Former MP cleared of sexually assaulting woman on train

Former politician and broadcaster Gwynoro Jones has been cleared of sexual assault following a trial at Swansea Crown Court.

Jones, 83, from Gorseinon, Swansea, was accused of rubbing a woman's arm and "tapping" her bottom on a Great Western Railway train on 16 July 2024.

He told the jury he was "brushing sushi" off her arm and denied the interactions were sexually motivated.

The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court she felt "very awkward and uncomfortable" after being touched by the former Labour MP, who represented Carmarthen in 1970 and 1974.

"The way he was touching me - that's not normal," she said, at the hearing on Monday.

Giving his evidence in Welsh, Jones claimed he had rubbed her arm because he had "accidentally spat sushi" on her and had subsequently "brushed it away".

Georgia Donohue, prosecuting, said: "I'm going to say you didn't get the food on her arm before you touched her... I'm going to say the food came from your fingers."

He denied this, stating he was speaking while he had food in his mouth.

"My son always tells me not to speak with food in my mouth," he said.

The complainant told the jury that Jones had asked her personal questions, including if she was single and where she lived.

"I just answered politely. I stayed quiet for the rest of it," she said.

She also claimed that he told her she was "pretty".

Jones told the court he had "never used the word pretty in my life".

"Pretty flowers, pretty view maybe, but never pretty woman,"he said.

"Welsh people who speak Welsh never speak like that.

"I always ask people 'what do you do, where do you live, what's your life?'.

"It's a Welsh thing, a west Walian thing."

The complainant alleged that he had "tapped" her bottom as she was walking up the aisle.

"It was hard, but not that hard," she said, speaking via video link on Monday. "It definitely wasn't a soft touch."

"I went into shock. I just kind of froze."

She also claimed his actions had left a bruise on her bottom.

Defence barrister Kate Williams suggested the complainant had "blown this entirely out of proportion" which the woman denied, insisting, "this was not an accident".

Jones explained he had hearing and sight problems and was holding his phone out in the aisle to allow him to focus on the screen.

He said he believed it was the corner of his phone that made contact with the complainant, adding: "It was a complete mistake.

"It was so fast - how in the world could she have bruise?

"I said sorry straight away, of course. It was an accident."

Jones was found not guilty by the jury, with the trial concluding on Tuesday.