Paedophile headteacher may have targeted children for up to 40 years

A paedophile head teacher who was jailed for abusing schoolgirls may have been targeting children for up to 40 years.

Neil Foden, one of the most powerful and well-known headteachers in north Wales, was convicted of 19 offences involving the abuse of four girls between 2019 and 2023.

But there are now fears the 66-year-old's trail of abuse dates back to 1979 - after one of the first pupils that Foden ever taught at Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen, Bethesda, came forward and said she was assaulted.

Another former pupil, who has also not revealed her identity, said she was groomed by Foden for five years at Ysgol Friars in Bangor and received messages from him until the day he was arrested in September 2023.

The two women told a BBC investigation that police had informed them that there were up to 20 potential other victims of Foden's abuse.

Legal action is now being taken against Cyngor Gwynedd, the local authority responsible for employing Foden as a senior member of the Welsh education system. 

Solicitor Katherine Yates, who is representing a dozen people who say they have suffered because of Foden, says her clients' ages ranged from 14 to 50.

Ms Yates told the BBC: 'There is a mixture of serious sexual abuse, physical abuse and emotional abuse.

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'The first client is now in her 50s, my youngest is 14... the council are vicariously liable for the actions of their employees.

'His actions have impacted on so many lives, that of children, their families, staff... I think he could and should have been stopped a lot sooner.'

One of the alleged victims said Foden would message her from his personal email account and mobile phone until he was arrested by officers.

The woman claims she was targeted by Foden because she was a vulnerable child in the care system who was 'self harming' and 'having panic attacks'.

She told the BBC: 'He'd give me hugs and I didn't always want them so I'd pull back, then he'd pull me in stronger... just without reason, his hands would go under my jumper.

'He often checked my arms and my legs to see if I'd self-harmed. I often wore a skirt, so he'd lift the skirt up to have a look.'

The alleged victim says she would get into Foden's car alone and be told by other teachers and staff 'how lucky I was to have him drive me home'.

Another woman said Foden would target her when they were both alone in his classroom whilst she was a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen, Bethesda, in 1979.

She believes the abuse has been 'going on for decades' and went to the police after his arrest in 2023, having previously not reported the alleged assault at the time because she thought no one would believe her.

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The two alleged victims say they have not been contacted by Cyngor Gwynedd – who are running an independent review to 'identify what lessons are to be learned' from the Foden case.

The women are concerned the review will not be strong enough and feel more should be done to 'hold everyone who was accountable'.

The local authority, which has been criticised for not acting sooner on concerns about Foden, also suggested further investigations - including a possible public inquiry - could follow.

Council bosses are already working with an independent North Wales Safeguarding Board review says it will implement its recommendations.

Foden, of Old Colwyn, entered teaching in 1979 when he was in his 20s. He made rapid progress and joined Ysgol Friars in Bangor as deputy head in 1989.

In 1996 he became headteacher at Friars, one of the most high profile schools in north west Wales, with around 1,200 pupils.

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Fears paedophile headteacher may have targeted children for up to 40 years

He also became an executive member for Wales in the National Union of Teachers, which later merged with another union to become the National Education Union, and worked as an advisor to the Welsh Government. 

Yet he faced employment tribunal allegations of 'petty' and 'vindictive' behaviour - and it emerged during Foden's trial that a teacher raised concerns with Gwynedd Council's then-director of education Garem Jackson about his behaviour with one teenage girl four years before his arrest.

He had previously been given a second role as a short-term so-called 'super-head' of another school, Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle, despite earlier allegations of bullying made against him by Ysgol Friars staff. 

Tom Giffard MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Education Minister, said: 'The council's failure to act on early red flags, concerns from staff and repeated warning signs about Foden's predatory behaviour has led to devastating consequences, with potential victims spanning decades.

'The fact that Foden served as an advisor to the Welsh Government raises serious questions about the thoroughness of the Welsh Labour Government's vetting process. Were they aware of any of the accusations surrounding Foden before becoming an advisor?

'Cyngor Gwynedd and the Welsh Government have a duty to fully investigate, with immediate action and transparency required to ensure such horrific abuses never happen again.'

Foden lost his union role in 2020 when found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct in 2020.

The Education Workforce Council panel heard allegations against Foden from three members of staff between April 2014 and October 2016.

Foden then hit the headlines in 2021 when it emerged the cook at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle had been 'instructed not to give food to any child' in a letter written by him if school dinner debts were not cleared, even if they owed only a penny.

Manchester United footballer and school meals campaigner Marcus Rashford criticised Foden's strict policy at the time and said 'for many children, lunch at school is the only meal they'll get'.

In June of this year, Foden was convicted of 12 counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of sexual activity with a child in a position of trust, and one count each of causing or inciting child sexual activity, attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence, sexual communication with a child, possession of indecent photographs of a child and sexual assault of a child.

MailOnline have approached Cyngor Gwynedd for a comment.