A Pembrokeshire county councillor has received an apology from Dyfed-Powys Police, after an investigation into a ‘hate crime’ he reported, took almost three years to complete.

County councillor for Pembroke Dock’s Llanion ward, Cllr Joshua Beynon said even though he dialled 101 to report homophobic, sexual and violent threats he’d received online, after fearing for his safety, and eventually 999, he stated the police authority made him feel ‘some criminal’ for bothering to report such a hate crime.

Twenty-five-year-old Cllr Beynon, who became Pembroke Dock Town Council’s youngest ever Mayor back in 2021, said it took four days for the police to interview him on the matter he reported, leaving him struggling with anxiety.

Cllr Beynon said that online abuse started back in the summer of 2020, when he tried to get County Hall in Havefordwest, the headquarters of Pembrokeshire County Council, lit up in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

He said that this provoked a backlash, and as a gay politician also speaking in support of refugees - the abuse continued to escalate, with what he called a ‘co-ordinated campaign’ of graphic homophobic and racist messages aimed at him, some threatening sexual and physical violence, even to the point where he received a threatening message through his letterbox.

Cllr Beynon feared that such social media abuse and threats might materialise into something physical one day.

Cllr Beynon said that police lost evidence he had provided to them, and also admitted missing the need to interview a suspect.

He said that when he was called to his local police station to provide a statement, officers stated that they would be recording his interview on body cameras, explaining to him that they did not want him to overreact when they explained that they were not going to pursue charges.

One person charged with abusing Cllr Beynon was issued with a Community Protection Notice, but when he reported that it had been breached, the police told him no action would be taken. Eventually he was told in March that the investigation was being dropped.

“What I saw was an organisation that couldn't be bothered to actually deal with it,” Cllr Beynon told the media this week, adding that there was a ‘complete lack of communication’ from Dyfed-Powys Police, calling the force's response ‘extremely poor’.

“I was extremely distressed it's probably fair to say worried about my safety, you know, afraid to go out checking if doors were locked.

“It completely destroyed my mental health,” he continued

“I'm not blaming that on Dyfed-Powys Police, but I think if I know there was real action, or if I'd seen that, actually, they were trying, I think I would have felt better.

“I've not reported stuff that I've seen towards me as in hate crime in more recent months because I haven’t seen the point,” said Cllr Beynon.

Dyfed-Powys Police has since apologised to Cllr Beynon for the ‘lapse in service’ and said ‘a full and thorough investigation of the reported hate crime followed’.

The Force said it was ‘committed to effectively respond and thoroughly investigate’ hate crime reports to ensure victims got ‘appropriate support’.

Dyfed-Powys Police’s hate crime lead Chief Inspector Dyfed Bolton said a complaint the force received about its handling of a hate crime was investigated and a response was given.

“The response acknowledged that the service provided on this occasion had fallen below the standard that should be expected,” he stated.

“Dyfed-Powys Police apologised for the lapse in service and a full and thorough investigation of the reported hate crime followed.”