to believe that this man should not be allowed to live at Student Halls?

[Sep200024]

At Cardiff University, one of the largest Halls of Residence, housing mostly first year students, is called Talybont.

At Talybont this year, a man (Sean Hughes) who has recently been released from prison for strangling a woman, has been given a live-in safeguarding role at the Halls.

His crime was to attack and strangle a young woman, and he is currently out on license after being released from prison in May of this year.

His role at the university is to live in the Halls of Residence as a ‘life assistant’, where his role is to “support vulnerable students and manage crisis situations”.

AIBU to think that this should not be allowed? How on earth have the application and vetting procedures at Cardiff University allowed this to happen?

Newspaper article here

Bloody hell, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. I agree that the role probably isn't a DBS role, however if he has declared his conviction then heads need to roll.

Fucks sake, it's SO rare to get a conviction for strangulation, he serves 4 months then walks into this job?

This is probably very prejudiced of me but I always have an extra ick about convicted criminals studying criminology too.

I hope this man is getting psychiatric therapy for his childhood abuse as there is a clear link between being abused as a child and risk of being violent as an adult. Judges comments indicate he’s not a lost cause:

”You have an awful background, which I will not go into in public. It may well be that the result of your childhood and your background has resulted in you manifesting aspects of your character which up until fairly recently, you have managed successfully to repress."

Judge Jenkins told Hughes it would be in his "long-term best interest" to seek psychiatric help. "I believe your remorse is genuine, and that you are deeply sorry for what you did," added the judge,”

WTF?! Whoever thought this was a good idea should be sacked. I wouldn’t want my daughter staying there at all. It’s just asking for trouble! Disgusting.

This

Absolutely disgusting.

How did he even pass an enhanced DBS to get this position.

This with bells on^
I'm all for rehabilitation of offenders but their are jobs you cannot do if you have been convicted of violent crimes as you will not pass enhanced DBS check!

Whoever OKd this needs to be sacked.

I am generally very much on the side of second chances and rehabilitation but this is madness and isn’t going to help anyone.

Nope. It is a university not a primary school, DBS checks are only required for a small number of positions.

Unspent convictions are checked if declared. in the application form. Universities do not have crystal balls.

It would be interesting to see what Cardiff statement was, does anybody have a link?

It's actually the very opposite of safeguarding, isn't it: deliberately putting people in the firing line of somebody known/highly likely to be violent and abusive. Isn't that effectively similar to what pimps do?

These people would have been statistically much less unsafe if the uni had done nothing at all.

Strangulation is so intimate and specific that it should be taken far more seriously as death can result so so easily.

I was strangled by an ex to the point of unconsciousness. I left as soon as I was able to drive.

Now I'm older I wish I had reported him to the police. He actually gouged a piece of flesh out of my neck with his nails.

Doh, missed the link in the first post 🤦🏻‍♀️

I don’t see how this can happen.
my partner was jailed for a non violent crime and has struggled to get any kind of job while on license.

Good grief. I believe in ex-offenders rebuilding their lives upon release, but in an appropriate role. I just don't understand how anyone thought this was an appropriate role.

On the DBS it’s not a case of passing or failing the named coordinator for the organisation will get the information and then decide if what is shown is an issue for the role.

His role at the university is to live in the Halls of Residence as a ‘life assistant’, where his role is to “support vulnerable students and manage crisis situations”.

I know the students are over 18 but this residential job role should require enhanced DBS! Cardiff university HR have majorly slipped up here!

The bit that really worries me here is that apparently he made a full disclosure and those responsible for recruitment at Cardiff Uni thought it would be OK.....

They're now "investigating" so hopefully the outcome will be made public. It's incredibly concerning that someone can be put in a role responsible for safeguarding vulnerable students when they're fresh out of prison from a conviction for assaulting a woman.

Cardiff Uni need to seriously rethink their virtue signalling and their standards.

Police officer friend says to get 9months for a first offence means he was proper bad.
doong an MSC in criminology means he thinks he was unjustly punished.
Go back to uni, fine.
In charge of vulnerable students and giving advise? Fuck no

Extra knowledge means extra power. In order to play the system you have to know how the system works

Yes. He disclosed his conviction so he’s been 100% honest and this situation isn’t really his fault imho.

Are you really arguing semantics on a thread like this?

FYI

Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain MAY being the key word, fatal strangulation leads to death and literally no one who has read that article or has posted here thinks he killed a woman.

FFS.

I would be worried sick if my dd was there and would not allow dd to apply if she was in year 12. Absolutely awful. I wonder if they knew before his appointment?

I thought it was a good clarification. The OP’s first post made no mention of whether the woman was seriously injured by strangulation and you can’t tell by prison term by the OP didn’t mention how long he was in prison for either. You have read the article to see it was ABH.

It’s not arguing semantics to add facts to the discussion.

I think if you are genuinely remorseful for what you have done, you do not go and apply for a safe guarding role at a Uni.

Yes the University has made a terrible mistake and will no doubt offer a "heartfelt (meaningless) apology"

Hughes should never have applied for the job.

What in the fucking fuck?