Ex-Murderer Found Working with Children Sparks Outrage in the UK
In an eyebrow-raising turn of events, Rashid Zaman, a man who served 15 years for the murder of Kevin Jackson in 2002, found himself in the peculiar position of working with children despite being barred from doing so after his release in 2017. Zaman’s case highlights glaring flaws in the U.K.’s vetting process, which allowed him to engage with minors for nearly two years before his past caught up with him.
Zaman was one of three men convicted for the fatal assault on Jackson, who heroically tried to thwart a car theft. Fast forward to 2021, and Zaman began volunteering with St Giles Trust, a charity dedicated to helping ex-offenders reintegrate into society. According to reports from the BBC and The Guardian, St Giles was unaware of Zaman’s restrictions until a partner organization raised the alarm. The charity claimed Zaman had failed to disclose his barred status, which only came to light when they verified his Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificates.
The irony? The DBS issued him a certificate in 2021 that didn’t mention any restrictions, but a subsequent one in March 2023 did. Unfortunately, St Giles management didn’t learn of this crucial detail until December 2024, long after Zaman had already interacted with 28 children during his time with the charity. His role included outreach work and school visits, raising serious concerns about the safety of those he worked with. A former staff member, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed outrage, stating, “They are not just putting the young people at risk; they are putting staff at risk too.”
The charity has since issued a public apology, promising to tighten their internal processes and ensure such oversights don’t happen again. “It is crucial to note that at no time had this individual’s circumstances changed. They had not reoffended, nor had they breached the conditions of their license,” a spokesperson clarified in their defense.
This incident begs the question: how could a system designed to protect the vulnerable fail so dramatically? With statistics showing that lived-experience programs can reduce recidivism by 21%, one can only hope that St Giles and similar organizations will learn from this debacle and prioritize safety over rehabilitation.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, The Guardian, BBC
Image Credit: SITE_NAME
