[Margaret Pilkington]

Neil, your analogy is absurd. It really is akin to saying homosexuality is a mental illness(and you aren't doing that are you?)
There are some unfortunate people who are outwardly one gender, but their brain is wired as the opposite gender....now if you want to argue semantics about whether this is a mental illness then I'm not the person to do it with......!

Why would Lucy Meadows have been a risk to children? What kind of risks might she have posed?
Do you think there are no teachers out there, teaching your children who have other mental illnesses......Bi Polar disorder for example.(which is controlled by drugs)

I'm not getting at you Neil,(I wouldn't do that because I respect your opinion) because I agree with much of what you have written...but I also feel that are elements of the situation(which may prove pivotal) that we cannot know.