Good for you.

Yep, a club I worked at shut down because the lovely barman had vast amounts of cp on his computer that a colleague found when repairing it for him, we were all shocked.

Another man who I used to talk to at that club who was a nice, unassuming and very quiet old biker dude someone found him on the local newspaper website, he'd previously been in trouble for cp as well.

My own grandfather, a lovely, quiet and sweet elderly man, was in prison for attempted murder. When people found out at my school they were really shocked, he was a tiny old man built like a bird.

Personally I don't think a man who lured and murdered the father of an underage girl he was having sex with; should ever have been released, for any of this to need to be debated.

But that is our joke of a justice system.

Only thing anyone gets an actual sentence for are crimes involving money; the only thing that matters apparently.

I remember almost falling over when Harvey Weinstein was sentenced, can you imagine what he'd get here.

Yes older guy tried raping me at 15 he was stopped just in time by one of his 15 year lovers turns out he had 5 on the go, his wife and his 2 children were being raped from an early age disgusting he also tried to kill his wife. On the outside seemed a charming man turns out he was a serial rapist so grateful he was stopped getting into me. Image never goes away.

I really don’t understand why people don’t believe this.

It isn’t a secret either. It’s all on google. I’m not breaking any guidelines etc by posting this. University of Nottingham, Criminology.

https://prisonerseducation.org.uk/story/i-went-to-uni-after-a-life-sentence/

www.nottingham.ac.uk/sociology/people/jason.warr

Our maths teacher got done for possession of fire arms and large arsenal of ammunition and other stuff such as hand Granades . He was one of the few teachers even the hard rowdy pupils feared.

These men betray trust. You were one person of many. You do not need to feel ashamed. I guess this thread makes us all more aware of trusting people we don't really know (and in some cases people we think we should know like family members - sadly all too common).

Paedophiles can’t be rehabilitated any more than I can be rehabilitated for being heterosexual.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001jfsn/parole

Got me guessing what decision I would make if I was a parole board member.

Some cases are hard to decide, others less so. That is one tricky job. Interesting when they had the psychologists on board as well.

If you had met any of these people on the street or in a pub would you have guessed at their past?

Would you agree with the parole board decision?

Do some deserve a fresh start, a second chance?

Families of victims have a voice in this programme.

No sex offenders but some brutal violence/killings and fraud etc

I have been fascinated watching this.

Sad how many of the criminals came from very dysfunctional homes or had been in care, some had witnessed violence/serious drug taking themselves from a young age - sometimes their first memories ('my mum chose men and heroin over me'). Some seemed to have the odds stacked against them, and some work hard to overcome what they have been.

Interesting that there are therapeutic wings in some prisons to try to rehabilitate offenders with very complex histories.

Yes I was going to suggest this. So interesting.

That sounds horrendous and for some reason makes me think of Fred West and his retinue of women and girls he was getting pregnant . Thank God he didn’t manage to rape you. I hope he ended up behind bars.

"Child Pornography" is how it is defined under US Law, I believe - hence the continued use of the phrase.

What p word specifically?

I watched one of those programs @Pigeonqueen ( not the one you refer to). I think it’s a good series. Not sure I can stomach a child pornography episode though.