Nursery employee worked with children after arrest

A nursery worker jailed for making indecent images of children was given a job in another nursery two months after his arrest, it has emerged.

Kristian Parry, 26, was arrested at his place of work in Leeds in May last year, but went on to secure work in July at a nursery just eight miles (14km) away.

Parents of children at both nurseries, who found out about his crimes after reading a report on the BBC News website, said they were shocked and upset that they had not been informed.

West Yorkshire Police said further inquiries had begun as a result of information received since Parry was sentenced on Tuesday.

Both nurseries have been contacted for comment, although police confirmed none of the charges had been related to the children in Parry's care.

A parent at the nursery where he was arrested said communication had "always been excellent in the past but in this case it's not been handled as well as the parents would have liked".

The father, who got in touch via BBC Your Voice, added: "We are disappointed with the communication, given the gravity of the incident. The first we heard about it was from a BBC article."

A second parent whose child attends the nursery where Parry was employed after his arrest said she and other families were "extremely upset".

She said: "One minute you feel sick and the next you're crying.

"My child has been in the same building as this man. I'm absolutely flabbergasted at how he's managed to get another job at a nursery after being arrested."

Parry, of Middleton in Leeds, was found to have more than 5,000 images and videos on his laptop and mobile phone, some of which were category A pictures showing the most severe kinds of abuse.

The fraud charge related to false references he provided to the nursery where he was arrested, having been dismissed from his previous job - also at a nursery - for alcohol abuse.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

A spokesperson for Ofsted said it was responsible for checking the suitability of a nursery provider, but the provider itself was then responsible for ensuring the suitability of the staff they employed.

"The minimum levels of checks on staff that the provider must undertake are also set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage," they said.

The spokesperson added it did not comment on individual nurseries beyond the published inspection reports on its website.

Commenting on how Parry would have gained employment having been arrested, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) said: "Anyone applying for a role working with children or vulnerable adults is eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with Barred List information.

"Enhanced DBS checks draw on records from the Police National Computer and local police intelligence.

"If an offence is not yet recorded on police systems, it will only appear on a certificate once those records have been updated. This is the responsibility of the relevant police force.

"In line with policy and legislation, we are unable to comment on individual cases."