Page 8 - ELG2107 Jul Issue 476

NEWS .

What’s in a name?

The arrest of a convicted British paedophile at a Spanish international

school highlights a lurking danger

ritish law allows citizens au pair. He went
the right to change their on to teach at a
name and have the private language
Bnew name used on legal school in Madrid
documents. This law allowed a and Concertado,
convicted British paedophile to a state-subsidised PHOTO BY CARABO SPAIN FROM PIXABAY
escape to Spain, where he is now in private school,
jail awaiting trial for sexual offences and at a private
against 36 Spanish children. language school
In 2016, Ben David Lewis, before taking
the director of a children’s up a position at
summer camp, was convicted of the British-style
‘downloading or taking’ indecent international
images of girls aged under five. He school where he
received a two-year jail sentence, was working when
but it was suspended. He was he was arrested.
placed on the sex offenders Under Spanish
register and banned from working law, all teachers
with children. must submit a
Within four months he had criminal record
officially changed his name to Ben check for sexual
David Rose using the deed poll offending, known as a DBS check
process, which takes 15 minutes in the UK. Having changed his
online. Then, perfectly legally, he name by deed poll, Ben Rose could
applied for and received a passport easily have done so. However, In short
in his new name. according to the Spanish police, he
The problem of paedophiles chose to forge one..
changing their names is not new. A police search of his home A British teacher accused of sexual offences against 36
British child protection specialists, turned up several falsified Spanish children aged between the ages of four and
the Safeguarding Alliance, has documents, including not only a eight, is currently being held in De Soto Prison in Madrid
been campaigning on the issue fake DBS certificate, but also a awaiting trial. Spanish police were alerted by counterparts
for many years. Its 2020 report on forged Postgraduate Certificate in in Australia after they found pornographic photographs of
the deed poll loophole found that Education required by all state- his victims on the dark web.
1,349 sex offenders had alerted qualified UK teachers. The 31-year-old, known in Spain as Ben David Rose, was
police that they had changed their Following Rose’s arrest, the working at a British-style international school in Madrid,
name by this method. A further Safeguarding Alliance urged having also taught in a state-subsidised private school and
913 offenders had gone missing Spanish authorities to require a private language academy, as well as working as an au
after they changed their name British teachers to supply an pair for a family in Zaragoza.
without notifying the police. original birth certificate alongside Acting on a tip-off from his fellow teachers, English
the criminal record check currently language website The Olive Press established that the
Under Spanish required. This is something else that man had previously been convicted for child abuse in the
Rose could perhaps have forged.
UK courts under his birth name, Ben David Lewis, and had
law, all teachers found harder to fake were the been given a two-year suspended sentence and banned
Something he would have
must submit a names and contacts of two people, from travelling abroad. The day after his conviction, Lewis
changed his name by deed poll, a legal procedure which
criminal record one a former employer, so the takes just 15 minutes online in the UK.
school could approach them for
He then successfully applied for a British passport in his
check for sexual references. This is considered best new name before setting off to work in Spain. The Olive
offending practice in UK education. Press was also provided with a British criminal record
In fact, it is not normal practice
check for sex offenders, known as a DBS, and a Certificate
in Spain to write independently of Qualified Teacher Status, both in the new name of Ben
Speaking to The Olive Press, to former employers. Instead David Rose.
the expat newspaper which broke they accept written testimonials Spanish police confirm that a number of forged
the story, Emily Konstantas, CEO provided by the teacher, which documents, including a DBS certificate, were found in
of the Alliance warned, “There are yet another thing that is easy Rose’s house, along with the tools needed to create them.
are currently hundreds, if not to forge. This Spanish ‘loophole’ As the police statement pointed out: “In Spain it is a legal
thousands, of known sex offenders is one authorities should also requirement whenever working with children to present a
slipping under the radar in the UK consider closing. certificate that proves the lack of a criminal record for a
to seek work abroad.” For more information on crime of a sexual nature.”
Early in 2017, Ben Rose flew safeguarding in international
to Spain to take up a job as an schools, turn to page 16.
8 July 2021