Ofsted and council staff criticised in review into rape of toddler by paedophile nursery worker

Paul Wilson jailed for life in 2011 after using mobile phone to film two separate attacks on an infant

Paul Wilson was jailed for life in 2011 after using a mobile phone to film two separate attacks on an infant (PA)

A review into the rape of a toddler by a paedophile nursery worker has criticised Ofsted and council staff, who were aware that he had a '"special relationship" with the child but did not investigate it properly.

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

Wilson, of Newbold Croft, Nechells, was ordered to serve at least 15 years for the "chilling, vile and depraved" offences committed at the nursery, and the online abuse of more than 20 young girls.

A serious case review into his crimes determined that Birmingham City Council and Ofsted inspectors had missed "obvious pointers" which should have raised the alarm.

The review, carried out by Birmingham's Safeguarding Children Board, said a lack of rigour and depth in inspection processes had "supported" Wilson's offences.

Failings and weaknesses highlighted within the report included a lack of supervision, poor management within the nursery, and its layout.

Jane Held, the chair of the Safeguarding Children Board spoke after the publication of the serious case review and said: "Responsibility for this awful abuse must, and does, lie with the perpetrator.

"He was clever, duplicitous and manipulative and took advantage of weaknesses in the system.

"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."

Ms Held added that three key lessons had arisen from the review.

"One is that those in charge of settings caring for children must ensure there are strong, clear practices and systems to minimise the risk of abuse”, she said.

"The second is to listen to and ask about children's experiences rather than just speak to adults.

"The third, and potentially the most important, is that safeguarding children is a job for everyone, and every single person who looks after or cares for children needs to know how to recognise when something is not right and what to do about it, and have confidence they will get the right response when they do act."

Additional reporting by Press Association