JOSE CHUECA'S SHOCKING ESCAPE AND WORK WITH CHILDREN IN BRITAIN

In January 2009, it was revealed that Jose Chueca, a known paedophile, managed to evade justice in Spain and was later permitted to work with children in Britain. Chueca, whose full name is Jose Luis Magana Chueca, was sentenced in 1991 by a Spanish court to 77 years in prison after being convicted of 15 counts of indecent assault on boys and girls. The court heard that he had abused his victims during moments such as while they showered and had offered money to silence them. The judge declared he should never be released, citing the severity of his crimes.

Despite this, Chueca was granted bail to appeal his sentence and subsequently fled Spain. His escape took him first to Kenya, then to Germany, and eventually to Britain. Although British police arrested him in 2003, he could not be extradited to Spain due to a legal restriction — a 10-year limit under Spanish law.

Settling in Peckham, Chueca set up a new life, running a youth football team at Gunnersbury Park after passing criminal background checks required by the Football Association. In 2006, he secured employment with a cab company that held a contract with the local council to transport vulnerable children to and from school. As part of this process, he applied to the Metropolitan Police for an enhanced criminal records certificate, which was approved within days despite existing records detailing his abusive history.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police explained, 'The police followed their guidelines but stated there was not enough evidence to prevent him from taking the job. Only a certain amount of information was available at the time. Without additional supporting evidence, a decision was made not to disclose this information as it could not be corroborated.'

However, authorities are now investigating new allegations, including claims that Chueca assaulted a 10-year-old boy during a trip in a cab.