A PROTEST will be held on Monday (Feb 24) from 3pm. Organisers said: “This is for Pembroke Town Council to take down the peadophile’s picture and replace it with a plaque in honour of the survivors. Posters said: “Do not stand by and allow abuse to happen – please join the protest to show your support. Stop our children from being sexually enslaved!
The news of the demo comes after an attempt to have the photograph of a disgraced former mayor of Pembroke removed from the Town Hall’s walls was defeated by the town’s councillors last week.
Convicted child molester David Boswell’s portrait will remain hanging alongside those of other mayors but turned towards the wall.
Last year, Boswell was convicted of four counts of indecently assaulting two children and a further offence of raping one of them. He is currently serving an eighteen-year prison sentence.
Two town councillors, County Council Cabinet member Jon Harvey and former County Council Chair Aden Brinn proposed Boswell’s portrait should be removed. They cited the seriousness and appalling nature of Boswell’s crimes. However, their move was not supported by any of the other town councillors present at the meeting.
Instead, the councillors agreed upon a proposal made by Cllr Jonathan Nutting, who said the portrait should remain in place but reversed.
During a speech in support of his motion, Cllr Nutting said that he regretted that the Council’s dirty laundry had been aired to the public and impugned the integrity of those who called for the removal of Boswell’s portrait. An action he repeated subsequently in a personal post on Facebook.
Cllr Nutting posted the full text of his speech online after the Western Telegraph failed to publish his lengthy peroration in full in its reporter Bruce Sinclair’s hard-hitting and accurate report of the meeting.
In the version published online, Cllr Nutting said: “To me, the picture on the wall is a testament to the shame of this council and our region. There was a failure to protect vulnerable children from a predator. People had some idea of what was going on and turned a blind eye. We need to be reminded as a community that we failed those children. If we can decide on some way to mark this event that shows our disgust. I think we should do it.”
To summarise those sentiments: ‘we’re all to blame for Boswell’s crimes’.
Cllr Nutting remarkable proposition that guilt for Boswell’s grotesque offending is spread as widely as possible was accompanied by the statement: “I accept the fact that in a few tens of years what happened will be forgotten. To put it away in a cupboard or to actually burn it will not bear witness to this man’s crimes.”
Cloth-eared comments made by Cllr Daphne Bush that the portrait’s removal would upset members of Boswell’s family appeared to ignore the toll its presence would exact on his victims.
Unsatisfied with refusing to remove the portrait, Cllr Dennis Evans alleged comments made about councillors permitting it to remain in place were ‘libellous’.
Cllr Evans reportedly said: “I’ve heard rumours that people want us to give a public apology; it should be the other way around, the editor of the Western Telegraph should be giving us a public apology.”
The Herald invited response to that suggestion from our rival publication’s editor, Steve Adams, but Cllr Evans’ remarks speak volumes; as Mr Adams’ silence speaks of their merit.
In response to his fellow town councillors’ vote, Jon Harvey quit the Council during the meeting.
In a statement given subsequently, and in response to criticism levelled at him, Cllr Harvey said: My resignation from Pembroke Town Council was by no means pre-planned.
“Following concerns expressed by residents just over a month ago I emailed the Town Clerk (copied to all Town Councillors) expressing my view that the photograph of the former Mayor should be taken down. I also pressed for an Extraordinary Meeting to be held so that a decision would be made quickly on this matter. Including myself, only two Town Councillors supported this idea, with five needed to do so to allow the meeting to take place. As a consequence, the matter rolled on to the meeting of the Town Council held on the 13th February.”
Describing the decision to place the portrait back on the wall after the current Mayor had it removed as ‘a grave error of judgement’, Cllr Harvey continued: “It became clear that many of those Councillors present were more concerned about the former Mayors place in history, as well as attacking the member of the public who initially raised this matter on social media. Next up it was the turn of the press to be criticised for publishing the story and quoting the member of the public in the article.”
Cllr Harvey said: “Whilst I will always respect a democratic vote on any issue, this decision of the overwhelming number of Town Councillors was not one I could subscribe to given the clear strength of public opposition. I am not aware of any member of the public supporting the retention of the photograph in situ, either facing out or turned around. I am sure there are no pictures of Jimmy Saville facing the wall in Stoke Mandeville Hospital or Hitler hanging in the Reichstag.
“Members of the Town Council seem more concerned with history, attacking a member of the public and attacking the freedom of the press than actually grasping the simple concept that the public doesn’t want that photograph on the wall.”
He concluded: “As a matter of principle, I tendered my resignation with immediate effect following the vote. I do not want to remain a part of a Town Council that does not represent the views of the electorate, shows no understanding of the importance of this matter to the public and does not believe in press freedom. I remain as County Councillor for the Pembroke St. Mary North Ward and will continue to serve the good folk of the Ward to the best of best of my abilities.”
Marcel Laval, who originally drew attention to the photo’s presence, came in for particular criticism both indirectly during the meeting and subsequently directly from Cllr Jonathan Nutting on social media.
Mr Laval told us: “I remain convinced that this slap in the face to the public should give cause for the community as a whole concern.
“Those in the majority decided instead to be outraged that their lack of understanding of the issue and the lack of compassion for the survivors of the most horrific crimes was such a great issue.
“The adopted motion instead of accepting the wishes of many in the real community to remove said portrait will be to further debase the town council and councillors by making the reversed portrait a tourist attraction to be explained by whoever is left to supervise the Town Hall Museum. If a worse outcome could be found, a majority of councillors tried their best to find it and voted to accept it. Those responsible for this situation must resign for the good of Pembroke.”
