George Thomas child rape claims go to inquiry
THREE allegations of sexual assault against the late Cardiff MP and Commons Speaker George Thomas – including one that he raped a nine-year-old boy in the Welsh capital – have been referred by South Wales Police to an overarching investigation into historic sex abuse, we can reveal.
The move comes four years after a man now living in Australia made a complaint that he had been abused at home in the late 1960s and early 1970s by the politician who had befriended his foster parents.
In 2014 his alleged victim, then aged 55, told the Daily Mirror: “I was raped by George Thomas in Cardiff. I was about nine.
“He spent a lot of time at my house as my parents were good friends with him. Things started small but then got a lot worse. It has been with me all my life.”
He said the alleged abuse was also carried out at another address in the city. The alleged victim said his foster parents were Labour Party supporters. He added: “We went on many
campaigns for Harold Wilson, Jim Callaghan and George Thomas.”
He said he had to report the rape claim to South Wales police on two occasions, adding that he was disappointed by the response from officers.
Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Holland said in 2014: “We were made aware of these allegations in April 2013 and have attempted to get in touch with the victim. Unfortunately incorrect contact information was used. As a result we failed to make contact.
“We have since spoken to the victim, apologised for the delay and are investigating his claims. This delay was unacceptable and we have referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.”
A spokeswoman for the IPCC told us it had referred the complaint back to South Wales Police.
Another of the allegations of sexual assault against Thomas was made by a male who said he had been touched inappropriately by Thomas on a train.
A spokesman for South Wales Police told us that South Wales Police had taken the investigations into the complaints as far as they could. They were now passing their completed files to Operation Hydrant, an over-arching UK-wide investigation into allegations of sexual abuse including by celebrities and politicians.
Thomas, who previously worked as a teacher, was elected MP for Cardiff Central in 1945. Later, after boundary changes, he became MP for Cardiff West until his retirement from the Commons in 1983. In the late 1960s he was Secretary of State for Wales, playing a leading role at the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in Caernarfon Castle in 1969.
Between 1976 and 1983 he was Speaker, during which Commons debates were broadcast on radio for the first time. He became well-known across the English-speaking world for what became his catchphrase: “Order, Order”. Thomas was a personal friend of senior members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother. He read the lesson at the wedding of Charles and Diana in St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981.
Despite having been a Labour MP for decades, he became a great friend and admirer of Margaret Thatcher. When he retired as Speaker, he was made Viscount Tonypandy, after the Rhondda town where he was born.
Thomas was a fervent opponent of devolution for Wales and died at the age of 88, four days after the September 1997 referendum which led to the establishment of the National Assembly.