Caned, shamed, but can’t be named

THE GOODRICKE INTERNATIONAL student who has pleaded guilty to 17 charges of making child pornography between July 15, 2008, and March 19, 2010 is said to have committed previous sexual offences before coming to England on a scholarship to the University of York.

In 2002 he was publicly caned as a fifteen year old school student for spying in the female toilets. After receiving professional help it was believed he had overcome this unacceptable behaviour. The student was awarded an overseas scholarship in 2006. He then went on to commit the numerous child pornography offences he has been accused of.

The student’s original offences and disciplining were not reported to the police or to the scholarship awarding body. Only the student’s academic credentials were scrutinised before he was awarded the scholarship place at York. Following widespread outcry and condemnation after the guilty plea hit the headlines in the accused’s home country, the scholarship awarding body have revoked the scholarship and assured the public that it will tighten its scholarship selection processes so that schools must now provide information on specific behavioural problems of all applicants.

Section 3.14 of YUSU’s Constitution states that it must “promote and defend the general interests of its members and represent them in matters affecting their interest.” Consequently, YUSU will not comment on the situation nor will it permit the publication of any details that could definitively identify the student in question, not until his status as a student of the University of York is terminated. The University of York student will be sentenced during the week commencing on the 17th of January 2011. He faces a prison sentence of up to five years.