Former Plaid Cymru worker 'harassed' after speaking out

A man who gave evidence in an investigation of a Plaid Cymru Senedd member has faced months of harassment leaving him feeling "unsafe".

Math Wiliam, a former member of staff to a Plaid MS, gave information to the Senedd's Standards Commissioner supporting an allegation about the conduct of another MS, Rhys ab Owen.

An anonymous social media account was set up attacking Mr Wiliam.

There is no suggestion Mr ab Owen was aware.

"I felt unsafe in my own house," says Mr Wiliam. "I couldn't sleep. I had nightmares.

"Two websites were set up to attack me personally, I received phone calls at work, received emails at work and this has been going on for a period of 10 months.

"It was an awful experience."

Adam Price resigned as Plaid Cymru leader after a damning report found misogyny, harassment and bullying in the party.

The report was commissioned after Mr Wiliam and others raised concerns about how complaints were dealt with and the wider culture within the party.

The BBC has seen evidence which included a dossier sent to journalists claiming Mr Wiliam had a vendetta against Mr ab Owen, who has been suspended from the Plaid group in the Senedd, and was trying to "destroy the careers" of Mr Price and his allies.

Mr Wiliam said the harassment only stopped once the police stepped in after he could identify that Dafydd Evans, the uncle of Mr ab Owen, was behind some of the anonymous accounts.

South Wales Police confirmed it was called with a report of harassment of a 37-year-old man from Cardiff on 21 August.

In a text message to the complainant, a police officer confirmed they had "spoken to Dafydd and he understands that he is not to try contact you directly or indirectly and has already taken down the websites and understands if these actions continue there are criminal charges that can be considered".

Mr Evans denies harassing Mr Wiliam.

Mr William told Politics Wales his experience also raised concerns about the Senedd complaints system.

"At every step of the way I felt that the same people that publicly say, 'Oh, yes, we take any complaint very seriously, we'll protect anyone that comes forward with a complaint'.

"When it actually happened it was the opposite.

"Nobody wanted to take responsibility. Nobody wanted to protect me."

Mr Wiliam said he complained to Standards Commissioner Douglas Bain, the Senedd, police and Plaid Cymru but got the same answer from everyone, "there's nothing I could do".

A spokesperson for the Senedd Commission said: "To ensure the Senedd is an inclusive workplace, free from harassment and intimidation, we want everyone to feel that they can challenge behaviours without fear or prejudice.

"There are processes in place for reporting grievances and complaints. We continually review our policies to ensure they are up-to-date, and fit for purpose, and we welcome feedback."

Plaid Cymru said: "When issues were raised in relation to online harassment, appropriate support measures were put in place to safeguard the wellbeing of staff, either employed directly or indirectly by the party."

It said it condemned all forms of online harassment and that it was strengthening its processes in light of the Prosiect Pawb report.

A spokesperson on behalf of Standards Commissioner Douglas Bain said an "independent professional support service is offered by the commissioner to complainants and witnesses during his investigation of any complaint".

Vikki Howells, chair of the Senedd's standards of conduct committee, added: "The committee's recent work has highlighted the need for a review of the avenues available to members' support staff to raise grievances and complaints. The committee welcomes views on the issue and is already preparing to investigate further."

BBC Wales understands that Mr Wiliam met the Standards Commissioner but had no relevant evidence and was not therefore a witness.

In response to the story, Mr ab Owen said: "I condemn any harassment online and I'm not aware of any harassment of Math Wiliam.

"I'm not close with Dafydd Evans and he's not in contact with anyone from the family."