Schools need 'stricter checks on staff' after Walsall teaching assistant jailed
Daniel Clarke was jailed for abusing young people in a Birmingham school
A disability awareness campaigner from the West Midlands told us he wants stricter checks on people working in schools, after a Walsall teaching assistant was jailed.
Daniel Clarke was jailed for 7 years and 6 months last month (May) for abusing six vulnerable young people.
"The fact that he broke that trust is not right"
Alfie Ford lives with a number of conditions, including autism and dyspraxia. He told us he went to one of the schools that Daniel Clarke worked at:
"Daniel would have been so important to the students because they would have relied on his help in their education.
"The fact that he broke that trust is not right," he said.
"It is just scary"
Alfie said he wants stricter checks on people working in schools, following the sentencing of Daniel Clarke:
"The fact is that someone with an enhanced DBS check was able to get away with that for more than a decade.
"It is just scary," he said.
"This needs to stop"
Alfie is a disability awareness campaigner. He told us he gave a speech at one of the affected schools months ago.
He had no idea at the time what had happened behind closed doors.
"This needs to stop, we need more awareness because it is not fair on so many young people," he said.