Former North Wales police chief Gordon Anglesea, will be sentenced for historical child sex abuse today

Former North Wales police superintendent Gordon Anglesea, will be sentenced for historical child sex offences on today.

A jury at Mold Crown Court found Anglesea guilty of an indecent assault against one boy, and three indecent assaults against another following a six-week trial, the offences date back to the 1980’s.

Mr Anglesea was found not guilty of an alternative charge of a serious sexual assault, he was told by Judge Geraint Walters to expect a prison sentence.

He has denied the charges, and is expected to appeal.

Anglesea, 79, from Old Colwyn was arrested in 2013 as part of the National Crime Agency’s Operation Pallial investigation into historical abuse across north Wales.

He has previously won £375,000 in libel damages from newspapers, Private Eye and then HTV over associated claims.

Anglesea was in charge of an attendance centre for young offenders based in Wrexham, where those who had been in trouble with the police would be sent. It’s here where the offences took place between 1982 and 1987.

No evidence of misconduct

During the court hearing, it was claimed two officers failed to follow up allegations against Anglesea the matter was referred to the force’s professional standards team.

An investigation failed to find any evidence of misconduct by the two officers.

Chief Constable Mark Polin said: “It has been investigated from a misconduct perspective and no evidence of misconduct has been found to this point.

“Any allegations of misconduct will be investigated. They will be investigated thoroughly and objectively.”

During investigations by the National Crime Agency, as part of Operation Pallial, investigators discovered one of Angelsea’s victims had passed a note to officers naming him as the perpetrator.

No further action was taken records show.

North Wales AM calls for accountability following the conviction

In the Assembly Chamber this week, Mr Isherwood called for a Welsh Government Statement on the implications for devolved services and devolved matters of the conviction.

Mark Isherwood AM said:

“We know that Lady Justice Macur, the Deputy Presiding Judge of the Court of Appeal, recently re-examined that particular case as part of her work on the Waterhouse North Wales Child Abuse Tribunal of 1997-98, and she stated that that Officer had lied when first questioned under caution about an offence, and that the Tribunal knew about the case in 1997, but did not obtain the file because North Wales Police considered it ‘not relevant’. We know that the Solicitor who represented one of the victims when evidence was given against him by Flintshire’s then senior Legal Officer in court, successfully defending that young man against false allegations, said he’d been threatened personally because of his inquiries defending that victim.

We know that the Solicitor who represented one of the victims when evidence was given against him by Flintshire’s then senior Legal Officer in court, successfully defending that young man against false allegations, said he’d been threatened personally because of his inquiries defending that victim.

“We know that when Flintshire’s Internal Audit Manager blew the whistle regarding matters relating to Waterhouse, and I raised that here, your colleagues and the (Welsh) Government you then represented accused me of bringing the Assembly into disrepute.

Well, matters have been raised regarding the conduct of council officers and council members at the time in public, in evidence to tribunal, in evidence in courts, and statements in newspapers, which are now brought open by this conviction.

“I hope the Welsh Government now will be somewhat more transparent and accountable, given the findings of this court case.”

Leader of the House, Jane Hutt AM, replied:

“Well, I certainly will want to ensure that we put the record straight, because I know this has been raised over the years and I will want to ensure that the Cabinet Secretary can put the record straight. I suggest he does that in a letter to the Member.”

Mr Isherwood added: “Flintshire County Council’s Internal Audit Manager at this time subsequently told me that after he had launched a routine audit investigation into why an Administrative Officer was showing on Flintshire County Council’s Annual Accounts as the Council’s second highest paid officer, so that the then District Auditor could sign off these Accounts, he was wrongly wrongly denied access to persons and documents required to carry out audit investigations into a number of matters.

He stated publicly, and later privately to me, that he received threats, including death threats.

“He then claimed constructive dismissal, bringing 38 protected disclosures under the ‘Whistleblowing’ Act (Public Interest Disclosure Act).

These allegations included massive salary and overtime payments to an administrative worker servicing the Waterhouse Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse”.

He won both the Tribunal and the subsequent Council Appeal. The Tribunal Decision Document became legally binding. However, no action was taken against any of the persons criticised by the Tribunal.”