The Ffordd Gwynedd way..?
Gwynedd Council has apologised to former pupils of the Brynffynnon Center in Felinheli, acknowledging that pupils had been abused there.
Gwynedd Council has apologised to former pupils of the Brynffynnon Center in Felinheli, acknowledging that pupils had been abused there.
In an investigation into what happened following the closure of the Centre, which was an education unit for children with behavioural and emotional needs, the Y Byd ar Bedwar program reveals that Gwynedd Council's insurers have started paying compensation to former pupils.
Responding to the programme, Gwynedd Council said that it had come to light that pupils had been abused there, and that they 'sympathise with the victims and apologise to them.'
Five former pupils have received payment from the council since April 2026 after bringing legal proceedings based on their experiences at the centre.
Another 14 former pupils are currently in the process of claiming compensation.
These payments are made without any admission of liability.
The centre was suddenly closed in 2014. A year later, Sion Bedwyr Evans, acting head of the unit, and Garry Vaughan Roberts, a member of staff there, were accused of 49 crimes of cruelty towards children between September 2006 and March 2014.
Both denied the charges, with a trial scheduled for 2016.
But the case was dropped after the Crown Prosecution Service received new evidence from the police, saying there was no realistic chance of a conviction.
The charges came as a result of complaints from 24 pupils who spoke to North Wales Police following the closure of the Centre.
One of those was Dillon Roberts, a young autistic man who attended the centre between 2010-2014 when he was a child.
In April 2026, he received compensation of £12,000 from Gwynedd Council.
"There was one time when I was dragged into the headmaster's office. One of the teachers grabbed me, and the headmaster had a strimmer. He grabbed me by my head and my neck. The strimmer was also running. I thought I was going to die," he said.
According to Dillon, during his interview with North Wales Police, he mentioned another alleged abuse:
"When I was in the kitchen, the teachers put salt in your drink. They were bullies."
As part of Dillon's case against Gwynedd Council, he said:
"I was abused by Mr. Roberts because of my size. Because I was too big, I had 'breasts', and Mr. Roberts would scoop them up and squeeze them. This used to hurt me and it made me feel ashamed."
Dillon also claims that staff at the centre bribe and threaten children:
"I remember on a Friday, we were going to (one of the teachers') office to get irons and brass, and he had a bag already - a load of pound pieces.
"They were just saying, 'Don't go to your mother or father, or, if you go to them, we'll kill them.' I was afraid to go there every day."
In 2017, a year after the case was dropped, Dillon's parents received a letter from Gwynedd Council's Children and Family Support Department.
The letter acknowledged that some of the accusations made by some of the children had been confirmed, recommending that the Council, as the body that employed the staff of the Brynffynnon Centre, conduct its own investigation into the matter.
Katherine Yates is a lawyer who is well known for representing some of the victims of the paedophile Neil Foden in their cases against Gwynedd Council.
In August 2024, the grandfather of one of Brynffynnon's former pupils contacted her to ask for help. Now, over 20 parents and former pupils have come together to start bringing legal proceedings against Gwynedd Council.
Katherine Yates said: “I was amazed at how quickly people came forward.
"And what was amazing was the nature of the allegations, and how similar they were from different people - some of these children didn't know each other, they weren't even at school at the same time - and yet the allegations are all similar."
There are allegations from some former pupils of Brynffynnon Center and their parents regarding physical and emotional abuse.
"Most of the children complain of being placed in tires up to their necks and having balls kicked at their heads. There are many examples where children have been forced to fight each other just for the amusement of the staff. There are examples of children being forced to eat."
Y Byd ar Bedwar has spoken to several parents who have brought legal proceedings against Gwynedd Council as a result of their children's experience at Brynffynnon Centre, revealing that two former pupils received compensation in 2019.
The parents of one of the former pupils who have received compensation say they raised concerns with Gwynedd Council in 2010 - four years before Brynffynnon closed.
"The parents were complaining, a lot of them. But nothing was happening."
Google translated -
https://newyddion.s4c.cymru/article/cyngor-gwynedd-ymddiheuro-gyn-ddisgyblion-canolfan-brynffynnon-gafodd-cam-drin
Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...
