Youth club told to close for six weeks amid rapist probe

A WATCHDOG has forced a youth club to close for six weeks after the Western Mail revealed a rapist had got a job there despite a warning in a background check.

- CONOR GOGARTY

Sarah Vigus, also known as Sarah Parkinson, was under police investigation for raping a 17-year-old girl when she applied for a role at YMCA Porthcawl's after-school club.

Vigus, 38, the daughter of one of the YMCA Porthcawl directors, was later jailed for eight years and three months after a jury found her guilty of rape and assault by penetration.

The young people's charity initially claimed it had only learned about the case when she failed to turn up for work having been convicted and remanded in custody. But it then admitted its hiring of Vigus in 2023 came after it was made aware of a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate that included "comprehensive details about her arrest and the nature and extent of the alleged offences" from the previous year.