Council rapped for paedophile alert over short skirts

PARENTS have been advised not to dress their schoolchildren in short skirts and tight trousers amid fears they could be targeted by paedophiles.

Families of children at King’s Park Secondary School in Glasgow were sent letters warning that sexual predators may have been taking pictures of school pupils.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman confirmed that the warning was linked to the recent conviction of local paedophile Barry McCluskey.

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The 39-year-old posed as a 14-year-old girl to entice children to perform sex acts in front of web cameras.

McCluskey pleaded guilty to 49 charges stretching back to 2003, including lewd and libidinous practices and behaviour, at the High Court in Glasgow in February.

However, the Scottish Parent Teacher Council has criticised the move by Glasgow Council and warned that “shock tactics are not required”.

The organisation’s chief executive Eileen Prior said: “Creating a link between school uniform and paedophilia seems to be a dangerous and unhelpful one for everyone involved.

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“It implies that young people are in some way responsible for the activities of paedophiles, which is an extremely dangerous argument and one which has echoes of the comments sometimes made around rapists and women’s dress.

“If there is evidence of activity by a paedophile in the area, then police and parents should be informed and involved.”

She added: “Many parents - and indeed young people themselves – are keen to have a dress code in school which requires everyone in the school community to dress in a way which is appropriate for a working environment.”

The letters were sent to parents advising them to buy “appropriate” school uniforms from a list of approved items at Marks & Spencer.

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The council spokeswoman said the choice of store was an advisory only, and was not intended as an advertisement for M&S.

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Liam McArthur said: “This situation raises some very serious issues.

“The school needs to bring this situation to the attention of the police as a matter of urgency.

“Likewise, if parents have any concerns whatsoever they should be raising these with the police.”