Council apologises to former pupils over mistreatment at education unit

A council has apologised to former pupils of a north Wales education unit after acknowledging that children were mistreated there.

Canolfan Brynffynnon in Y Felinheli near Caernarfon was an education unit for children with behavioural and emotional needs that closed in 2014.

In an investigation into what happened following the closure, Y Byd ar Bedwar’s programme has revealed that Gwynedd Council has been paying compensation to former pupils.

Responding to the programme, Gwynedd Council said it had become clear that pupils had been mistreated there, and that they ‘sympathise with the victims and apologise to them.’

Five former pupils have received a payment from the council’s insurers on their behalf since April 2026 after bringing legal cases against Gwynedd Council based on their experiences at Canolfan Brynffynnon. Fourteen other former pupils are currently in the process of claiming compensation. These payments are being made without any admission of liability.

Public inquiry

Katherine Yates, a solicitor representing victims of the paedophile Neil Foden as well as former pupils of Canolfan Brynffynnon, is calling for a public inquiry into Gwynedd Council’s child safeguarding measures.

When asked whether she feels children are safe under Gwynedd Council, Mrs. Yates said: “I’m afraid I would have to say no, I don’t think they are. I really think we need a public enquiry into Gwynedd and how they are running their schools. When I look at how Gwynedd has behaved through the years – with the Foden case, with this case – I have been really shocked.”

The allegations from some former pupils and their parents involve physical and emotional mistreatment. Ms Yates added: “Most of the children complain of being placed in tyres up to their necks and having balls kicked at their heads. There are many examples where children were forced to fight each other just for the amusement of the staff. There are examples of children being forced to eat.”

Canolfan Brynffynnon was closed suddenly in 2014. A year later, Siôn Bedwyr Evans, the unit’s interim headteacher, and Garry Vaughan Roberts, a member of staff there, were charged with 49 offences of cruelty towards children between September 2006 and March 2014. Both denied the charges, with a court case scheduled for 2016, but the case was dropped after the Crown Prosecution Service received new evidence from the police, stating there was no realistic prospect of conviction.

The charges came as a result of complaints from 24 pupils who spoke to North Wales Police following the closure of the unit. One of those was Dillon Roberts, an autistic young man who attended the unit between 2010 and 2014 when he was a child. In May 2026, he received £12,000 in compensation.

“There was one time when I was dragged into the headmaster’s office. One of the teachers was holding me, and the headmaster had a strimmer. He was holding it next to my head and my neck. The strimmer was running too. I thought I was going to die.”

According to Dillon, during his interview with North Wales Police, he also mentioned other alleged mistreatment: “When I was in the kitchen, the teachers would put salt in your drink. They were bullies. If you did something wrong, you were forced into a goal, and one of the teachers would kick a ball really hard at your backside.”

As part of Dillon’s statement in his case against Gwynedd Council, he stated: “I was verbally abused by Mr Roberts over my size. Mr Roberts had a thing for my chest. As I was large, I had ‘boobs’ which Mr Roberts would scoop and squeeze. This used to hurt and embarrass me.”

Dillon also claims that Staff at Canolfan Brynffynnon bribed and threatened children: “I remember on a Friday, we would go to one of the teachers’ offices to get sweets and money, and he had a bag ready — loads of pound coins. They would just say, ‘Don’t tell your mum or dad, or if you tell them, we’ll kill them.’ I was really scared of going there every day.”

In 2017, a year after the case was dropped, Dillon’s parents received a letter from Gwynedd Council’s Children and Family Support Department. The letter acknowledged that some of the allegations made by some of the children had been substantiated, recommending that the Council, as the body employing Canolfan Brynffynnon staff, conduct its own investigation into the matter.

Suspension

During her research into the case, Katherine Yates discovered that Gwynedd Council continued to pay the salaries of the two accused staff members for 9 years while they were suspended from their posts.

“How much has that cost the taxpayer? And why should they pay that while Gwynedd Council fails to follow its own rules?”

Y Byd ar Bedwar has spoken with several parents who have brought a legal case against Gwynedd Council following their children’s experience at Canolfan Brynffynnon, revealing that two former pupils received compensation as far back as 2019. The parents of one of the former pupils who received compensation say they raised concerns with Gwynedd Council in 2010 — four years before Brynffynnon closed.

Mrs. Yates added: “The parents complained, lots of them. But nothing happened. When I look at the way Gwynedd Council has behaved with the Neil Foden case, and this case, it shocks me.”

The Y Byd ar Bedwar programme asked Gwynedd Council for an interview to discuss the Canolfan Brynffynnon case, but in a statement, a spokesperson on their behalf said: “No child should suffer mistreatment of any kind, and although these cases go back several years now, today we sympathise with the victims and apologise to them.

“In the case of Canolfan Brynffynnon, which closed in 2014, it came to light that pupils had been mistreated. A joint investigation was conducted between Gwynedd Council and North Wales Police which led to a criminal case along with the implementation of child protection procedures.”

The council said that a new review of all the steps taken at that time has already been commissioned since December last year to ensure that any lessons learned at the time continue to be implemented today.

According to the council, external insurers are responsible for compensation claims and these matters are confidential as a matter of course.

“By today, every aspect of child safeguarding arrangements in Gwynedd has been completely reviewed and strengthened in line with the recommendations of the Justice Through Our Bravery report published in 2025. This will continue to be a top priority for Gwynedd Council.”

Regarding paying the salaries of staff who were suspended for a period of 9 years, the council stated: “While we cannot comment on employment matters relating to members of staff or former members of staff, we recognise that this case has taken an unacceptably long time and apologise for that. Although the complex and unique circumstances of the cases contributed to the delay, these matters should have been resolved much sooner.”

‘True facts’

Y Byd ar Bedwar also contacted Siôn Bedwyr Evans and Garry Roberts for their response. In a statement, Bedwyr Evans said: “The allegations as presented do not accurately reflect the true facts.”

He added that the evidence which caused the case to be dropped speaks for itself, and that this evidence includes material relating to the truth of the allegations as well as the integrity of the accusers.

According to Garry Roberts, evidence of misconduct was found concerning an unsuitable ball game that was played at the unit, where balls would be kicked at individuals’ backsides.

He said: “The conclusion of the Appeals committee was that I received a final written warning that lasted 18 months.”

Regarding Dillon’s allegation of being threatened with a strimmer, he said: “The allegation that was made during the criminal investigation and I was charged with was that I held a child while another member of staff cut his hair with the strimmer.”

He added that Dillon’s other allegations were not part of the criminal investigation or Gwynedd Council’s independent investigation, and that he has never had to respond to these allegations.

Siôn Bedwyr Evans and Garry Roberts say they have complained to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) regarding the way the North Wales Police investigation was conducted, but Y Byd ar Bedwar was unable to obtain any further information about this from North Wales Police or the IOPC.

Watch Y Byd ar Bedwar: Taliadau Tawel Brynffynnon, June 15 on S4C, S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer, and S4C’s YouTube channel.