BA faces lawsuit over pilot's behaviour

[Yellow Pen]

Uk law will NOT allow anybody work with kids in UK unless they have CRB checks done.

Any kids in the flight deck? Wood was CRC checked to the required level for his job. It's not BA's responsibility to police his social activities.

Fact is BA knew a member of its staff who was arrested and charged previously in relation to a child abuse allegation was present with other members of staff on a reported event.

He wasn't charged. He wasn't proven guilty. He wasn't convicted. Despite your self-righteousness you can't start sanctioning people who haven't commited any offence, nor could BA prevent him doing whatever the hell he liked at an African orphanage in his own time.

BA has its own media watch team that would have had details of who was involved in 2002. BA did not disassociate itself with 2002 activity it appears.

Where does it say BA associated itself with the 2002 activity? BA crewmembers volunteered but you appear to be of the view that the simple act of a large number of employees volunteering their time is somehow equivalent to corporate association. Even if BA was associated, why would anyone in the media team know of, or need to know, of Woods history? There's a certain thing called Data Protection and CRB checks are not passed willy-nilly around the company just out of idle curiousity. Nor could BA require an enhanced check of Woods, he could just refuse. It's not needed for his job and it wouldn't stop him going to Africa.

BA staff who volunteer to help in UK for school activities (and there are many thousands of BA staff doing this ) have to obtain CRB checks in advance but somehow requiring members of its staff to have the checks done when they volunteering overseas would stop the volunteering ? Doubt it very much.

Yes but BA doesn't require them to obtain CRB checks. The organisations they volunteer with require those checks. You can't require a UK employer to police the off-duty overseas voluntary work of it's employees.

Frankly the BA staff I have spoken to in the last week would welcome checks because it is their names that is getting tarnished and they want scumbags like this weeded out.

They are very welcome to get all the checks they need, but the reality is that if someone wants to volunteer overseas in their own time overseas there's nothing their employer can do about it. I'll bet there are plenty of institutions in Africa that have never seen anyone from BA apart from Wood and are probbly entirely unknown to BA. Are BA to blame for any abuse there?

[Weary]

Not that it really matters, but -

What's to stop him leaving the crew hotel in his F/O garb and then later donning four-bar epaulettes as he approaches his destination? Presumably it would be too hot to be wearing a jacket.

[Basil]

Oops, perhaps that isn't quite PC

[BIGBAD]

Former Mayor of London, BBC broadcaster and BA pilot offer career advice to schoolchildren in Kilburn - News - Kilburn Times

Here is a picture of him in a captains uniform, but obviously not in a current BA one.

[wiggy]

racedo

Firstly I need to make clear that as a parent myself what this guy is alleged to have done absolutely horrifies me...but I don't have any answers other than I think a knee jerk, "formally check everybody" solution is not the way to go and in any event probably wouldn't provide much in the way of increased protection you're asking for.

Frankly the BA staff I have spoken to in the last week would welcome checks because it is their names that is getting tarnished and they want scumbags like this weeded out.

I'd certainly agree with the weeding out....but whilst getting an enhanced UK check might be of help in the UK I'm not sure what use or how recognisable such a certificate is going to be in many parts of the world. Frankly if people like this are prepared to embellish their identity or status (or not, with due deference to s. t.) I don't think they'd think twice about forging paperwork if it got them the access they wanted - do you really think an overworked nun in an orphanage in Nairobi, Dar or elsewhere in East Africa is going to ring (you can forget the internet) an office in London every time some British helpers arrive to check their clearance paperwork is genuine?

but somehow requiring members of its staff to have the checks done when they volunteering overseas would stop the volunteering ? Doubt it very much.

I don't doubt it, it would certainly reduce the efforts of the many who volunteer on an ad hoc basis: Last time I was involved it was "yes, since I'm here in XXX for the first time in 3 years and have got the PM off, I'll go along help out with a bit of painting/kick a football around with the kids for an hour" - I haven't been back to that particular place for a couple of years and I really can't see many folks, self included, spending time renewing CRB checks on a routine basis on the off chance it might be needed - we have enough to do keeping the "normal" CRC's, US Visa and the likes valid...

[sharksandwich]

With regard to CRB checks (the name has changed slightly to DBS), here are some facts: there is no central database, so they are of no value for ad hoc checks. Each organisation that requires a CRB check has to obtain its own, it cannot rely on any other organisation sharing information. There is no set time limit, but three years is recommended before renewal is required. A basic CRB is limited to past convictions, not charges, and certainly not "suspicions". And of course it cannot take account of anything that occurs post CRB clearance.
CRBs were brought in following the school caretaker murders (Holly and Jessica, two girls who were murdered by a school employee who had past convictions for paedophilia), to pander to public opinion and help local authorities defend themselves against being sued for negligence in staff vetting.
The only people to have benefited from the introduction of CRB checks, are the organisations providing CRB checks- and they are doing very well.
I recently applied for several part-time jobs involving possible contact with vulnerable people or children. Each application had to be accompanied by a cheque for £100 to cover the CRB.So CRB were receiving multiple applications for the same person, possibly on the same day, each had to be processed separately and could not be shared, and were valueless the day they were produced as they did not take account of any offences I could have been convicted of following that day.
So to introduce CRBs would be to introduce expensive, worthless red-tape.

[ByAirMail]

He should have become a Priest, it would have given him immunity and Vatican support..

[Stuart Hughes]

When at Kilburn, Simon was dressed in his Cabair Helicopters (previously based at Elstree) uniform!

[Basil]

A few points to remember about disclosure checks:
You can't get one for foreigners.
They CAN ask for a certificate from their own country

[Commuting Pilot]

I, too, knew Simon from working with him at BAF in Southend in the early 1990s. We flew the Viscount together and I had many flights with him, as well as more than a few night stops.

I was shocked to see his face in the news in association with the alleged crimes and cannot understand how the kind, quiet, intelligent man I knew could become the same man represented by the press.

My thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy, including Simon's family.

[lord mash]

Crb type checks are almost completely pointless
Unless someone's been caught previously you can abuse away at leisure

Most child abuse is committed by a person known to the child
The problem still is no one believes the child
Or the child is frightened into silence

In any workplace with staff numbers in the high thousands there will be abusers
The statistics bear this out and both male and females abuse children

Was he alone or part of a ring or both?
We may never know
I am just pleased he's no longer on this planet breathing air



Lord Mash

Havoca is a good site for those who experienced abuse as children