CRB check?

[LauraB]

My Father passes away recently which has caused tension and arguments with my family. Things are getting easier now but around 6 months ago i had a terrible argument with my Mum. I don't know who phoned them but the police turned up and arrested me for assaulting my Mum which i NEVER did my mum told them that also but i was still taken and held in a police cell over night i was so scared and confused in the morning they took me to be fingerprinted and took my DNA and my picture then i was interviewed which was recorded on tape i then accepted a caution? i had no idea what this was at the time but i was so scared and i just wanted to get home They let me go after this.

I'm in the process of applying for a care job and i'm worried what will show on my ECRB?
I feel like i'm going to be turned away because of something i didn't do :(

Please help

[MarkRae]

As you rightly state, an ECRB will be required in this because a care job is deemed to be one which entails "much greater contact with children or vulnerable adults":
https://www.criminalr...e.asp?intAffiliateID=
https://www.criminalr...B.asp?intAffiliateID=

Cautions will show up on an ECRB.

There's in interesting discussion on and around this subject here:
http://forums.moneysa...wthread.php?t=1578695

[LauraB]

Thank you so much

[MarkRae]

You're welcome.

However, you don't know me from Adam - I could be anybody telling you anything.

This is clearly a stressful issue for you and, as such, I would respectfully suggest that you seek proper advice. Make an appointment with your local Citizens Advice Bureau at your earliest convenience. They may put you in touch with a local legal professional, and this will almost certainly cost you money, but at least you'll be getting good advice that you can trust...

[sumo19]

You here stories like this quite often; how the police convince people to accept cautions when they have not done anything wrong.

I am sorry to say that it is highly likely you will be turned away by your potential employer because of this offence which is registered against you.

Now, at any point in the interview did you admit to assaulting your mother, or imply that you may have done so in any way? You may have done this just to get out of the police station as quick as possible and that may involved just accepting the caution as It's an intimidating place.

Did you sign anything or speak to a lawyer? I find it strange that your mother said you did not assault her, and yet the police still cautioned you. On what basis did they caution you?

[LauraB]

I told them i'd never hit her and that i told them this at my house the police officer did not listen to me clearly i feel i was treated wrongly. I did not hit my Mum and i never would i hate violence i also said this in the interview. He said we take this sort of thing very seriously even after me and my mum both said it never happened and said i could face court he then said i could be cautioned then they let me go. I didn't speak to a lawyer. I really don't understand what happened i'm so confused.

[MarkRae]

You can't be cautioned for NOT breaking the law! Whether you actually hit your mother or not is, regrettably, now irrelevant. You accepted a caution for it which, in the eyes of the law, means that you admitted doing it...

[LauraB]

Why would i admit to something i didn't do? What else could i do? I was confused and scared so i accepted the caution instead of going to court which i would have rather have done now to prove i did nothing. This isn't fair and it's not right i didn't do anything wrong.

[LauraB]

So what i'm being told is even if i didn't do it.. that it's done now so it'll ruin my chances of doing the work i want to do. That's really not right. Things should change thats pathetic.

[MarkRae]

> Why would I admit to something I didn't do? I was confused and scared

You've just answered your own question. Your confusion and fear, not to mention the fact that you didn't have legal representation, allowed the police to bully you into accepting a caution; an easy "result" for them to improve their crime statistics.


> What else could I do? I accepted the caution instead of going to court.

Again, you've answered your own question. You could have gone to court, where your lawyer would have called your mother as a witness and she would have no doubt testified that you didn't hit her. On the assumption that there were no other witnesses of the alleged assault, the case would almost certainly have been thrown out at that point. In fact, chances are it would have been dropped by the CPS before it even got to court...


> So what I'm being told is even if I didn't do it, that it's done now so it'll ruin my chances of doing the work I want to do.

Well it's hardly going to help, is it! In my opinion, your best (i.e. only) chance is to be *completely* honest on your application and in your interview, on the unlikely event that your application even gets as far as an interview...

I know that this is not what you want to hear...

Again, you *REALLY* need to seek *PROFESSIONAL* advice.

[sumo19]

You accepted a caution for assault,

When you accept a caution, you admit that you are guilty.

[LauraB]

Well at the time i didn't know that i didn't think. That's what i'm saying.

[MarkRae]

No doubt but, unless you have access to a time machine, there's really nothing you can do about it now.

So you really will have to accept it as an accomplished fact and build your future career plans around it.