The family of Carl Sargeant has released legal letters and a statement criticising the handling of the allegations against him.

A family spokesperson confirmed that the party had been warned of the effect the lack of detail about the allegations was having on the mental welfare of the former Communities Secretary.

The letter from the 49-year-old father of two's lawyer Huw Bowden, written the day before his death, describes his "anxiety and distress" and the fear that a delay in the investigation will affect his "physical and mental wellbeing".

It also accuses Carwyn Jones and his office of "clearly prejudicing what is allegedly an independent inquiry" by the Labour Party's disputes office.

Alyn and Deeside AM Mr Sargeant was found dead at his home in Connah's Quay on Tuesday, four days after he was suspended by the Labour party and lost his role on the Welsh Government cabinet.

The letters between Mr Sargeant's lawyer and the Welsh Government confirm that the allegations against him related to "unwanted attention, inappropriate touching or groping".

They confirm there was no police investigation into the allegations and Mr Sargeant had no idea of the detail of the allegations, nor who had made them.

The letters also warn Mr Sargeant feared "the evidence of the witnesses is being manipulated" by the interview with the complainants conducted by Mr Jones' office, and his special advisor Matt Greenough.

The family spokesperson said that they had decided to speak out "in light of the continued unwillingness to clarify the nature of the allegations made against Carl".

The Labour party issued a brief statement saying it had handled the allegations in accordance with its procedures.

A spokeswoman said: "Following allegations brought to the attention of Welsh Labour by Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones, an investigation was launched by the UK Party.

"The Labour Party Governance and Legal Unit spoke with Carl Sargeant and, in line with agreed procedure, outlined the nature of the allegations that had been received and how the complaints process works."

A Labour source said that as part of the party’s processes a respondent would be made aware of the detailed allegations as part of the preliminary investigation after the notice of investigation.

(Image: Rob Browne/Walesonline)

This is the full text of the family statment.

They said: "The family wish the release into the public domain, correspondence between Carl's solicitors and the Labour Party on Monday of this week (6 November 2017).



"Up to the point of his tragic death on Tuesday morning Carl was not informed of any of the detail of the allegations against him, despite requests and warnings regarding his mental welfare.



“The correspondence also discloses the solicitor’s concern that media appearances by the First Minister on Monday were prejudicing the inquiry.



"The family wish to disclose the fact that Carl maintained his innocence and he categorically denied any wrongdoing. The distress of not being able to defend himself properly against these unspecified allegations meant he was not afforded common courtesy, decency or natural justice."

What the solicitors letters reveal:

Letters from Mr Sargeant's solicitor Huw Bowden to Sam Matthews, the Head of Disputes for the Labour Party in London, provide some detail about the allegations against him and his response.

The first letter from Monday, November 6, the day before his death says:

Mr Sargeant "had been led to believe the allegations concern conduct that you [Sam Matthews] described as him [Carl Sargeant] having acted towards others in such a way as alleged to be "unwanted attention, inappropriate touching or groping".

The letters says "We make it clear that any such allegations are categorically denied"

The letters requests "immediate details as to the nature of the allegations... to enable [Mr Sargeant] to be able to defend himself and to be satisfied as to the legitimacy and transparency of the procedure".

The letter requests clarification about when the complaints were made and to whom and how they were dealt with.

The letter urges that the investigation be carried out quickly as "further delay will severely prejudice him".

The letter goes on to express the "anxiety and distress being caused to our client, particularly as he is yet to receive any details of the allegations that have led to the decisions to date by the First Minister of Wales, the Labour Party in Wales and the Labour Party head office."

It states that "the ongoing delay is both prejudicial to the preparation of our client's case but also to his physical and mental wellbeing."

At 4.33pm on Monday, Sam Matthews emails a response

In the email to Carl Sargeant and his lawyer Huw Bowden, he provides his contact details and attaches part of the Labour NCC Disputes Panel process rules.

He wrote: "Hi Carl,

"Thank you for your call.

"If you have any further questions about the conduct of the Party's investigation, this is the best email address to reach me on.

"For your reference and as requested, I have attached Appendix 6 which outlines the process for a hearing of the NCC - something which will occur if the NEC Disputes Panel refer the matter to the NCC [The National Constitutional Committee]...

"Kind regards, Sam"

At 4.48pm, Carl Sargeant's lawyer Huw Bowden responds

In the email, he says that comments earlier that day by First Minister Carwyn Jones were "clearly prejudicing what is allegedly an independent inquiry by your office.

"It would seem that already a large number of people have spoken to the complainant or complainants yet we still have received no disclosure of the complainant or complaints.

"On Friday, the First Minister advised our client he could not provide details of the complaint or complainants other than that his special advisor had spoken to the complainant or complainants to verify the complaint.

"There appears to be a very real possibility that the evidence of the witnesses is being manipulated and numerous conversations with the witnesses by various members of the First Minister's office at the very least must create uncertainties about the credibility of any evidence."

He went on to urge that the details of the complaints "be disclosed and the content our our letter addressed as a matter or urgency".

See the full letters and emails

The first letter to Labour

Labour's reply from Sam Matthews, Head of Disputes

The follow up email