Neil Foden: Judge’s comment on paedophile head’s minimum jail term was ‘incorrect’

Neil Foden, 66, from Old Colwyn in Conwy county, was convicted of 19 charges in total, including 12 counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of sexual activity with a child while he was in a position of trust.

The teacher joined Ysgol Friars in Bangor, Gwynedd, as a deputy head in 1989, becoming headteacher in 1997.

He was also strategic head of Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle secondary school in Penygroes.

Sentencing him at Mold Crown Court in July, Judge Rhys Rowlands said he was “depraved”, “arrogant”, and a “bully”.

In the letter to Saville Roberts, seen by BBC Wales, CPS deputy chief crown prosecutor in Wales Huw Rogers said: “During the sentencing hearing, the judge said that Mr Foden would serve two thirds of his sentence in custody before he would be released.

“This was incorrect. Mr Foden will serve half of his sentence in custody, at which point he will be released on licence.”

The letter goes on to explain that only offences with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment are kept in prison for two thirds of their sentence, while “defendants sentenced for offences which have a maximum sentence less than life imprisonment are released after half of their sentence.”