Convicted rapist gets job working with children at charity Princess Kate is a royal patron

A convicted rapist was given a job working with children after police allegedly refused to warn his employer he faced a trial over a series of sex crimes. Morgan Prior, 33, successfully applied for a post as a counsellor for youngsters with Place2Be, a mental health charity of which Kate, Princess of Wales, is Royal Patron.

Place2Be insists it was not informed Prior had appeared in court over child sexual assault, rape and sexual assault charges. Prior was jailed this week for more than three years for rape and sexual assault.

He had worked in a school in Arbroath, Angus, until the start of his trial at the High Court in Dundee.

Prior did not inform his employers or Disclosure Scotland, which provides criminal records disclosure services for employers and voluntary groups, about the charges.

Conservative MSP Maurice Golden told MailOnline the case raised "serious questions" about the justice system and child protection.

He told the same publication: "Severe failings have been exposed and it’s time ministers took responsibility for those and set out in detail how they intend to fix them. A case like this cannot be allowed to happen again."

Place2Be said police told it an "active decision" was taken not to inform the charity of the allegations against Prior.

As per standard procedure, a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check was carried out when Prior applied to Place2Be but the charity said no concerns arose from that check and Disclosure Scotland had not raised concerns later.

It said: "We contacted Disclosure Scotland and Police Scotland to understand why Place2Be was not notified about the charges against Prior. Disclosure Scotland said it could only reveal information shared by Police Scotland."

The charity also said in its statement: "We accept the right to a fair trial includes the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, we are concerned by the implications of Police Scotland choosing not to disclose information in this case."

Prior featured in a 2018 BBC Scotland documentary, Love Unlimited, telling programme makers he was in a relationship with two women and led a polyamorous lifestyle.

He was found guilty at the High Court in Dundee of raping a woman and carrying out a serious sex attack on another in 2010.

Prior was cleared of other charges, including an attempted rape in 2011 and an indecent assault on a girl, who was then aged 16, in 2008.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police Scotland has confidence in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, and our application of the necessary tests regarding relevancy, accuracy, necessity, currency, proportionality, and the impact on the human rights of applicants, PVG scheme members and others.

"We have engaged with relevant organisations to address concerns with regards to this case. As a result, we are undertaking a wider review of the current thresholds for disclosure of non-conviction information, working alongside Disclosure Scotland.

"This review will consider any learning from this case, and to ensure our collective and whole system approach to disclosure of such information maintains public confidence and also reflects the most up to date case law in relation to such matters."

A Disclosure Scotland spokesperson said: "The decision about whether to provide Disclosure Scotland with relevant non-conviction information is for Police Scotland to make, and that decision determines what Disclosure Scotland can include on a certificate.

"We are working with Police Scotland to consider how this process can be strengthened, to help bolster a system that already protects millions of children and vulnerable adults right across Scotland."