⚠️📝 Jailed Leeds Nursery Worker Faked References to Get Another Childcare Job

As a dad, you trust that the people caring for your little ones have been properly checked. This case is a reminder that checks only work when someone actually follows them up. Here’s what happened.

A former Leeds nursery worker, already in prison for indecent images of children, has been given two more years for faking references to land another childcare job.

He sent the bogus references from made-up email addresses after his arrest. Police say none of the images showed children in nursery settings.

A sensible step: ring referees yourself, on numbers you’ve found independently. A DBS check on its own won’t catch everything.

Checks can look watertight on paper. Sometimes it takes a phone call to spot what they miss.

❓ If you run a nursery, club or school, how do you check references?

Let’s all have a discussion about this in the comments 💬

#SaferRecruitment #Safeguarding #EarlyYears #PCMConvicted

Sources:
BBC News, 23 Oct 2026: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6ly0djyv7j5o
West Yorkshire Police: https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news-appeals/man-jailed-possessing-indecent-images-children-sentenced-fraud