An evening paper is campaigning for a change in the law after the rape of a woman by a care worker employed without the proper checks being made on his work history.

The family of the vulnerable woman, who was 25 but had a mental age of a toddler, claim proper checks would have stopped the 33-year-old Malawi man from raping their daughter and making her pregnant. She had an abortion.

The Nottingham Evening Post wants mandatory police checks on everyone working with vulnerable adults in care homes, in the same way that people working with children go through routine police checks.

The law requires only that references and employment histories are checked when someone applies to work with vulnerable adults.

Checks on the rapist would have revealed he was living in Britain illegally and was using someone else's National Insurance number.

City MP Graham Allen has pledged his support for the Post campaign and is in contact with the family and their solicitor about how he can help and is preparing a case to put before Home Secretary David Blunkett

He said: "I want to try to get the law changed and am backing the Post's campaign."

Another local MP, Vernon Coaker, supports the campaign and added: "This is something that needs to be changed quickly. I will support the campaign and push for changes in the law. How many other agency workers are there out there who have not been vetted?"

Back to the campaigns index

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail pastill@nepmidlands.co.uk