Four top councillors quit over paedophile head row

Four members of a council cabinet have quit after their leader refused to apologise to the victims of paedophile head teacher Neil Foden.

On Friday afternoon Cyngor Gwynedd leader Dyfrig Siencyn rowed back on his earlier interview to Newyddion S4C, saying he was sorry for "all those who suffered" and would consider his own "situation" over the weekend.

Minutes later four councillors in his Plaid Cymru cabinet resigned, distancing themselves from his original comments.

Foden was sentenced to 17 years in prison for sexually abusing four children between 2019 and 2023.

Siencyn also rowed back on Friday on his initial reluctance in the Newyddion interview to support calls from members of his party for a public inquiry.

Senior Plaid figures have told BBC Wales that the leader's original comments on Thursday about Foden had made his position untenable.

A party source told the BBC that the row was "casting a shadow" over their party conference, which began in Cardiff on Friday.

Party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has also failed to support the Cyngor Gwynedd leader, calling for him to "reflect on the question of the apology".

Foden was head at Ysgol Friars in Bangor and strategic head of Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle, Penygroes, both in Gwynedd.

Becca Brown, Berwyn Parry Jones, Dafydd Meurig and Elin Walker Jones issued a joint statement, saying they "wish to distance ourselves from the comments made by leader Dyfrig Siencyn".

"We stand with the victims," they said, adding that they fully support calls for a public inquiry.

"We deeply regret that the council's leadership issues have drawn attention from what is most important in this tragic situation - namely the suffering of the women."

In a statement issued by the council on Friday afternoon, the leader said: "I sincerely apologise to all those who have suffered at the hands of sex offender Neil Foden and would wish to reassure the people of Gwynedd, and in particular the victims, that I and my fellow councillors are determined to leave no stone unturned to establish what went wrong and to ensure this can never been allowed to happen again."

He added: "In addition, in light of the further allegations about Neil Foden on this week's BBC programme, I support the call for a public inquiry.

"Over the weekend I will discuss with my fellow members and consider my own situation, before deciding on the best way forward."

He also said he was "saddened" by the cabinet resignations and thanked them for their "valuable contribution and tireless work".

The Plaid source who spoke to BBC Wales welcomed Siencyn's U-turn but said it had "clearly come too late" for the four councillors who have resigned.

They added that they hoped the calls for a public inquiry would be listened to, and that it was "important to remember the victims in all this".

Earlier they said his position was “completely untenable”.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, ap Iorwerth failed to support Siencyn, instead saying: "I have confidence, absolutely, that Gwynedd council understands that there's one job to do here.

"Nothing else is important, and that's to get to the truth on behalf of all those young people who have suffered at the hands of this paedophile."

Pressed on whether he would say sorry, he replied: "Everybody involved in any way has to apologise, of course. We don't really know what it is what the apology is for as yet."

Independent councillor Emma Hughes called on Siencyn to resign after he refused initially to apologise.

She told Newyddion S4C: “I’ve discussed it with some of my independent colleagues and we all agree the trust has been lost in Dyfrig’s leadership ability”.

While Foden's convictions are for offences in recent years, BBC Wales Investigates has spoken to people who said Foden may have abused pupils since 1979.

Gwynedd's own review has been criticised, with two victims saying they had not been contacted at all.

In an interview with Newyddion S4C on Thursday, Siencyn refused to apologise to victims on behalf of the council.

"We need to deal with this early and quickly, and I think the Child Practice Review is the best way to do this," he said.

"There is total agreement about the need to find out what went wrong and if anything within our processes went wrong."

Plaid's MP and MS for the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency, as well as Gwynedd cabinet member for education Beca Brown,are among senior party members to have called for a public inquiry.

Liz Saville Roberts, the MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said the council had a duty of care to children and should be subject to an independent review.