A FORMER chief superintendent has apologised to an alleged victim of historic child abuse after complaints about a former Newport head teacher accused of abusing him were not linked.

Jeffrey Parry, 51, from Pontypool, alleges that former Malpas Church in Wales head, Jon Styler, abused him during extra reading sessions at school when he was just 10 or 11 in 1975 and at piano lessons held at Styler’s home until the age of 14.

Gwent Police have confirmed that Mr Parry met the former head of CID, chief superintendent Bill Davies, about the investigation and why previous complaints were not linked.

As the Argus previously reported, the first complaint about the abuse was made by a former pupil at Maindee Police Station in 2005 – two years before the second complaint, Styler’s arrest and subsequent death.

Following the meeting last November, Mr Parry told the Argus that he was convinced that the police had done everything in their power to investigate the complaint in 2005.

He said: “I was determined that I would not allow my frustration and anger to spill out, but that I would give the police an opportunity to explain their side of the story. I did make it clear that I was only interested in finding out the facts.

“Bill said that he was sorry that the link was not made between the initial complaint in 2005 and 2007, but that he was sure it would have been as the case progressed.

“He was very open and honest about the fact. It was an internal error that should not have happened but, during the change in intelligence management, it had fallen through the gaps.”

The 2005 complainant, who was a pupil at Malpas Church in Wales School between 1971 and 1974, was interviewed by a specialist officer but did not feel ready to make a formal complaint and take the case to court.

Two years later, in 2007, the first formal complaint was made to police by another Malpas Church in Wales pupil relating to similar offences allegedly committed in 1980.

The Argus understands that contact had been made by Gwent Police with other police forces in Hereford and Worcestershire, Bedfordshire and Surrey.

Styler was then arrested and just as the investigation was widening to other schools he had worked at, including Brynglas Primary School and Bowbrook Private School, the former head teacher was due to be rebailed.

Styler, who lived alone at Queens Hill Crescent in Newport, had not yet been charged and on the day he was due to surrender bail, he committed suicide.

Explaining why the two allegations were not linked in those early stages, DCC Guildford previously told the Argus: “With all the computers in the world, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome because the victim wasn’t making a complaint and wasn’t prepared to go to court so there couldn’t have been a prosecution.”