Headteacher denies sexual contact with girls

A Gwynedd headteacher, accused of sexual abuse involving five girls over a four year period, has denied having any sexual contact with the complainants.

Giving evidence at his trial at Mold Crown Court, Neil Foden, 66, from Old Colwyn in Conwy, said the only physical contact between himself and the girl known as Child E was a hug or an arm around the shoulder and some hand holding, if she was upset.

Mr Foden denies 20 charges, including 13 of sexual activity with a child.

He was asked by his defence barrister Duncan Bould if it had ever gone “beyond that”, and if there had been any sexual contact, to which he said “no”.

Mr Bould went on to say that in her evidence, Child E had talked about having a sexual relationship with Mr Foden.

“It’s not true,” he said.

Neil Foden was then asked about occasions when she had been with him in his car on trips to visit a friend.

He said that he had twice made the journey with her, but he denied that there had been stops on those outings so that he could carry out sexual acts on her in his car.

“Nothing happened,” he said.

One detour they had made on one occasion was in order for him to check out the location of a walk he was hoping to do, he said, but nothing sexual had taken place.

“I never had sex with Child E and couldn’t have done even if I wanted to,” he said, detailing to the court his prostate cancer scare and problems with erectile dysfunction.

He admitted that they had discussed an unusual sexual practice which he told her he had taken part in with a partner many years before, but that he had not taken part in that practice with Child E.

He also denied that he and Child E had ever gone away together to stay in hotels outside of Gwynedd.

“She knew where and why I was going away,” he said, but he denied that he had ever asked her to accompany him on trips.

Mr Foden was also asked about gifts that Child E had said in her evidence that she had bought him.

He confirmed that she had bought him a football shirt on one occasion, as a late birthday present.

“I said 'you shouldn’t do that, I won’t be getting anything for your birthday'," he said.

Later, he said, she also bought him aftershave.

He also gave an account of an occasion when she gave him £900 pounds in cash to pay towards his bathroom renovations.

“I said I couldn’t take it. we argued about it… she left it with me," he said.

He admitted he had used the money and had then tried to pay her back, but she would not take it.

Mr Bould then asked Mr Foden about the time when a teacher had raised concerns about his meeting alone with Child E.

“He thought I was putting myself at the risk of false allegations,” he said.

He went on to explain how the then director of education for Gwynedd, Garem Jackson, had later phoned him and told him to “be careful”, but that he was “satisfied there was no issue”.

Earlier, Foden, who was head of Ysgol Friars, in Bangor, and strategic head of Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle secondary school in Penygroes, explained to the court how he was attracted into teaching after being inspired by one of his own English teachers, getting his first teaching job in 1979.

He joined Ysgol Friars as a deputy head in 1989, becoming headteacher in 1997.

Mr Foden recounted his early teaching life.

He said that since working at Ysgol Friars, the school had expanded and its reputation had improved to the point where it was later regarded as the “most successful school in north Wales.”

Before Mr Foden took the stand, the court heard from a technical expert who had examined Mr Foden’s mobile phone as part of the investigation into the allegations.

He told the court that he found 17 photographs and videos of Child A, some of which were of a sexual nature.

The court was told the images, consisting of 11 photographs and six videos, had been stored in a folder on Mr Foden’s phone which required a PIN number access.

They had been deleted 45 minutes before Mr Foden’s arrest on 6 September last year, but were recovered.

The trial continues.