A ‘evil’ paedophile headteacher who used young girls to satisfy his ‘perverted desires’ has been jailed for 17 years.
Neil Foden, one of the most powerful and well-known headteachers in north Wales, was arrested in September 2023 while he was working at a school.
The 66-year-old was then convicted following a trial in May of 19 offences involving the abuse of four girls between 2019 and 2023.
Concerns about his conduct with one of the victims was raised by teachers in 2019, but these were not investigated by the education authorities.
It was a decision one parent described as ‘unforgivable’ saying a full investigation ‘could have stopped it’.
At the sentencing at Mold Crown Court today, Judge Rhys Rowlands said Foden was ‘determined’ to satisfy his perverted fetish desires.
Headteacher Neil Foden, 66, who used young girls to satisfy his ‘perverted desires’ has been jailed for 17 years
A bodycame captured the moment Foden was arrested in September 2023 while he was working at a school
Following his arrest, Foden gave no comment throughout his police interviews while in custody
He described Foden as a ‘domineering’ and ‘bombastic’ character who was looked up to by many, but was a ‘man who managed to hide a dreadful secret, an appalling flaw in your character, that being your sexual obsession with young teenage girls’.
The judge said: ‘Your behaviour was born out of your arrogant sense of your self-worth, such that you believed no one would stand up to you.’
‘It is clear that you have no remorse. You have not shown an ounce of contrition for what you did and you have no insight into the undoubted very serious harm you have caused both to individual victims and to their families.’
He was once one of the most powerful teachers in north Wales – heading up schools and a senior figure in a teaching union. He had a reputation as an authoritarian who brought results – a benevolent dictator with a more caring side alongside the strictly imposed rules.
But in reality Neil Foden was a bully, terrorising pupils and staff, using his position of power to silence those who dared to challenge him.
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.
The judge described Foden as a ‘domineering’ and ‘bombastic’ character who was looked up to by many, but was a ‘man who managed to hide a dreadful secret, an appalling flaw in your character, that being your sexual obsession with young teenage girls’
Neil Foden, a former National Union of Teachers official in Wales, arriving at Mold Crown Court on April 22, 2024
He had a reputation for strictly upholding the rules, making him a marmite character who divided opinions. In addition he rose to become an executive member for Wales in the National Union of Teachers, which later merged with another union to become the National Education Union.
This cemented his power base in the upper echelons of the teaching profession. It made him possibly the most high profile headteacher in North Wales. He was often called upon to give comments in the media, including talking about sexual harassment at schools in 2021.
His empire was extended when he was also appointed strategic head of Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle secondary school in Penygroes.
Two of Foden’s four victims chose to face him in court without screens as they read statements detailing the impact of the abuse on them.
One said: ‘He exploited both my body and mind and I feel tired and constantly sick as a result.’
Another victim said: ‘I feel that when he made me go to court to give my evidence he wanted to hurt me for reporting him and, instead of justice, he wanted revenge.’
In a statement which was read to the court, another of the girls abused by Foden said: ‘I believed him when he said he loved me and I was the only one he wanted.’
Foden had a reputation for strictly upholding the rules, making him a marmite character who divided opinions
Foden’s empire was extended when he was also appointed strategic head of Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle (pictured) secondary school in Penygroes
She added: ‘What Mr Foden has done is evil. It’s hit me hard and I’ll never forgive him.’
Foden shook his head at some points as victim statements were read but showed no emotion as he was sentenced.
The jury of seven women and five men delivered their verdicts on Foden, of Gwynant, Old Colwyn, after a three-week trial.
He was also ordered to pay £4,000 towards prosecution costs.
During his trial, 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 of his car, while he was in the driver’s seat.
Foden, who was previously an executive member for the National Education Union, was arrested after child A showed an adult a photo of them together and screenshots of messages about oral sex.
The court heard he would pick her up in his car and drive them to secluded areas and sexually abuse her.
Foden warned the girl not to tell anyone what they did, telling her she must ‘take it to the grave’, according to a BBC documentary about his crimes which airs at 10.50pm tonight.
Police found she had googled terms such as ‘I think I’m being sexually groomed, what do I do?’ and ‘how to tell your parents you were groomed’.
Another complainant, child E, told police she referred to Foden as Mr P, for perfect, while he called her ‘his little sex toy’.
She also described meeting the defendant in his BMW car, which had personalised number plates, and driving to remote lay-bys and country lanes ‘for him to have a play with me’.
