Councillor says coughing claims against youngsters was untrue

* County Councillor Graham Timms has spoken up for local youngsters.

A county councillor has leapt to the defence of Llangollen youngsters who he says were wrongly accused of coughing over elderly people’s gates during the lockdown.

The allegation that a group of young people had coughed at the gates of the premises where vulnerable elderly live in the town was first aired on Facebook and later taken up by the local press which reported that police were looking into the claim.

But now Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms says the coughing allegation was false.  

     

He said: “We have seen so many examples of a really strong community spirit in Llangollen over the last few weeks and many of our young people have been involved in helping out too.

“I’ve been really impressed by the way that our whole community - adults, children and young people - have been following the Welsh Government guidelines to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

“Everyone has been supporting one another as we all struggle with the restrictions on our daily lives and the dreadful toll of the virus.”

He added: “With this in mind, I was not at all surprised to hear from a very reliable source that Llangollen's young people were completely innocent of allegation that was made recently on Facebook and then appeared in the North Wales press.

“The allegation was that local Llangollen youths had been coughing on elderly residents’ gates, specifically targeting more vulnerable members of our community to spread the virus.

“The original allegation was made in a Facebook post, which was then reported in the press across North Wales with a confirmation from North Wales Police that the claim was being investigated.”

Cllr Timms stressed: “I urge people to think very carefully before posting this sort of incident on social media.

“We need to remember that just because the police investigate something does not mean it is true. It was not!

“Our young people were not involved in this outrageous behaviour but disappointingly the press haven't returned to the story to correct the impression that was given.

“Even though these allegations are untrue, the young people of the town have to live with the fact that people across North Wales saw this story and won’t see any correction.

“We need to celebrate the good in our community and not get distracted by accusations made that eventually turn out to be untrue.

“Social media has been a really useful tool during the current crisis. Let’s make sure that we only use it in a positive way.”