Sat 15 Jul 2006
The Scotsman
MICHAEL HOWIE
A JUDGE yesterday ordered an inquiry into how a convicted paedophile was
able to sexually abuse a 10-year-old child despite social workers being
tasked to supervise him.
Lord Hardie demanded answers to a series of questions about the handling
of the case of James Steele, 28, who carried out an indecent act against the
child nine months after he was released from an eight-year jail sentence for
sexual offences against two boys. The
High Court in Glasgow heard that Steele befriended the boy and his
family under the noses of social workers delegated to monitor him while he
was out on licence.
The case last night sparked fresh concern about the supervision of sex
offenders in the community, following a number of high-profile cases in
recent years including the murder of the Glasgow schoolboy Mark Cummings by
the known paedophile Stuart Leggate, the killing of Fife teenager Karen
Dewar by Colyn Evans, a serial offender whom social workers and police
failed to monitor adequately, and the abduction and attempted rape in
Coatbridge of a two-year-old girl by James Campbell, who had been freed
early from jail for another sexual offence.
In the Campbell case, North Lanarkshire Council was criticised by
inspectors for failing to make him a priority and not appointing a social
worker to him when he was released.
The same social work department was made aware of Steele, although
primary responsibility for supervision fell on social workers in
neighbouring South Lanarkshire.
Both councils were criticised in a recent inspection report for failing
to ensure proper supervision of serious offenders in the community.
Yesterday, after hearing details of the case, Lord Hardie
said he wanted to know the conditions of Steele's licence, the extent of
the supervision order empowering social workers to monitor him, the
frequency of contact between him and social workers, and for how long he had
been friendly with the victim's family.
Lord Hardie added: "It would also be valuable to know for how long social
workers had been aware of his contact with a child."
The father knew Steele, who lived in Cambuslang, had served an eight-year
sentence, but the paedophile concealed the fact it had been for child-sex
offences and told him he had been jailed for a stabbing.
Eventually when social workers found out, they turned up at the child's
home in Motherwell to warn the father not to allow any contact between
Steele and his son. But their warning came too late, because Steele had
committed the offence in a wood near Coatbridge a few days earlier.
He had befriended the father of the boy while attending an HGV course two
months after his release from prison.
In April, Steele was given permission by the boy's father to take him out
on his delivery round in the Motherwell, Bellshill and Coatbridge areas. He
drove the boy to a wood where he committed the offence.
A Social Work Inspection Agency report, published in April, found that in
just over one in ten cases in North and South Lanarkshire, levels of
supervision were "poor". The content of supervision was also said to be
"poor" in one in five cases. The report called for more thorough and
consistent risk assessments of offenders.
Stewart Stevenson, the SNP's deputy justice spokesman, said: "It's clear
that supervision has not been adequate in this case although we don't yet
understand the reasons for that."
A spokeswoman for South Lanarkshire Council insisted "appropriate action"
had been taken in the Steele case.
Mary Fegan, head of social work in North Lanarkshire, said: "Where we
have any concerns about the protection of a child, we would work with other
relevant agencies and take the appropriate action to protect that child."
