'Ban failure' over abuse teacher

Davey has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for his crimes

A council has accused the government of failing to ban a music teacher from giving lessons to pupils before he was jailed for child sex offences.

Brian Davey, 67, of Milton, Cambridge, was jailed at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday after admitting 27 sex offences, including attempted rape.

Cambs County Council said Davey could have been placed on a list of banned teachers in 2003 and in February 2006.

An education department spokesman said he could not discuss individual cases.

He said Davey was placed on the government's proscribed list, List 99, after being jailed, but he could not explain why Davey had not been banned before.

A council spokesman said the council stopped Davey from teaching in Cambridgeshire in 2003 after he failed to reveal on a job application form that he had been investigated by police in connection with child sex offences.

We don't know why he wasn't placed on until he was jailed last week Cambs County Council spokesman

He said officials had asked the Department for Education and Skills to place Davey on List 99 - which would have prevented him from working as a teacher in the UK - at that time. But Davey's name had not been added.

The spokesman said Davey had also not been placed on the list in February - when the recorder teacher admitted a string of sex offences against children and his case was adjourned for sentencing.

Nor had the teacher's name been added when he was charged with the offences in November last year.

"We don't know why he wasn't placed on [it] until he was jailed last week," said the spokesman.

Last Friday, Davey was sentenced to 13 years in jail for abusing young girls aged between four and 14.