They're right to hound me - paedophile

Jul 31 2002 By Elgan Hearn, North Wales

CONVICTED paedophile Elfed Lewis Jones, 64, says angry residents were right to hound him out of their village.

In June 1997, Mr Jones pleaded guilty to four counts of indecently assaulting three young girls, and was sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court to 15 months in prison.

After completing his sentence, he lived in the Gwynedd village of Penygroes for three years before being traced by the victims' father.

Mr Jones resurfaced in Amlwch after concerned Penygroes parents drove him from the village.

Following more protests in Amlwch, he has gone back into hiding.

In Monday night's S4C current affairs programme, Byd ar Bedwar, interviewers gave the convicted paedophile the chance to speak on the record for the first time about his experiences.

In the interview, Mr Jones said the people of Penygroes were justified in hounding him out.

He said: "You may tell the people of Penygroes that I don't disagree with what they did."

Despite a statement by Mr Jones professing his safety with children, an Anglesey father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has vowed to hound the paedophile until he'sleftthe island for good.

The father said: "I will only stop hounding him when he is well clear of Anglesey and Gwynedd. I don't want my children to see him near here again."

North Wales Police say local communities must learntotrust the authorities, and not try to deal with paedophiles by forcing them to leave.