Jury considers verdict in trial of ex-headteacher accused of child sex offences

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The jury in the trial of a former high school headteacher accused of sexual offences against children has been sent out to consider its verdicts.

Neil Foden, 66, who worked at a school in North Wales, is charged with 20 offences against five girls, who cannot be identified.

Sending them out to consider their verdicts shortly after 2.30pm on Tuesday, Judge Rhys Rowlands told the jury: “You’ll need to ask yourself who is lying about important things and who it is who has tried to tell the truth as best they can.”

The trial at Mold Crown Court, which began last month, heard Foden allegedly molested one complainant, child A, and would take her on “road trips” to secluded areas in his car.

Child A told police that Foden warned her she must never say what they were doing and had to “take it to the grave”.

The court heard he referred to another of the youngsters, child E, as his “little sex toy” while she called him “Mr Perfect”.

Foden is also accused of pinching the thigh of child B and putting his hand under her clothing.

Child C alleged he had placed his hand at the top of her inner thighs and child D said he had breathed on her neck and touched her bottom beneath a skirt.

Giving evidence, Foden told the jury he was “not an abusive adult” and said he was not able to have sex because of erectile dysfunction caused by a medical condition.

Foden, of Old Colwyn, North Wales, denies 13 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.

The jury was sent home shortly before 4pm on Tuesday and will resume deliberations at 10am on Wednesday.