Calls for inquiry into sex assault councillor
AN INVESTIGATION should be held to determine whether more could have been done to bring a local politician who sexually abused children to justice sooner, a councillor has said.
Last week former Vale of Glamorgan councillor Anthony Hampton was found guilty of indecently assaulting two young boys in the 1990s.
The boys were under the age of 16 at the time of the assaults.
Hampton was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault of a male under 16, following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
He was found not guilty of one count of an indecent assault of a male. His victims are granted lifelong anonymity.
Hampton, of Watkiss Way, Cardiff Bay, was cleared of several counts of indecent assault against two girls who were aged under 16 and 14 respectively.
The 75-year-old had denied sexual abuse and described the acts he was accused of as “abhorrent”.
He was elected as a Conservative councillor in 2017, but was suspended by the party after being charged, and became an Independent. He did not stand for re-election in May this year.
At one point he was Vale of Glamorgan council’s executive member with responsibility for education. He also sat on a joint committee with other councillors from Cardiff, Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan to oversee shared regulatory services involving the three local authorities.
The former teacher, who was remanded in custody after being convicted, will be sentenced on December 19.
Plaid Cymru councillor Mark Hooper has submitted a written question to the Vale’s Labour council leader Lis Burnett to be answered at next Monday’s full council meeting.
In his preamble to the question, Cllr Hooper states: “Serving as a councillor is a position of trust in a community. When a councillor is chosen by their peers to hold higher office, that trust is underpinned by their support.
“Mr Hampton served as a cabinet member for education and lifelong learning and was also the council’s choice for the WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee) Board – a board he also chaired for some time. His peers arguably enhanced his reputation as someone to be trusted.
“The various [Jimmy] Savile inquiries showed us predatory sexual offenders are often protected by institutions and those who work in them.
“The Dame Janet Smith report for the BBC was particularly enlightening. It found evidence that the culture of the institution stopped earlier reporting of the individual due to their enhanced position of power and apparent invulnerability. This was despite there being multiple instances where individuals were aware or had concerns about their behaviour.”
Cllr Hooper’s question reads: “Can this council provide assurance that this institution, specifically via officers (those who remain in post and those who may have left) and via councillors (again those who may still be in post, and those who aren’t), did not knowingly protect Hampton, or, as crucially, knowingly ignore concerns about his suitability for the offices he served?
“Furthermore, can the council be sure that the positions Hampton was promoted to did not put others at risk of his predatory behaviour?”
Cllr Hooper said: “It’s a matter of justice that the council take this matter seriously. I have been told of long-standing concerns that were held about Hampton, but clearly these never stopped him achieving offices of significant influence.
“If councillors or officers had concerns and failed to voice them, I’m afraid the institution will have failed Hampton’s victims.”
“The BBC’s Savile inquiry found that the institution protected Savile over the victims. I want to know if the same is true of the Vale council and Hampton.
“I expect the council to undertake an internal inquiry into the matter, and this is something I will be calling for. I’ll also want the results of any inquiry to be made public, so that we can all learn from this awful episode.”
Cllr Burnett will respond next Monday.