Neil Foden, the paedophile head teacher, jailed for sexual assaults against children in Gwynedd, was an abusive bully and seemingly immune from censure by those who should have stopped him.
From senior police officers and councillors who sat on the board of school governors, MP's and Assembly Members, Local Authority officers and their legal team, councillors of the Education/Economy scrutiny committee, the Education Workforce Council et al...
Parents raised complaints. Local media reported on his assault on a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle.
Nothing was done...
It was the action of a child that finally brought his reign of terror to an end.
A child that, after blowing the whistle, had to hide in a cupboard whilst the social workers at cyngor Gwynedd waited for the correct form to be filled in before they allowed the police to be called to Ysgol Friars.
The Plaid Cymru controlled council has apologised for its failings
These inadequacies stem, in part, from recommendations not being implemented after the case of headteacher, John Owen, whose abuse of children in another part of Wales led to the Clywch Inquiry and Report.
From an article written by Gwyn Loader, Chief correspondent, Newyddion S4C -
The Our Bravery Brought Justice report into Foden's offending has an annex devoted to similarities with Owen's offending, with reviewers noting "it is appalling that the recommendations of this review reflect those of Clywch so closely and that 20 years later the key issues still have not been resolved or acted upon"...
His Honour Nicholas Cooke KC, a former Deputy High Court judge and counsel to the Clywch inquiry, called for a national audit to ensure the 2004 report and its recommendations "haven't gone to waste as it's been acquiring cobwebs".
"History keeps repeating itself," he said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3kexe2eeko
Neil Foden is not the first head teacher to be jailed for sexually abusing children in Gwynedd...
In 2025, an 87 year old former primary headmaster was arrested on historic abuse charges.
The ex teacher was jailed in 1964 for sexual offences against children at a school in Holyhead, on Anglesey, and struck off the teaching register.
In 1970, the paedophile was readmitted to the profession by the Department of Education.
In 1978, he again faced charges of indecency against children but was found not guilty by the Magistrates court in Blaenau Ffestiniog.
The teacher was defended in court by Hugh Emlyn Hooson, QC, who was the Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire. Hooson later became Baron Hooson -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emlyn_Hooson,_Baron_Hooson
Why this case was not heard in the Crown court is not known nor why a QC would take on a case in a Magistrates court.
This teacher taught at Gellilydan primary school in Trawsfynydd, and was then promoted to headmaster of Tanygrisiau primary school...
In 1986, he was charged with sexual offences against children, found guilty and jailed - again...
Gwynedd council held an internal review into the case which was called out as a 'whitewash' by then councillor, Wil Pierce. Frustrated by the council's behaviour, Pierce is believed to have then contacted the Ombudsman.
A reminder that this case occurred at the same time Gwynedd council suspended the social worker, Alison Taylor, who blew the whistle on the abuse of children in the region's care homes.
For reasons unknown, the authorities are acting with no urgency in providing this now aged paedophile's victims with the justice they deserve. If he dies, does this mean that documents relating to the safeguarding failures will not be examined in a court of law..?
In 2017, a FOI request for the number of complaints against this teacher from both parents and the general public was mishandled and refused by the council, who finally told the requestor that the council 'do not have any information relating to any complaints.'
The council was also asked for the name of all of the schools where the teacher had been employed prior to his arrest in 1986.
Gwynedd council shut this down by replying with 'The Council does hold information about the schools but this information is being withheld under section 40(2) of the Act.'
A request for an internal review was ignored by cyngor Gwynedd's monitoring officer.
Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...
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