'Bad lad' robbed of new life

“JUST give me a chance,” he begged. “I’m not a bad guy.”

No, this isn’t some feral youth begging for a soft sentence after knifing a teenager who looked at him the wrong way.

This isn’t a lout who kicks pensioners to death and photographs them on his phone as they die in agony.

This is an 18-year-old Bradford lad who committed a piddling offence when he was 16 and who, according to the bigoted halfwits at London’s Imperial College, will forever be a bad ’un who mustn’t be allowed to study medicine with them because he doesn’t have integrity.

Two years ago Majid Ahmed got a minor conviction for his part in a burglary. His punishment was four months community service.

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“It was a mistake,” he said, after a gang of youths persuaded him to enter a house they said was their hangout.

But having made one disastrous mistake, Majid was determined never to make another.

So he changed schools, he changed his friends, he worked like a demon to get the A-levels he needed, and he took a job with a local charity for the disabled.

And he did all this because the one thing he REALLY wanted to do with his life was become a doctor.

He wanted to make himself and his family proud. And initially Imperial College were impressed—so impressed they offered him a conditional place.

But Majid’s mistake was in telling them about the one and only time he’d stepped out of line. Within days the offer had been withdrawn and his dreams lay rotting in the gutter, along with any shred of self-respect his hard work and his new career might have afforded him.

And what, I wonder, would society say if this broken boy who’d bust a gut to redeem himself and was so eaten up with bitterness having realised it was all for nothing, joined some low-life gang and went on the rampage?

I suspect we wouldn’t bat an eyelid. We’d just say “Oh well, what can you expect?

How can the do-gooders and academics on the one hand say education is what separates the Savage from the Successful then deny people a chance of success because of something they did in a past life?

How many of those fools at Imperial College who made this decision can say, hand on heart, they’ve never done anything that would bring shame on them as people or on their profession?

Majid Ahmed had a noble ambition —incredible at a time when young people from his background are being demonised (admittedly some of them for good reason) for being violent and aimless. But Majid didn’t want to fit the stereotype.

And maybe THAT’S what’s bothering the idiots at Imperial College. Because according to their twisted logic he’s messed up once and so he’s programmed to do it again.

It’s incredible that while our courts give chance after chance to thugs who have no redeeming features and no ambition other than to rob and maim people, someone like Majid can’t be forgiven for doing something so trivial.

“Medical practitioners hold a position of responsibility in society,” say the nobs at Imperial. “The public must have confidence in the integrity and probity of its doctors.”

What? Do they mean those doctors whose careless mistakes all too often result in the deaths of children and adults—wreck- ing the lives of whole families forever? Do they mean those doctors who sexually abuse and assault their patients?

Doctors have the same personality flaws as everyone else. The difference between most of them and Majid is that THEY were born on the right side of the tracks and had parents capable of covering up their mistakes.

It doesn’t make them good doctors. It just makes them lucky.

MURRAY NOT MINT

I DON’T want to rub salt in the wound but does Andy Murray really think he should have been showing off those (puny) muscles in his match against the body-beautiful Rafa Nadal?

It’s a bit like Popeye (BEFORE his can of spinach) trying to take on the Incredible-y (handsome) Hulk.

And while he’s building up his strength for the next tournament, Misery Guts Murray might try doing it with a large slice of humble pie.

A miserable, bad-tempered winner we’ll put up with. A miserable bad-tempered loser we won’t.

DREAMS STICK IT

YOU wouldn’t think we were in the midst of a credit crunch judging by the disinterested, cack-handed way the bosses of Dreams Bed Company treat customers.

Last week at their shop in Kingston, Surrey, I was about to buy a mattress (and possibly two beds) when the manager told me it would cost £39 for delivery (I live just a few miles from their store), £42 if I wanted the men to take it upstairs, and a whopping £52 if I wanted it delivered on a Saturday.

I was about to swallow this until I was told that despite the rip-off delivery fee I couldn’t have an afternoon delivery even though I explained I wasn’t going to be at home in the morning.

