'Motivated Intruder' - Cyngor Gwynedd Council

Cyngor Gwynedd Education and Economy Scrutiny committee investigation report into safeguarding in schools has been delayed after they forgot to include the voices of the children...

The Woods report has been sat on since March...

Cyngor Gwynedd also appear to be shutting down FOI requests in relation to Neil Foden.
This request was submitted in May, 2024 - 

The council responded with -  You should therefore receive the information you have requested, subject to the application of any exemptions permitted under the Act, by 20/06/2024...

In January, 2025, after an internal review, the monitoring officer, Iwan G D Evans, came back with -

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/neil_foden

Less than 5 'reports' into Neil Foden since 2018/19...
Failing to answer properly and shutting down the rest of the FOI, Evans also introduced the phrase 'motivated intruder' into the dialogue. 

Another example -
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/neil_foden_3

Corporate services, initially refused the request but then had to reopen the case with - 
Following our response to you on the 17th July 2025, it has come to our attention that we failed to include our complaints procedure. 
Please find below our revised response and apologise for this error.

This request was also refused by the monitoring officer after he conducted an internal review.

Moving on to another FOI - also refused by corporate services -
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/what_concerns_were_logged_by_tea

And yet another FOI request regarding Neil Foden -
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/neil_foden_2
And yet another internal review - this time shut down by the head of legal services.

In refusing these requests, cyngor Gwynedd's senior officers make much of the privacy/personal data of the individual, ignoring the fact that senior officers have a much broader public impact (position of trust, policy/decision making, salary/pension).
A reminder that law favours disclosure...

On the 27th, October, 2025, ITV published an article - 
Two men arrested following paedophile headteacher investigation in Wales
Police looking into lines of enquiry related to convicted paedophile headteacher Neil Foden have confirmed that two men were arrested earlier this year.
North Wales Police said both men remain under investigation.It added the arrests followed allegations of “non-recent abuse” by “conducting inappropriate relationships”.
https://www.itv.com/news/2025-10-27/two-men-arrested-following-paedophile-headteacher-investigation-in-wales 

The timing of this release is odd, considering the arrests were made earlier in the year..

In other news - 
Andrew Grove & Co Solicitors is now appealing for former pupils of Gellilydan School in Blaenau Ffestiniog and Thomas Ellis School near Holyhead, or anyone else who can shed any light on this case, to get in touch.

“It is unbelievable that this man, who went to prison for sexually abusing children where he was a teacher, was allowed to teach again when he came out of prison. 
“It is equally unbelievable that after 11 children from Gellilydan School made allegations of sexual abuse this was not sent to Crown Court for trial but thrown out by the Magistrates’ Court where significant figures were his friends, or at least well known to him.

Contact details for those with information can be found in the link - 
https://www.andrewgroveandco.com/post/serious-miscarriages-of-justice-in-north-wales

Tanygrisiau school...
From The Times, dated 15th, April 1986 - 

There is little information on this case and google returns 'Some results may have been removed under data protection law in Europe' when searching for the headmaster.

In 2017, cyngor Gwynedd received a FOI request in relation to the headmaster Mr Ceryl Wyn Davies
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/complaints_made_by_parents

The request was refused citing personal data and though an internal review was asked of the officer's decision, the internal review was never answered.

This trial, in 1986, would have taken place around the same time that Gwynedd council suspended Alison Taylor, the social worker who blew the whistle on the abuse of children in the care of local authorities...

Taylor and investigators were hindered by what was called 'a cult of silence'.
For some older people, the present events appear a re-run of the past... 

 If not further delayed, the Jan Pickles review will now be published on the 4th, November. 
A public inquiry into Neil Foden and cyngor Gwynedd's internal processes is needed.

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

 

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - We Need To Talk About Canolfan Brynffynnon...

Canolfan Brynffynnon, the pupil referral unit in Y Felinheli, closed by cyngor Gwynedd council in 2014, is being investigated by Andrew Grove & Co Solicitors -
https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/25090281.gwynedd-referral-unit-pupils-saw-staff-bullying-children/

Canolfan Brynffynnon made the news in 2014, when two staff members were arrested on allegations of cruelty.
A third officer was later suspended as, it is believed, they were the most senior member present on the day one incident was meant to have occurred.  

In 2016, the Crown Prosecution Service, after receiving new information, did a deep dive of the evidence and the trial was stopped.
What was that new information and who supplied it?

Though the CPS dropped the case, cyngor Gwynedd did not reinstate the staff.
Instead the suspensions continued on full pay - for years.
If there was evidence of mistreatment, why were the officers not sacked in 2016?
A criminal conviction would not be needed in cases such as this - as long as the evidence was strong.

Two employees have now received redundancy packages.
How much have these packages cost and were non disclosure agreements attached?
A reminder that NDA's may not be legally binding if they are imposed to cover illegality and/or undermine public interest...

The third employee has recently been reinstated after taking the council to Employment Tribunal.
Gwynedd council acted before the case was heard in court.

So what could have been presented to the tribunal?  
An allegation of a malicious complaint?
Were there botched interviews?
Was there a failure to adhere to procedures?
Was a social worker meant to be supporting a family whilst actively working against them?

It can be presumed that whatever came out at tribunal would be highly embarrassing for cyngor Gwynedd and their safeguarding officers - especially at this time with the Jan Pickles review ongoing.

Cyngor Gwynedd is again asking for the public to contact social services and the police with information re child abuse. In this instance, it may be better to contact Andrew Grove & Co Solicitors directly -
https://www.andrewgroveandco.com/contact-us

Something is very, very wrong within Gwynedd council...