School principal who committed sexual harassment ‘could have been stopped’

A headmaster convicted of grooming and sexually abusing four teenage girls could be detained, according to a parent whose daughter had one-on-one sessions with him.

This came to light during Neil Foden’s trial. Teachers raised concerns in 2019 about his behavior towards one of his victims.

However, education authorities did not investigate the matter and Foden was later appointed “super principal” of another school.

A parent told the BBC the lack of action was “inexcusable”.

Gwynedd Council said it was “appalled” by Foden’s crimes and would conduct an independent review of its approach to previous reservations.

Foden (66), who was headteacher of Ysgol Friars North Wales Secondary School in Bangor and short-term strategic ‘super headteacher’ of another secondary school, was appointed sentenced in May of 19 charges committed between 2019 and 2023.

He had he denied all crimes and claimed his victims lied when they said he couldn’t have sex because of a medical condition.

He was sentenced on Monday to 17 years in prisonand Judge Rhys Rowlands called him a “spoiled… bully” with an “obsession with teenage girls”.

Warning: This article contains information and images that some readers may find disturbing.

During the trial, Neil Foden’s victims described a pattern of grooming and sexual abuse, including sending sexual text messages and fetish references.

When police searched Foden’s car, they found a pair of lace handcuffs in his shoe with traces of his DNA and that of one of the girls he had molested.

Neil Foden was a well-known figure in the Welsh education system, a former trade union official who frequently appeared on television news.

He had been headmaster of Ysgol Friars since 1996, and his disciplinary style and controversial opinions made him definitely on the front pages of newspapers.

During the sentencing, two of Foden’s four victims chose to appear before him in court without screens.

One said she wanted him to hear “first-hand the impact he had” on her life. Foden kept his head down during the interview, not making eye contact with the girls he had molested.

Det Con Jemma Jones, of North Wales Police, was an acting detective sergeant in September 2023 when she was drawn into the investigation.

She was told that one of the victims had made accusations against a well-known school principal that morning.

She said in the new BBC documentary: “The child revealed that they believed she was in a romantic relationship with Neil Foden.”

She said the child making the allegations, who became known as Child A, showed adult text messages sent between her and Foden.

The lyrics concerned sexual acts. The child also showed the adult a photo of himself and Foden in his car.

Det Con Jones and her colleagues launched an investigation, codenamed Operation Stone, which resulted in Foden being arrested and remanded in custody.

He made no comment when questioned by police.

During interviews, Child A told police officers that Foden took her in his car to remote rural locations he found on Google maps.

One day she saw bales of hay outside the window.

She said the hugging and kissing turned into intimate touching.

He also indulged in a fetish. She said he would encourage her to drink large amounts of water and then press on her bladder in an attempt to force her to urinate.

When police searched Foden’s computer they discovered he had been searching the internet for information about a urination fetish.

Director-aggressor

North Wales school principal Neil Foden molested teenagers for four years, but could he have been stopped?

Watch on iPlayer and on BBC One Wales on Monday 1 July at 22:50 BST.

Foden warned the girl not to tell anyone what they had done, adding that she must “take it to her grave”.

Police discovered she had been searching Google for terms such as “I think I’m being sexually harassed, what should I do?” and “How to tell your parents that someone molested you.”

Detective Con Jones said the girl’s courage and confession were “vital to the investigation”.

“I think that thanks to the confessions she revealed, others gained self-confidence and started speaking openly,” she added.

In the weeks that followed, as reports of allegations against Foden in connection with Child A emerged, additional victims came forward, describing a similar grooming scheme designed to gain their trust.

They were then held hands, hugged and touched.

With one girl, him he pinched her thigh and stroked her back under her clothes.

He discussed sexual activities and loss of virginity.

Then in October 2023, another victim, known as Child E, came forward.

“Baby E (was) vulnerable again but for different reasons,” Det Con Jones said.

“How can I explain this? She’s quite a powerful character. She played a key role in this case again, because the crimes she exposed took place in 2019.

“So we were looking at a different period.”

Foden began grooming and sexually abusing Child E in 2019.

He had sex with the victim, sometimes held her down with a belt or lace handcuffs, and then sexually assaulted her.

Foden called the girl his “sex toy.”

The victim also joined Foden on party trips, sometimes staying with him in hotels.

All of Foden’s victims were described as being vulnerable in some way – and therefore made him a target.

Det Con Jones said: “He was regarded as a powerful and influential person in the community he served.

“I think it’s clear that he took advantage of that position by abusing children.”

During Foden’s trial, it emerged that a number of people had raised concerns in 2019 about his close relationship with Child E, although their concerns were primarily about Foden’s own reputation.

The issues were raised at the time by Gwynedd’s Director of Education, Garem Jackson.

He told the court he raised his concerns with the security officer but was told that because no specific allegations had been made, no formal investigation would be launched.

Instead, he was told to speak to Foden on the phone and remind him to “keep an appropriate distance” from young people.

He said Foden told him the concerns were “overly dramatic” and assured him there was nothing going on.

He told the court he had “no written record” of any of those exchanges other than the original email he received.

At Foden’s trial, the judge criticized the council’s lack of investigation has been called “very disturbing”.

Foden was later asked to take up the role of strategic headteacher at another school, Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle in Penygroes, near Caernarfon, a role he held for around a year, from June 2021 to August 2022.

One parent, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity to protect his daughter’s identity, said he was unaware of the reports in 2019 and contacted Neil Foden for help after that date.

He believes that if the council had conducted an investigation, Foden could have been stopped from committing the crime.

“It could have prevented this,” he said.

“That’s the key factor. Nothing has changed in his behavior.”

The man’s daughter attended one-on-one sessions with Neil Foden for several months.

The girl was not one of Foden’s victims, but her father suspects the school principal may have planned to exploit her.

He showed the BBC screenshots of text messages between him and Foden, in which Foden repeatedly tells him not to talk to his daughter about the session.

The girl’s family is now haunted by fear of what could have happened.

“For me, it’s a lot easier to think, ‘That would never happen,’” Dad said.

“The reality is, chances are, if he had any inclination, he would have done it.

“I spent too much time thinking about it, afraid of how far it would have gone if Baby A hadn’t come forward.”

An independent review of children’s practice will now be carried out to see what lessons can be learned.

In a statement, Gwynedd City Council said it was “appalled” by Foden’s crimes and paid tribute to the courage and resilience of his victims.

The chairman and vice chairman of the current board of governors resigned after the trial. In their letter announcing their resignations, they said the verdict in the trial was a “significant milestone” for them.

Garem Jackson said in a statement that safeguarding was a “key priority” for him as head of education and he left the role for personal reasons shortly after Foden’s arrest.

He said he would fully cooperate with the independent review, adding: “On the rare occasions where concerns have been raised directly with me, I have raised them with the appropriate official, whose advice I have followed, as I did in this case.

“My thoughts are with Foden’s victims and everyone affected by his actions.”

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