Ex British spy in Al Qaida accuses private school of discrimination
22 August 2022, 14:07
A former British spy inside Al Qaida has accused a Scottish private school of discrimination.
Aimen Dean has claimed St Georges School in Edinburgh discriminated against his five-year-old daughter after other parents complained his presence was a security threat.
The school asked Mr Dean and his wife Saadia to drop off their daughter 20 minutes later than her classmates and pick up her 30 minutes after school ended following the complaints, the Guardian reported.
Mr Dean said the demand, despite repeated assurances from MI5 that he posed no safety threat, turned his relationship with the school "sour".
He claimed his daughter was told "Sit down, sit down" and shouted at for being repeatedly late for class, despite the arrangement with the school.
He said the incident caused his daughter to ask: "Why do I have to go to school here? Why does the school hate me?"
Mr Dean, who is considered one of the most important spies in recent British history, was granted citizenship for his eight years of service to MI6 and settled in Edinburgh.
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Mr Dean also claimed the school's headteacher, Alex Hems, told the couple: "Do not expect a welcome here in Scotland, especially in Edinburgh.
"The people here are conservative with a small C, and they will not be as welcoming as people in London."
He said the couple's application to enrol their son at the school's nursery was rejected, despite the couple offering to pay extra for one-to-one support as he is autistic.
Mr Dean claimed a teacher told him during a meeting about the application: "What is holding you back here in Edinburgh? Why don’t you leave the country?
"The Middle East offers fantastic facilities for children like [your son]."
Another teacher allegedly agreed, telling Mr Dean: "You must take the wellbeing of both your kids into consideration."
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The school now faces an investigation by the Registrar of Independent Schools into whether St George's failed to safeguard or promote Mr Dean's daughter's welfare.
If found "objectionable", the school could face stringent conditions to improve.
The school told the Guardian it "strongly disputed" the allegations but was co-operating with the investigation.
A statement said: "We are cooperating with the inquiry and have every confidence that once the registrar has considered the matter, St George’s will be found to have acted fully in accordance with all relevant safeguarding and regulatory procedures."
Mr Dean said he decided to take his allegations public to prevent others risking their lives for the UK from facing the same situation.
"Next time, it will be the kids of Afghan interpreters or brave Russian spies who we’re helping. It’s tempting to sweep this under the rug and never speak of it again," he said.
"This scenario will be repeated, whether it’s York or Brighton or London or anywhere else, if we don’t take a stand on this now."
