I was made to eat dog biscuits off the floor - pupils speak out after school abuse payouts

Being forced to eat dog biscuits off the floor was part of life for young children at an educational referral unit, former pupils say .

One was left with a fear of football after being pelted with "rock-solid" balls, while another had a pint of blackcurrant juice poured over her head.

And they say this wasn't even punishment - it was fun for the staff. When pupils were disciplined at Canolfan Brynffynnon in Y Felinheli, some could also expect to be locked in a dark toilet or have their nose flicked until it bled.

Cyngor Gwynedd admitted abuse took place and has apologised to victims.

Two former staff members allegedly involved have strongly denied the allegations.

Rhiannon Evans, who was 10 when she was sent, and Levi Lewis, who was four, are among 21 people who solicitor Katherine Yates said are currently pursuing claims.

Two agreed a settlement of £10,000 with the local authority for treatment they say they suffered from staff.

She is calling for a public inquiry into the council's running of schools, saying the current case comes "hot on the heels" of the jailing of paedophile headmaster Neil Foden.

"Every day there was something going on, from kids dragged down a corridor to kids being made to eat dog biscuits from a floor," said Rhiannon, now 27.

"I do remember a certain incident where they threw a biscuit on the floor and they told me to eat it.

"I remember the exact biscuit. It was a Bourbon chocolate biscuit."

Canolfan Brynffynnon closed in 2014, following allegations of mistreatment of pupils by staff.

This was six years after Rhiannon, from Caernarfon, was sent there because of "behavioural issues" at her primary school.

She puts it down to being bullied because she was fostered by her grandparents and her life was "different to everyone else's".

But from the moment Rhiannon arrived at Brynffynnon, she described "feeling like a peasant", with a member of staff pouring a pint of blackcurrant juice over her head "simply for their entertainment".

"I was sticky all afternoon," she said.

"I smelt all afternoon and I went home and my grandmother put me straight in a bath.

"But the smell of blackcurrant juice, it lingered for a good few days."

Rhiannon said children who made progress at the unit were allowed to start re-visiting their main school.

However, if they got bad reports there, they were punished on their return to Brynffynnon.

"And that could be from getting locked in a bathroom with the light switched off," Rhiannon added.

"And then we would get tyres stacked on us with only our heads stuck out, and then they would kick footballs at our heads – like rock hard solid footballs."

She says talking about it brings back the feeling of pain, describing herself as "an innocent child serving a prison sentence".

Even now, simply making a drink or seeing a child play football in the street can trigger painful memories.

She added: "I don't think that damage can ever be undone – ever.

"The emotional trauma will never leave me, unfortunately."

Last year, Rhiannon pleaded guilty to pursuing a course of conduct amounting to the harassment of her boyfriend's ex-partner, which resulted in a two-year restraining order against contacting the victim.

She said: "I made a mistake which I now regret.

"My bitter childhood means I didn't always make the best decisions as an adult, and I see that now."

For the first few months, Levi Lewis, now 21, described the school as okay.

"It seemed like a normal school I suppose," he said.

"Then things started happening. The earliest thing I remember is being made to eat dog biscuits, and from there it just got worse.

"I remember the shape of them, the colour, everything, so every time I see them in the shop it just makes me feel sick."

Levi was four when he was sent there from nursery in 2009, and remained at the unit until it closed in 2014.

It was because of his behaviour, which he called "disruptive and loud".

Levi, from Bangor, put it down to ADHD, which he wasn't diagnosed with until after he left Brynffynnon.

He described being dragged down a corridor by his hair, and being kept in a dark toilet for "hours and hours" - but punishments got worse.

"If I misbehaved they would take me to the office, sometimes just in the classroom in front of people, and they would flick my nose so hard to the point where it just started pouring with blood," Levi said.

"I still have issues with my nose bleeding, just randomly."

He had a fear of footballs because of being pelted with them, and had knuckles dug into his head.

"I still get night terrors sometimes," he added.

"They're not often but they do happen. When I was about 11, maybe 12, they'd happen almost every night – just waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare about one of the things they did to me.

"I have found a way to cope with them, but I don't think I'll ever be rid of them."

Levi does not believe children in Gwynedd are safe.

In 2016, two former Brynffynnon staff members had child cruelty charges against them dropped.

The two men initially faced 50 charges between them.

However, North Wales Police said that as evidence continued to be gathered, "the Crown Prosecutor reviewed all available information, and decided that the case no longer met the threshold for a criminal trial to proceed".

In a criminal court, prosecutors must prove a case beyond reasonable doubt.

In a civil case for compensation, the level of proof required is lower – on the balance of probability.

The two men continue to deny the allegations and pointed to the discontinuation of the criminal case.

In a separate case, paedophile head teacher Neil Foden was jailed for 17 years in 2024 after being found guilty of sexual abuse involving four girls over a four-year period.

Foden had been in charge of two other Gwynedd schools and a review later found there were more than 50 missed opportunities to intervene and stop him.

Katherine Yates, the solicitor acting for Rhiannon and Levi, also represents some of Foden's victims.

She said: "I think we need a public inquiry.

"It's not as if Canolfan Brynffynnon is a kind of one-off. It comes hot on the heels of the Neil Foden case.

"Who knows what else is waiting to come out? How many other skeletons are clattering about in the cupboards?

"I don't think Gwynedd should be marking its own homework. I think we need to know what's happened, why it happened, is anyone to blame, and what we can do to prevent it happening again?"

Ms Yates said she was currently acting for 21 claimants.

Cyngor Gwynedd said it has received 10 formal claims, and nine have been settled.

In a statement, the council admitted "pupils had been subjected to abuse," adding: "No child should have to suffer abuse of any kind, and although these cases go back several years, we extend our sympathies to the victims and apologise to them."

It added: "A new review looking at the action taken at that time has already been commissioned by the council to ensure that any lessons learned at the time continue to be implemented today.

"By now, all aspects of child safeguarding arrangements in Gwynedd have been completely reviewed and strengthened in line with the recommendations of the Our Bravery Brought Justice report, which was published in 2025."

A spokesperson said in some cases "compensation claims may be agreed upon so that victims can avoid unnecessary court processes" and "independent insurers are responsible for investigating compensation claims and for deciding their next steps, in accordance with the law".