After Foden was arrested, police later found a pair of purple and black lace handcuffs in the boot of his car which had DNA present matching Foden and the youngster.
After Foden was arrested, police later found a pair of purple and black lace handcuffs in the boot of his car which had DNA present matching Foden and the youngster
Foden was convicted of pinching the thigh of child B and putting his hand under her clothing and of placing his hands at the top of child C’s inner thighs.
All of his victims were described as vulnerable in one way or another, and were targeted by him for this reason.
Duncan Bould, defending, said Foden had contributed in a positive way to the lives of others during his career as a teacher and a trades union representative.
He said: ‘All of those achievements are now lost to him because of his own behaviour, as is his reputation.’
There were warnings about his behaviour though.
There was a lost employment tribunal – where a reference for a teacher mentioned the teacher had been investigated for malpractice – but didn’t add that he’d been cleared. In this Foden was described as ‘autocratic’ by the employment tribunal judge.
He was 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.
At the time, the BBC reported Foden’s fitness to practise hearing was told he ‘singled out’ a teacher by blaming him for the cancellation of a school trip in 2014.
The hearing was told the head of Ysgol Friars in Bangor, Gwynedd, ‘should have appreciated the need for an independent and balanced investigation’ before starting disciplinary proceedings. Four other allegations were not proved.
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 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’.
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 a penny
Manchester United footballer and school meals campaigner Marcus Rashford (pictured receiving his MBE for services to vulnerable children in 2021) criticised Foden’s strict policy at the time and said ‘for many children, lunch at school is the only meal they’ll get’
At his trial jurors were told a concern had been raised in 2019 with the local authority’s former Director of Education Garem Jackson about Neil Foden meeting teenagers alone but no records of the meeting were kept.
The council did not investigate the matter when raised in 2019.
Mr Jackson resigned from his post in 2023 for ‘personal reasons’. The local authority has since announced an independent review will take place to establish ‘what lessons can be learnt’.
In September 2023 Foden’s sick crimes finally caught up with him when he was arrested by police at school.
A bodycam captured the moment he was arrested, showing a police officer telling him: ‘Mr Foden, unfortunately I need to arrest you on suspicion of sexual touching a child and sexual communications with a child.’
Foden replied: ‘Right.’
Then the police officer read him his rights, informing him: ‘You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention something, when questioned, which you later rely on in court.’
Foden said: ‘Okay.’
He was subsequently charged with 20 offences against five girls.
In May this year after a trial he was found guilty of 19 of those offences, against four girls.
At the sentencing at Mold Crown Court (pictured) today, Judge Rhys Rowlands said Foden was ‘determined’ to satisfy his perverted desires
Det Con Jemma Jones, of North Wales Police, was working as a detective sergeant in September 2023 when she was brought into the investigation.
She was told by colleagues a victim had made allegations that morning about the well-known head teacher.
She said in a new BBC documentary: ‘A child had made disclosures that she’d been, in their words, in a romantic relationship with Neil Foden.’
She said the child making the allegations, who came to be known as Child A, had shown the police text messages related to sexual acts between her and Foden.
The child also showed an adult a photo of herself with Foden in his car. When he was arrested and taken into custody, Foden gave no comment throughout his police interviews.
One parent, who spoke to the BBC anonymously to protect the identity of his daughter, said he had not known about the 2019 concerns which were raised and approached Foden for help after that date.
He believes that if the council had investigated, Foden’s offending could have been stopped.
‘That could have stopped it,’ he said.
‘That’s the key factor. Nothing changed in his behaviour.’
The man’s daughter ended up having one-to-one sessions with Foden over a number of months. Although nothing happened, the father worries Foden was planning to groom his daughter.
The chair and vice-chair of the current board of governors of Gwynedd council stood down in the wake of the trial.
Councillor Beca Brown, the council’s cabinet member for education, said after the sentencing it was ‘clear’ the victims had been ‘let down’ and said she would welcome a public inquiry.
She said: ‘Whatever the outcome of the review that is underway, at the centre of all this are young girls who have suffered a horrific experience – and what happened to them should never happen again.
‘I am eager to collaborate with the review and would welcome any early recommendations or ideas of lessons to be learned going forward from here.
‘I welcome the appointment of the independent chair and investigators, who are very experienced in this area, and I want the remit of the review to be broad and thorough with evidence provided by all as needed.’
Foden, of Old Colwyn, North Wales, 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.
He was cleared of one count of sexual activity with a child, where he was alleged to have touched the bottom of child D.
