A politician faces suspension from the Welsh parliament after a report found him to have touched a woman “inappropriately” in the back of a taxi.
Senedd member Rhys ab Owen is also accused of having touched another woman “inappropriately” on a night out.
Mr ab Owen, who was elected in 2021 as a representative for South Wales Central, denies any improper conduct towards either of the women.
He had been suspended from Plaid Cymru without prejudice, while the investigation was under way.
Mr ab Owen had attended a dinner for Plaid Cymru Senedd members at a Cote restaurant on the evening of 30 June 2021 and a number of those present, including Mr ab Owen, later moved on to Wetherspoons.
While there, they met with a number of party staff who had attended a separate event.
The 67-page report by the parliament’s standards committee found the member twice called the complainant a “b****” in the street near the Wetherspoons.
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He touched her “inappropriately” by putting his arms around her and pulling her body close to his, before he got into the rear seat of a taxi with her, the committee concluded.
The report also found Mr ab Owen had touched the complainant “inappropriately by squeezing her upper thigh hard with his hand”.
On 2 July 2021, the member was given full details of the allegations he faced, according to the report.
Later that day, he sent an email to the chief whip, apologising for “his drunken behaviour of Wednesday night”.
He also emailed the witness who made the second allegation and apologised to her for “what happened on Wednesday”.
At about 5pm on the same day, Mr ab Owen called the complainant and repeatedly told her, in Welsh, that he was sorry.
‘Unexpected pressure’
The report noted that Mr ab Owen has accused the Senedd standards commissioner, Douglas Bain, of being biased against him, but the commissioner denies this.
He claimed the investigation had “not correctly applied the procedure, the principles of natural justice, human rights or good practice followed by other legislatures such as Westminster”.
The member also requested that the commissioner recuse himself from the investigation “due to his inability to speak Welsh”.
Mr ab Owen said in his evidence to the commissioner that being a newly elected member of the Senedd brought “a great deal of unexpected pressure” and led to a period of “drinking too much”.
In making its conclusions, the standards of conduct committee found there had been “serious breaches of the code of conduct” and recommended Mr ab Owen be suspended from Senedd proceedings for 42 days, not including recesses.
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In a statement Mr ab Owen said he would “like to apologise to those who were affected by my behaviour on the evening in question”.
“Whatever challenge I might have with the particulars of the complaint, or how it was subsequently investigated, it is a separate matter on which I am considering my next steps,” he added.
“I have made changes to my lifestyle that are helping me become a better person and representative.”
He said he remained “fully committed to the Senedd” and to his work on behalf of his constituents.
