Former head teacher called girl ‘his little sex toy’, court hears

Neil Foden denies sex offences against five children.

Neil Foden, a former National Union of Teachers official in Wales, arriving at Mold Crown Court, where he is accused of multiple child sex offences (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

A former high school head teacher accused of abusing children called one girl, “his little sex toy,” a court heard.

Neil Foden, who worked in North Wales, allegedly told the girl he was in an “awful” sexless marriage and with her, he had never felt this way before, Mold Crown Court was told.

The 66-year-old, accused of sexual offences against five children, has denied any wrongdoing.

None of the complainants can be identified.

The jury of seven women and five men on Friday watched a recorded police interview of one complainant, Child E, as she was questioned by detectives about nicknames.

“He is my Mr Perfect. Mr P,” she said.

The detective said, “What did he call you?”

Girl E replied, “ST. Little ST – ‘Sex Toy’. His little sex toy.”

The court has heard Foden described as a “firm and almost autocratic” school leader.

Girl E said they contacted each other using social media messages, Foden using code-words, referring to their secret sexual activities as, “therapy” and alerting her to his wife’s presence, using the code-word, “compost”.

She said sexual contact first began when she was under 16, after meeting up with the defendant in his BMW car, which had personalised number plates, and he put his hand between her legs.

The detective said, “How did you feel?”

“Confused,” Girl E said. “I knew it was wrong. I knew it should not have been happening. I look back now and see how wrong it was.”

Girl E said she would catch a train and Foden would meet her at the station and they would drive around, stopping in secluded laybys and remote country lanes, “for him to have a play with me,” jurors heard.

“He was constantly looking for new places,” Girl E said, “Better places. He spent a lot of time looking at maps.

“He just gradually added more things in. We did sexual things.

“It progressed quickly. I guess he got braver. There was a lot of things I wasn’t comfortable with.”

Girl E said Foden would also book them hotel rooms to have sex.

She added: “We got to a point where he talked about wearing handcuffs, restraining me. I think I got to a point where I was OK with it. He put pressure with his hands around my neck. He enjoyed doing it.

“He enjoyed using a belt. Sometimes he would use it to restrain me.”

Girl E said Foden told her his home life and relationship with his wife were “awful” and they had not had a sexual relationship for years.

And though he was taking a “big risk”, he told the teenager he had never felt like this before, she said.

The defendant, of Old Colwyn, North Wales, denies 20 sexual offences involving five children.

An adult witness told the jury she knew Foden and spotted him with a teenager in his car, being, “incredibly familiar”.

She added, “I was very surprised by that. I was astounded by it.”

All the alleged offences are said to have occurred over a four-year period.

The trial was adjourned until next week.