Galloway reveals he was abused as a child

George Galloway has lent his support to a new government vetting system for those working with youngsters – and said that he himself was a victim of child abuse.

The Respect MP said he suffered abuse at the hands of a janitor when he was 11.

Mr Galloway made the revelations in his regular column in a tabloid newspaper. He said every person whose work brings them into regular contact with children should be assessed.

The member for Bethnal Green and Bow said: “Every time a Soham murderer or a Dunblane Thomas Hamilton emerges, I die a little inside as I remember that dirty old man driven by the same perverted interest in sexually attacking kids.

“I told no-one, not even my wives, of what happened to me. All I feel is ashamed, though I was the child victim and he the aggressive predator.”

A scheme to vet everyone who wants to work or volunteer with children will begin in October.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority will carry out the checks in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on behalf of the Home Office. A separate but aligned scheme is being set up in Scotland under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. Anyone included on a Barred List in Scotland will also be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults across the UK.

The checks are being introduced after the murders of schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells by school caretaker Ian Huntley in 2002.

Several children’s authors have spoken out against the new system.