Sex-claim minister takes his own life
Welsh Assembly cabinet secretary found dead at home had been sacked for alleged sexual misconduct
A Welsh Labour minister who has killed himself days after being sacked for alleged sexual misconduct was kept in the dark over the claims, close friends complained last night. Carl Sargeant, 49, a married father-of-two, was discovered dead at the family home in North Wales yesterday morning. Sources said he had taken his own life. Mr Sargeant had been sacked as Welsh Cabinet Secretary in charge of communities and children on Friday after at least three women were reported to have made allegations against him.
A WELSH Labour minister who killed himself days after being sacked for alleged sexual misconduct was kept in the dark over the claims, close friends complained last night.
Carl Sargeant, 49, a married fatherof-two, was discovered dead at the family home in North Wales yesterday morning. Sources said he had taken his own life.
Mr Sargeant had been sacked as Welsh cabinet secretary in charge of communities and children on Friday after at least three women were reported to have made allegations against him. In his ministerial role, he had been a champion of female victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse.
Leighton Andrews, a former colleague on the Welsh Assembly, said his close friend had not been informed of the details of the allegations.
“My understanding is that Carl was still not aware of the detail of the allegations against him, even, I’m told, this morning,” said Mr Andrews.
Mark Tami, the Labour MP for Alyn and Deeside, said: “The last time I spoke to him he didn’t know what the allegations were.”
Another friend, who declined to be named, said that when Mr Sargeant met with Carwyn Jones, the First Minister, on Friday he had refused to say who the accusers were or the exact nature of the complaints before sacking him.
The friend said: “Carl met with Carwyn last week but he was kept in the dark about the nature of the allegations.”
The death will inevitably raise serious questions about how authorities deal with allegations that have been made in the wake of the developing political sex scandal.
Rhodri Glyn Thomas, a former Plaid Cymru assembly member, said: “Carl clearly felt he had been found guilty before he had a chance to defend himself.
“We need to develop a system which is fair to everybody, which defends everybody, but doesn’t place people in a position where they feel they have no opportunity whatsoever to fight their cause.”
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said it was right that all allegations are fully investigated but added: “There must also be great pastoral care and support given to everybody involved in these accusations, and also that we deal with them, all parties, as quickly as possible.”
Mr Sargeant had spoken on Friday of his deep distress at being summarily dismissed as a minister and suspended from the Labour Party.
The allegations had first surfaced last week and subsequently referred to the Welsh Labour Party for investigation.
Police were not called in suggesting that the claims did not merit a criminal inquiry. In a statement on Friday, Mr Sargeant had said: “I met with the first minister today and he informed me allegations had been made about my personal conduct, which was shocking and distressing to me.
“The details of the allegations have yet to be disclosed to me. I have written to the general secretary of Welsh Labour requesting an urgent independent investigation into these allegations in order to allow me to clear my name.”
North Wales Police said the death of Mr Sargeant was not being treated as suspicious. His body was found at about 11.30am at his home in Connah’s Quay in Flintshire.
Mr Sargeant had grown up in the town, first being elected to the Welsh Assembly in 2003. His wife Bernie, a nursery nurse, and their two children Lucy, 25, and Jack, 23, said in a statement: “Carl was a much loved husband, father and friend.
“He wasn’t simply a part of our family. He was the glue that bound us together. He was the heart of our family. We loved him so very much.
“He was the most kind and caring husband, father, son and friend. We are devastated beyond words, and we know our grief will be shared by all those who knew and loved him.”
Rosemary Butler, who had been the Welsh Assembly’s presiding officer, the body’s equivalent to the Commons speaker, from 2011 until last year said no allegations had ever been made against Mr Sargeant during her time in the role.
“He was a lovely, gentle man who did so much to introduce legislation to help women who had been abused,” she said.
Mr Jones had defended his decision to sack Mr Sargeant, explaining on Monday that he had become “aware of a number of incidents at the beginning of last week”.
He said he felt he “had no choice but to refer the matter to the [Labour] party”. Mr Jones declined to comment on whether Mr Sargeant was fully aware of the allegations against him prior to his death.