Ofsted and council under fire over rape of toddler at nursery

The serious case review also found Birmingham City Council and Ofsted inspectors missed “obvious pointers” which should have raised the alarm about Paul Wilson.

Wilson, then aged 21, was jailed for life in 2011 after using a mobile phone to film two attacks on an infant at the Little Stars Nursery in Nechells, Birmingham.

He is known to have raped the toddler on separate occasions about six months apart during his employment which began in 2009.

At least six members of staff raised concerns about his behaviour before his arrest, but he continued to work there despite receiving a written warning.

Wilson was ordered to serve at least 15 years for the “vile and depraved” offences, and the online abuse of more than 20 young girls.

The review, carried out by Birmingham’s Safeguarding Children Board, said a lack of rigour and depth in inspection processes had “supported” his offences. Among other failings and weaknesses was a lack of supervision, poor management within the nursery, and its layout.

Chair of the Safeguarding Children Board Jane Held said Wilson bore the responsibility for his crimes but she added: “Parents should be able to trust the people they leave their children with to ensure that children are properly protected.

“In this case there were unfortunately a number of weaknesses in the way that nursery was run and a number of opportunities to intervene earlier and prevent the continuation of abuse which were missed.”

Author Jane Wonnacott said: “In this case there were obvious pointers that should have raised the alarm, yet both Ofsted and the local authority failed to recognise them and respond appropriately in a co-ordinated manner.”

In a statement, a spokesman for Birmingham City Council said: “The council is very sorry that it failed to properly respond to the concerns about Paul Wilson. Improving our services to children remains our top priority.”