Members of Pembroke Town Council controversially voted to keep a portrait of disgraced ex-mayor and convicted child rapist Dai Boswell on display at their meeting last night (Thursday, February 13).

On the back of the decision, councillor Jon Harvey tendered his immediate resignation from the town council, and walked out of the meeting.

The vote which took place when town councillors met on Thursday, February 13 came following fierce criticism of the portrait being put back up following building work.

Despite a passionate plea from Clr. Harvey, members rejected to get rid of the portrait permanently, instead deciding to keep Mr. Boswell’s image on display but with it turned around with his name on the back.

That decision was made in a recorded vote, with just two members of 15 voting in favour of its removal for at least a lifetime. These were Clr. Harvey and Clr. Aden Brinn.

Mr. Boswell was jailed for 18 years in 2018 for historic child sex offences pre-dating his time mayor and as a county councillor.

Opening the debate, Pembroke Mayor, Clr. Gareth Jones said his motion was for the portrait to be taken down completely.

He said he had instructed for the portrait to be removed so that the town council could reflect on the situation.

“There are victims we need to respect,” commented Clr. Jones.

Clr. Clive Collins said that there were more than one portrait on display showing mayors that have had criminal records.

Clr. Jon Harvey then demanded to know who authorised for the portrait to be put back up.

“I would like it not on display for a number of years - 50 or 60, perhaps 100!” he said.

“It is not acceptable that we should have a picture of a child rapist on our wall, it’s a massive disservice to the victims and for members of the public” continued Clr. Harvey.

Clr. Harvey then put an amendment to the motion calling for the town council to remove all of its Facebook posts that featured a photo of Mr. Boswell.

Clr. Jones said he had already ordered the Town Council to remove any photos of Mr. Boswell from Facebook.

Next to speak was Clr. Jon Nutting, who during his remarks said that he was concerned over the way the matter had been handled and how the issue had been made very public.

He described the “sensationalism” of it being reported in the press as “disgraceful.”

Clr. Nutting then launched a scathing attack on the people sharing the matter on social media.

He said there was no need for the issue to be made so public and claimed that publicising it was done to “bash” and “undermine” the council.

“The condemnation we have received has been disgraceful,” he remarked, before stating that the situation should have been handled with more sensitivity.

“I abhor paedophilia. It makes me physically sick what that man did; this has slammed the problem and the experiences they have had right back at them; this should never have happened, it should have been dealt with sensitively and with thought,” said Clr. Nutting.

He therefore decided to put an amendment forward for the portrait to be turned around, stating that he was quite happy for this course of action to be taken should the council vote for it.

“I think his picture should be turned around and ‘Boswell’ put on it, so people ask about it. We are here to bare witness so that something like that never happens again,” he told his fellow councillors.

He later proposed to the council: “The picture of Boswell stays up as a testament; that the picture is not turned around to show we abhor his acts, as a reminder so people ask why one picture is turned, and the story is told.”

Clr. Dennis Evans said that he felt that the press had ‘bullied’ Pembroke Town Council into making a decision.

He also slammed the press for making the issue public and called for the media to apologise.

“It seems to me as if we are trying to be bullied into making a decision we might not want to make.

“It gives the impression that we, as a council, celebrate him being there,” he stated.

Clr. Daphne Bush commented that the situation could have been handled with more “diplomacy” and with more “privacy” as relatives of the Boswell family still walk around Pembroke.

“There are relatives of this man around, they are human beings; this should’ve been dealt with so much more privately and shouldn’t be on our agenda,” she added.

With that being said the amendment to the main motion was passed by 13 votes to two, meaning that the portrait of the ex-mayor and convicted rapist will now be turned around with Boswell’s name being placed on the back of the portrait.

Following the vote, Pembroke County Councillor and Town Councillor Jon Harvey announced that he would resigning from Pembroke Town Council and walked out of the meeting.

Clr. Harvey has been a staunch critic of Pembroke Town Council over the way they have handled the situation and wanted the portrait to be removed permanently.

Clr. Harvey said previously on the matter: “I find it totally abhorrent that a photograph of the former mayor (a convicted child rapist) is on display within the town hall.

“While he may have held the position for a short period, his conviction for the most heinous of crimes brought nothing but shame on the role and should not be celebrated.”

An election for the vacant St Mary (North) ward will now take place at a later date.

Pembroke Mayor Clr. Jones said he was grateful for Clr. Harvey’s decision.

Questions were then taken from members of the public.

Marcel Laval who previously stood as a County Councillor for Pembroke wrote to the town council with the following questions: “Would the chamber please advise when the decision was taken to re-hang the convicted paedophile Dai Boswell’s mayoral portrait back on the wall of the town hall?

“Further who came to the decision?

“Was the decision reached by an individual councillor and/or collective majority of the chamber?

“Will a full and sincere public apology be given by the entire chamber for their exceptionally poor performance on this issue and that they failed to follow their own adopted safeguarding policy?

“Will the entire chamber give an assurance to never re-hang the said portrait again in the lifetime of the offender’s victims?”

In response to these questions, Mayor, Clr. Jones said the town council never had any concerns of Mr. Boswell’ portrait being on public display and because no motion to remove it was put forward there was no need to act.

However, the Mayor said he bared short term responsibility, but added only a collective decision could be made by the town council.

Mr. Laval said at the meeting: “Not one question has been answered; there is a chamber here of people that have not answered any questions.”

He was also angry that he wasn’t given the chance to speak before a decision was made.

However, the chair did say he was prepared to give members of the public the chance to speak about the issue at the start of the meeting.

Lyn Edwards, who had previously stood in the county council seat made vacant by Boswell’s conviction, said: “The message from the street is they were appalled by the way it was handled, the way social media and the press ran away with it.”

She suggested that social media and the press raising the issue caused distress not only to Boswell’s victims, but also made it difficult for other such victims to come forward.

Clr. Nutting suggested the decision should be reviewed with Clr. Collins further suggesting that it should be revisited in six months time.