Galloway: I was abused as a child

George Galloway lent his support to a new government vetting system for those working with children, saying that he himself was a victim of child abuse. The Respect MP said he was abused by a janitor when he was 11.

Mr Galloway made the revelations in his regular column in the Daily Record newspaper. He said every person whose work brings them into regular contact with children should be proven fit to do so.

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