by Gail*
I am writing to thank you for the advice l received from you which has effectively given me a new lease of life. I was sentenced to 3 years in prison for a one count conviction of Money Laundering in 2007. I was released on tag after and that was that. In 2010, I successfully got a job as a Support Worker and subsequently a Senior Support Worker with a Housing Organisation. I however was called in by my managers who informed me that following a DBS check, my version of events is questionable because my CRB states that I was involved in drugs. It would appear that the generic term for Money Laundering is now drugs? Irrespective, and due to a major reshuffle in the department anyway, I was made redundant.
I then started applying for other jobs, which l knew l was fully qualified for, and even though l say so myself, l interview well. Anyway, I didn’t get two jobs and l was really cut up about it, so l contacted one of the bodies l applied to. It turns out the fact that l was involved in laundering the proceeds of “drugs” was a real hiccup for them. I then called you. You gave me some advice, and gave me the details of who to contact at the DBS. For future reference, my issue was that my offence was Money Laundering. My CRB read “Laundering the proceeds of drugs for another” The man l spoke to sent me out some forms to fill in. He then wrote me back acknowledging the receipt of the forms and advised that he had sent my complaint to the police and they will advise me of the outcome.
That was two weeks ago. Yesterday, I got a response from them advising that my complaint had been upheld and that they will be reissuing me a new DBS with the amended wording. The wording has been amended to “Assisting another to retain or control the benefit of criminal conduct”.
This is a great result for me because not only does it remove the drugs implication for me but it also doesn’t define or label “Money Laundering”. I can now go out there and work, hold my head up high knowing that my past is not tagged to me. Don’t get me wrong, I am not denying what happened. It did and l held my hands up to it. What isn’t fair is that someone can make an arbitrary decision to use unwarranted colourful language to potentially ruin someone else’s life and hamper their chances of employability and moving on.
