Kids were made to eat dog biscuits off the floor
Former students say being forced to eat dog biscuits off the floor is part of life for young children in the education diversion unit.
One had a football scare after “rock solid” balls were rained down on him, another had a glass of blackcurrant juice poured on his head.
And they say it’s not even a punishment, it’s fun for the staff. When students were disciplined at Y Felinheli’s Canolfan Brynffynnon, some could also expect to be locked in a dark toilet or tapped until their noses bled.
Cyngor Gwynedd acknowledged that the abuse had occurred and apologized to the victims.
Two former staff members allegedly involved in the incident vehemently denied the allegations.
The 21 people who attorney Katherine Yates said are currently pursuing the allegations include Rhiannon Evans, who was 10 when they were sent, and Levi Lewis, who was 4.
Two men reached a £10,000 settlement with local authorities for treatment after they said they were short-staffed.
He is calling for a public inquiry into the council’s management of schools, saying the current case feels “extremely hot”. Jail for pedophile school principal Neil Foden.
“Every day there was something going on, from kids being dragged down the hallway to kids being forced to eat dog biscuits off the floor,” said Rhiannon, now 27.
“I remember one incident where they threw a biscuit on the floor and told me to eat it.
“I remember the biscuit exactly. It was a Bourbon chocolate chip biscuit.”
Rhiannon Evans’ memories of her childhood are colored with sadness after her time on the unit [Rhiannon Evans]
Canolfan Brynffynnon closed in 2014 following allegations that staff mistreated students.
This was six years after Rhiannon of Caernarfon was sent there because of “behavior problems” at primary school.
He attributes this to being bullied because he was raised by his grandparents and his life was “different from everyone else’s.”
But Rhiannon told how she “felt like a peasant” from the moment she arrived at Brynffynnon, with a worker pouring a liter of blackcurrant juice on her head “just for fun”.
“I was sticky all afternoon,” he said.
“I was stinking all afternoon, so I went home and my grandma took me straight into the bathroom.
“But the smell of blackcurrant juice persisted for several days.”
Rhiannon hopes her story serves as a wake-up call for the local authority and questions whether all children in Gwynedd are safe [Google]
Children who make progress in the unit are allowed to start visiting their nursery again, Rhiannon said.
However, if they received a bad report there, they were punished when they returned to Brynffynnon.
“And that could be because of being locked in a bathroom with the lights off,” Rhiannon added.
“And then they piled the tires on us so that only our heads were sticking out, and then they kicked footballs at our heads, like hard-as-a-rock footballs.”
The woman, who said that talking about this issue brought back the feeling of pain, described herself as “an innocent child serving a prison sentence.”
Even now, just having a drink or seeing a kid playing football on the street can trigger painful memories.
He added: “I don’t think this damage can ever be undone – ever.
“Unfortunately, the emotional trauma will never leave me.”
Last year Rhiannon admitted her boyfriend had engaged in abusive behavior towards his ex-partner, resulting in a two-year restraining order against contacting the victim.
He said: “I made a mistake that I now regret.
“My painful childhood meant that I didn’t always make the best decisions as an adult, and I understand that now.”
Levi Lewis stayed at the unit until it closed in 2014 and still suffers from “panic attacks, anxiety and trust issues” [BBC]
Levi Lewis, now 21, said school was good for the first few months.
“I guess it looked like a normal school,” he said.
“Then things started to happen. The first thing I remember was being forced to eat dog biscuits and from then on it just got worse.
“I remember their shape, their color, everything, so every time I see them in the store I feel sick.”
Levi was four years old when he was sent there from nursery in 2009 and remained at the unit until it closed in 2014.
The reason for this was his behavior, which he described as “destructive and noisy”.
Levi from Bangor put it this way: ADHDHe wasn’t diagnosed until after he left Brynffynnon.
She described being dragged down a corridor by her hair and held in a dark toilet for “hours”; but the punishments got worse.
“If I misbehaved, they would take me to the office, sometimes to class in front of people, and hit me on the nose so hard it would start bleeding,” Levi said.
“I still have issues with my nose bleeding randomly.”
He was afraid of footballs because he was getting hit by them and his knuckles were getting stuck in his head.
“I still have night terrors sometimes,” he added.
“They don’t happen often, but they do happen. When I was about 11, maybe 12, it happened almost every night; I would wake up in a cold sweat from a nightmare about one of the things they had done to me.”
“I found a way to deal with them, but I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of them.”
Levi doesn’t believe the children in Gwynedd are safe.
Levi Lewis was afraid of football because of his treatment [Levi Lewis]
In 2016, child cruelty charges against two former Brynffynnon employees were dropped.
The two men initially faced 50 charges between them.
But North Wales Police said that as evidence continued to be gathered “the Crown Prosecutor has reviewed all available information and determined that the case no longer meets the threshold for a criminal prosecution to proceed”.
In a criminal court, prosecutors must prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt.
In a civil case for damages the level of evidence required is lower on the balance of probabilities.
The two men continued to deny the allegations, prompting a stay of the criminal case.
The case of pedophile school principal Neil Foden made many headlines after his sentencing [North Wales Police]
Paedophile headteacher Neil Foden in separate case Found guilty of sexual abuse in 2024 and sentenced to 17 years in prison involving four girls over a four-year period.
Foden was responsible for two other Gwynedd schools and a later review found More than 50 missed opportunities to intervene and stop him.
Rhiannon and Levi’s attorney, Katherine Yates, also represents some of Foden’s victims.
He said: “I think we need a public inquiry.
“Canolfan Brynffynnon is not a one-off incident, it comes hot on the heels of the Neil Foden case.
“Who knows what else is waiting to emerge? How many other skeletons are rattling around in the closets?
“I don’t think Gwynedd needs to do its own homework. I think we need to know what happened, why it happened, is anyone to blame and what can we do to prevent it from happening again?”
Ms Yates said she was currently representing 21 plaintiffs.
Cyngor Gwynedd said it had received 10 formal requests and nine had been resolved.
In a statement, the council acknowledged that “pupils were subjected to abuse”, adding: “No child should be subjected to any form of abuse and although these cases date back several years, we offer our condolences to the victims and apologize to them.”
He added: “A new review has already been launched examining the actions taken by the council at the time to ensure that the lessons learned then continue to be applied today.
“To date, all aspects of child protection arrangements in Gwynedd have been fully reviewed and strengthened in line with UN recommendations. Our Courage Brought Justice reportReleased in 2025.”
A spokesman said that in some cases “claims can be agreed so that victims can avoid unnecessary court proceedings” and that “independent insurers are responsible for investigating claims and deciding their next steps in accordance with the law”.
