THE leader of Gwynedd Council said it will do “whatever is necessary” to assist an independent Child Practice Review (CPR) currently taking place after a former Bangor headteacher was jailed for child sex abuse.

Neil Foden, 67, formerly of Ysgol Friars, was sentenced to 17 years in prison in July, having been found guilty in May of sexually abusing four girls between 2019 and 2023.

But a BBC Wales Investigates programme, which aired last night (October 8), revealed allegations of abuse from Foden from as far back as 1979.

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The programme heard from three women who said they, too, were abused by Foden - speaking publicly for the first time, they described being targeted by him.

Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn, leader of Gwynedd Council, has said today: “From the moment the serious crimes committed by Neil Foden against children came to light, I have been shocked and horrified, and my thoughts continue to be with all the victims and their families.

 “The safety and wellbeing of all children and young people in Gwynedd is at the core of everything we do.

“I know that my fellow Gwynedd councillors share my disgust at what Neil Foden has done and that we are united in our belief that what happened to his victims is nothing short of a tragedy that should never be allowed to happen again.”

Of the three women which the BBC programme heard from, two said they have not been contacted by anyone involved in the CPR, which is being conducted by the North Wales Safeguarding Board.

The CPR board said they were unaware of the two women until being contacted by the BBC.

Jan Pickles OBE has been appointed as the review’s independent chair - she is a registered social worker who has worked with the probation service, police and the NSPCC, and has been a National Independent Safeguarding Board Wales member.

Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn added: “It is important to emphasise that the CPR panel is entirely independent of Gwynedd Council and is chaired by Jan Pickles, who is an expert in child safeguarding.

 “All relevant information in our possession, or any new information bought to our attention, will be submitted in its entirety to the CPR experts by the agreed date set for all agencies, which is October 11.

“The first stage of getting justice for Neil Foden’s victims was his conviction and sentencing.

“The next step is ensuring that lessons are learnt so that no other child suffers abuse at the hands of predators like Neil Foden.

“I hope that these actions will help to bring some peace to all the victims and their families.

“We will do whatever is necessary to assist the CPR’s independent experts to complete their work.

“At the end of this process, Gwynedd Council is also fully committed to implementing all recommendations immediately.”

The board has said it will aim to complete the review “at the earliest opportunity” and will provide regular updates to the Safeguarding and Advocacy Unit in Welsh Government.

Following Foden’s sentencing, there were calls for investigations to go further than a CPR, such as through as a statutory public inquiry.

Cllr Siencyn said: “As a council, we have also clearly stated that we will be committing in full to every investigation and review needed in light of this serious case as our priority is to establish all the facts and lessons to be learnt.

“Should other investigations of any kind be set up, we would welcome this and support their work in full.

“We would urge any members of the public who have new information relating to possible child abuse to report the matter directly to the police or contact the social services department of their local council.”