Killer Qualified for Social Work

June 20, 2009 permalink

In Somerset England what should you do to qualify as a social worker? Kill your husband! After Lynda Barnes was convicted of hiring a hit-man to kill her husband, she became a supervisor of 20 staffers and was responsible for removal of 31 children from their parents.

expand

collapse

Liar ... shamed Lynda Barnes

Child care boss hid murder plot past

By JOHN COLES, Published: 19 Jun 2009

A SOCIAL worker sacked for plotting to murder her husband landed a plum job with ANOTHER council by hiding her wicked past.

Lynda Barnes, 55, was rumbled by her new bosses after she went to court to testify in a child protection case.

She was caught lying under oath and trying to get a colleague to do the same.

The judge launched an investigation into her and discovered that 16 years ago she tried to recruit a hitman to kill her ex-hubby.

She met him on the M4 and offered £10,000 if unsuspecting Rodney, then 23, was bumped off.

The "hitman" was an undercover COP.

Barnes, of Nailsea, Somerset, got a two-year suspended jail term for conspiracy to murder and was sacked by Avon council.

But four years ago she duped Bath and North East Somerset council into putting her in charge of 20 staff.

Although she admitted her conviction, her new bosses were given "a highly sanitised version" which they never checked, according to investigating judge Paul Barclay.

The scandal emerged yesterday after a failed legal bid to keep her identity under wraps.

Barnes, who quit in March, was involved in 17 cases in which 31 children were taken into care.

Officials insisted none was unfairly removed.

j.coles@the-sun.co.uk

Source: The Sun (UK)