Apparently Dreams delivery men ring you two hours before they’re due to arrive which means you can’t go out, you can’t make plans and your weekend’s ruined. When I told the manager it wasn’t acceptable she just shrugged and said: “It’s the rules.” Well stuff the rules!

I did what most sensible people would do—I went to John Lewis, where the staff were charming, helpful and went out of their way to arrange FREE delivery at a time that was convenient to me.

Consequently I bought everything I needed there. And will in the future!

Comments

[Loraine, Washington, England]

Who the hell do those dimwits at Imperial College think they are? Majid Ahmed has had the guts to admit to a crime which happened in his past and that he is naturally not proud of. He has since totally turned his life around, finding a credible and respectable path in life, only to be told he's not good enough? Give me a Doctor like him any day than these self-satisfied bigots who have refused him entry into their elite establishment. At least he has the humility to admit to his misdemeanors but how many of the high and mighty at Imperial College with their silver spoon upbringings can say the same. How much 'integrity' does this man need? Instead of a pat on the back for turning his life around he is getting a slap in the face. It is discrimination of the highest manner - the assumption that he will break the law again. How dare they treat him like this and I wish Mr Ahmed the best of luck for the future and hope he attains his dreams but not at Imperial College as he deserves so much better.

[mrs stevenson nottingham]

how are yougsters supposed to better them selves when you have idiots that sit on a panel and earn stupid amounts of money decide if they are good enough for their imperial college or not. wheres the saying gone learn by your own mistakes, mr ahmed knows what he did was wrong and might never knowingly break the law again. Give mr ahmed a chance to better his future instead. and then thats one less youth doing nothing on our streets and will one day be a assett to this country.

[Gill]

I think he should be commended for his honesty, so many people get away with things by giving false information he deserves a chance to have the career he really wants and will probably become a very caring Doctor

[JD]

Why is society handing life sentences to 16 year olds or trivial crimes? What we have is a situation whereby people who are convicted as minors will suffer discrimination like this for the rest of their lives based upon one or two mistakes as a teenager.

Lets save this discrimination for those who offend time and time again, year after year. Not a bright ,capable and caring man who wants to give something to society and make something of himself.

He should be able to enter any career he wants without being hampered by these convictions. There is no need to continue punishing him for this year after year until the end of his days.

[heneitte]

That's all very well but if you have a problem with your beds etc try getting satisfaction is a big issue.As a customer of John Lewis .com I thought the same until a problem arose then the attitude changed dramatically.After alot of hassle and distress hopefully things will be recified this weekend.
I was shocked at the attitude especially as the staff have an interest in the business.
So Carole we all have your problems but also with John Lewis unless ofcourse we are a member of parliament.

[Tricky Dicky]

This guy did not unknowingly enter someone else's house. At most that would be trespass. He plead guilty to burglary, the defining point of which is the intent to steal, inflict grievous bodily harm [or raping any person therein], or do unlawful damage to the building or anything in it.

I guess the panels he went through in deciding his fitness to practice came to the conclusion that his version of events was not convincing given the offence he admitted to, thus putting a further question mark on his character.

He doesn't seem to want to take responsibility for his actions.

At best you could say that he showed bad judgement, or succombed to peer pressure, but is that a character trait we want in someone who has (for example) access to prescription drugs?

His previous actions did not lead to an instant rejection, which I agree would have been wrong, he was given the chance to explain himself to a panel. As none of us were present at the hearing, how can we criticise it's decision?

[Abby]

There are limited places at university to study medicine, I think it's perfectly reasonable that someone with the same A-levels and work experience who hasn't commited an offence should be offered the place over him. Plus I wouldn't want a criminal as my doctor.

[JAYNE ANDERSON]

Hi Carole,
Dreams should be re-named,'Nightmare's', I have just spent the past 18 months/2years trying to get a refund for a very expensive but faulty bed from these people. It resulted in me having to sue them in court which even then they tried to wangle thier way out of! I would never purchase anything from them ever again because they not very nice should anything go wrong, you
realise this when you contact thier so called 'customer service'.I should count yourself lucky if I were you for having the good sense to walk out the shop!
Regards, JAYNE.