Rawtenstall man refused police job because his father is a murderer

8:10am Friday 18th July 2008

Comments (7)   Have your say »

By Helen Korn »

A RAWTENSTALL man has been refused a job with the police because his father is a convicted murderer.

Nick Tighe, 29, applied to Greater Manchester Police for a position as a detention officer or a PCSO but was rejected after they carried out vetting checks and discovered his father, Ronald Castree, murdered Rochdale schoolgirl Lesley Molseed.

Tax clerk Stefan Kiszko, was wrongly convicted of killing Lesley, who was sexually assaulted and stabbed before her body was left on Yorkshire moorland in 1975.

Castree, a former taxi driver, was caught 15 years after Kiszko’s conviction was quashed as a result of DNA evidence from Lesley’s clothing. He was jailed for a minimum of 30 years in November 2007.

After the trial, Nick publicly branded his father “sick and evil” .

Now Mr Tighe, who works with vulnerable people, is campaigning for a change in the law to disreguard vetting checks for job applications.

He said: “They have made a complete knee-jerk reaction.

“I didn’t even have a relationship with my father - he bullied me as a child and the murder happened four years before I was even born.

“In this situation the relationship between my father and I has been considered when I haven’t even spoken to him for 10 years.

“I have to live everyday, knowing what he did to me and what he is stiill doing to me - to my life, my career, my future.

“My background will be checked for every job I apply for now.”

Rossendale MP Janet Anderson is backing Mr Tighe’s campaign. She said: “Nick came to my surgery at the library on Saturday so I said I would raise it with the home secretary.

“I don’t think it would be fair to be discriminated against for something his father has done.

“I want to see if something can be done about it.”

Mr Tighe has written a letter of complaint to the force.

He added: “I want to start a petition and I am interested in hearing from Telegraph readers about what has happened.

“The law is unfair and it can be changed. Janet Anderson believes I am being discriminated against.”

A GMP spokesman said: “GMP has a duty to carry out thorough security checks on anyone applying for a job within the force.

“Criminality involving close family members is clearly an issue that has to be considered.

“Applicants whose close family have criminal convictions are not automatically barred from joining GMP, however issues including the seriousness of the crime and the relationship between the applicant and the family member are amongst the considerations before a final decision is made.

“We have received a letter of complaint from Mr Tighe and will contact him in due course with the outcome.”