In March 2026, a man working in a nursery in Leeds was jailed for two years and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for ten years for the possession of more than 5,000 indecent images of children.
Despite his arrest and subsequent release on bail in May 2025 for suspicion of uploading indecent images of children, Kristian Parry, 26, managed to secure work at another nursery only eight miles away. During sentencing, Judge Geoffrey Marson KC said that Parry obtained his jobs at nurseries specifically because they gave him access to very young children.
This highlights the desperate need for proper background checks and vetting for all staff working in regulated activity around children.
A breakdown of the timeline
- June 2024: Parry is dismissed from his first nursery due to alcohol abuse. Between June 2024 and May 2025, Parry finds employment at another nursery in Leeds by falsifying references regarding his earlier dismissal.
- May 2025: Parry is arrested on suspicion of uploading incident images of children, but it later released on bail.
- July 2025: Parry finds employment at a third nursery. He continues to work in this establishment for several months, before leaving.
- December 2025: Parry is charged with fraud and possession of over 5,000 indecent images of children – 871 images in category A, 1,187 in category B and 3,263 in category C.
- March 2026: At Leeds Crown Court, Parry is sentenced to two years in prison and given a SHPO for ten years.
Legal obligations
For roles involved in Regulated Activity, an Enhanced DBS check with a Barred Lists check is required.
In this context, Regulated Activity is defined as ‘care for, or supervision of children on more than three days in a 30-day period’. However, the definition can change depending on the activity – for example, if you are registering to be a foster carer or childminder, you will be eligible for an Enhanced DBS check outright with no ‘three days in a 30-day period’ caveat.
It is a criminal offence to hire someone featured in the Children’s or Adults’ Barred Lists into a position of Regulated Activity.
Lapses in verification that allowed access to a predator
A BBC report explained that ‘the nurseries involved confirmed they had run DBS checks on Parry […] but these could have been via its “update service”’. The DBS update service is a subscription service that allows employer to carry out status checks to see if Standard or Enhanced DBS certificates are still current, and allows a certificate to be carried from role to role, provided the job is in the same workforce, at the same DBS level.
Because of this, it is possible that new information regarding Parry’s recent arrest was overlooked, allowing a predator access to young children, ‘looking after children under five and changing nappies’, according to the BBC report.
Advice for childcare providers
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children in your care, we strongly recommend completing a full, Enhanced DBS check with a Barred Lists check on all employees. Whilst the DBS update service is a useful tool, it is not infallible. Employers should complete additional checks to help safeguard against overlooked information.
The current advice is that Enhanced DBS checks should be repeated every three years. We recommend you repeat your checks every two years at minimum, or every time an employee moves into a new role. This case reveals first-hand how easy it is for details to slip under the radar when screening is not completed properly.
Additionally, identity verification checks and proper previous employment screening should be carried out. The BBC reports that Parry used ‘false email addresses to fake references to get a job at a second nursery’. Whilst it is difficult to combat malicious misinformation, more could have been done to double-check and verify the authenticity of the emails provided. For example, independent research into the previous nursery could have identified a secondary, genuine email that could have been contacted.
A common misconception is that employers cannot give a bad reference. This isn’t true. An employer must give ‘a fair and accurate’ reference, even if this reveals that an applicant is not suitable for the job they are applying for. Alternatively, a previous employer may choose to not provide a reference at all.
Finding support
It’s no secret that the early years sector is under intense pressure due to staffing shortages and rising costs. Candidates with previous childcare experience are highly sought after – but through checks must be completed each and every time to maintain watertight security.
Sadly, this isn’t the first incident of its kind. In March 2026, Nathan Bennett, who worked at the Partou King Street nursery in Bristol, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the assault of five children. The incident has led to calls for even more extensive background checks, including “legally mandated CCTV in nurseries, improved information-sharing across institutions, strict enforcement of a ‘two-person-rule’ to ensure no one is left alone with a child, and stricter hiring processes including psychological assessments,” according to a report by the Bristol Post.
Currently, Enhanced DBS checks provide information on:
- Spent or unspent convictions
- Cautions
- Warnings or reprimands
- Other relevant details held by the applicant’s local police force
The national average turnaround time of an Enhanced DBS check by the DBS – as of April 2026 – is 13 days. But many applications take significantly longer, especially for people who have moved a lot, or who have previous employment in highly regulated sectors such as the armed forces.
With early years establishments wishing to fill vacancies as quickly as possible, these delays can be costly. That’s why, at uCheck, we’re proud that our average turnaround time for Enhanced DBS checks is just nine and a half days, helping get the right candidates onboarded as quickly and safely as possible.
If you’re concerned about safeguarding and are looking to recheck employees, get in touch today – our team are here to help.
