Plaid candidate 'deeply sorry' for 'careless' social media posts as teenager
Plaid CymruA Plaid Cymru Senedd election candidate has apologised for what he has described as "careless comments" he made on social media when he was a teenager.
Oli Bradley-Hughes is seeking to be elected in Clwyd in May and says he is "deeply sorry" for comments, made more than a decade ago, using sexist language and referring to illegal drug-taking.
Plaid Cymru's website describes him as "a dedicated secondary school teacher and college tutor".
Bradley-Hughes is third on the list for the Clwyd constituency in north east Wales.
Under the new proportional representation voting system for the Welsh Parliament, each party ranks its candidates and the higher they are on the list means they are more likely to be elected.
In a statement, Bradley-Hughes said: "These posts were made over fifteen years ago, when I was a teenager, and do not reflect the person I am today.
"Some quoted song lyrics, which I shared at the time without thinking. They do not reflect my views whatsoever. I am 31 now and would never make such comments today and I understand that they were wrong at the time.
"Looking back I can see how easy it was to make careless comments online as a young person at a time when social media was new and there was little guidance for teenagers. That said the responsibility was mine and I take it fully.
"I am deeply sorry for any offence or concern they caused. I have grown and learned a great deal since then. My values today - respect, inclusion, and public service - guide everything I do and I am committed to living by them every day."
He added: "I hope people will judge me not by the mistakes of my youth and on comments made online before my judgement had fully developed as an adult but by the work I am doing now to serve my community and uphold the principles I believe in."
Plaid Cymru said it had nothing further to add to this statement.
