Disgusting headmaster sexually abused children

A former school principal was sentenced to prison for 19 sexual offenses against four girls.

Neil Foden, former headteacher of Ysgol Friars in Bangor and head of strategy at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle Secondary School in Penygroes, was today, Monday 1 July, convicted of sexual offences. He was found not guilty of one count relating to a fifth child.

In May, Foden was found guilty of sexual intercourse with a child, using or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to arrange or incite sexual activity with a child by penetration, sexual communication with a child, two counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust and possession of an indecent photograph of a child.

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The judge has adjourned the case until today so that a preliminary report can be prepared for sentencing.

When the 66-year-old was found guilty, Judge Rhys Rowlands described him as “arrogant and controlling”. North Wales Live reported from the court ahead of the verdict. The court heard that concerns about Foden had previously been raised with Gwynedd Council. Judge Rowlands said: “When genuine concerns about the defendant were first raised with the council, they were simply dismissed, virtually out of hand.”

He said no investigation had been carried out and no notes had been taken. He added: “We now know that he has continued to commit crimes. This is very worrying indeed.”

The court was shown a video of the defendant holding the hand of one of the girls, Child A, as she sat in the back seat of his car while he sat in the driver’s seat. Foden was arrested after Child A showed an adult a photo of them together and screenshots of messages about oral sex.

She told police: “He said he loved me. After a while it got a bit more sexual.” Another complainant, Child E, told police she referred to Foden as “Mr P”, which is perfect, while he called her “his little sex toy”. She also described meeting the defendant in his BMW, which had personalised number plates, and how they would drive to secluded lay-bys and country roads.

Foden was accused of pinching Child B on the thigh and putting his hand under her clothing. Child C claimed he put his hand on her inner thighs. Foden denied all offences and said he was not an “abusive adult”.

Before the verdict was handed down, four victim impact statements were read out, with the second and third victims reading their own statements, while the other two were read out by junior prosecutor Sarah Badrawy. The second victim, who bravely read her own statement to the court, said: “I seem to be mumbling randomly to myself. I feel like his behaviour and the prosecution have left an impression on me.”

She added: “Stress caused heartburn, nosebleeds and I fainted. I’m stuck in a physical cycle. I’m panicking that I saw him, which is ridiculous.”

“(Foden) has his own intentions and plans for me and my mother is angry and hurt. I feel like I’m more cautious around people I know. I thought I knew him, but I don’t. Now I’m cooler.”

The third victim took the stand and described what had happened to her as Foden sat in the dock with his head bowed. She said: “Mr Foden has ripped out a huge part of me that I don’t think I will ever get back. His behaviour disgusted me. When he made me give evidence in court I felt he wanted to hurt me for reporting him. He didn’t want justice, he wanted revenge. He preys on vulnerable young girls, which is outrageous.”

Passing sentence, Judge Rowlands described Foden as “all-powerful” and said: “Without the courage of your victims, the support of their families and the thoroughness of the police, you would almost certainly have continued to commit crimes.”

He went on to say that he “probably got a thrill from a certain amount of risk-taking and cared little about the opinions of others.”

Briefly reviewing the facts of the case when handing down sentence, the judge recalled how Foden took Child A with him on trips to Liverpool and, on business trips, secretly took him to hotel rooms in South Wales, where he had sex on at least one occasion and performed a sexual act on at least one occasion.

Foden was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Judge Rowlands told him he must spend a minimum of two years behind bars. Foden, who sat stone-faced in the dock, was told he had been given a lifetime sexual harm prevention order and a 10-year restraining order banning him from having any contact with his victims.

He was also told he would have to pay £4,000 in legal costs.

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