Welsh Govt pays child sex offender to conduct ‘conversion therapy’ research

By James Kennedy

The Welsh Government commissioned research into ‘conversion therapy’ from a company whose sole director was previously imprisoned for sexual offences against a minor.

Welsh news outlet Nation Cymru shared the revelations earlier this week in excruciating detail.

James Mullen was working as a teacher in 2013 when he was “found ‘writhing’ on a classroom floor with the pupil following a parent-teacher meeting”, the Daily Mail reported at the time.

In addition to being sentenced to eight months imprisonment, Mullen was placed on the sex offenders register for ten years and banned from teaching for life.

His professional conduct panel noted it was “concerned at the lack of remorse or insight displayed by Mr Mullen”, deeming his conduct so “serious” that no review of the prohibition would ever be possible.

In the following years, Mullen completed a PhD in Ancient History at the University of Newcastle, and founded a company called Laurel Research Consulting after an acrimonious departure from another research start-up.

Within its first year trading, ‘Laurel’ won a £31,000 contract to carry out research into ‘conversion practices’ on behalf of the Welsh Government. At the time, Laurel appeared to comprise three people: Director, James Mullen, alongside Boglárka Vincze and a young investor from Austria, Lindell Cumes.

“Mr Mullen would still have been on the sex offenders register at the time the Welsh Government commissioned him to carry out the research”, explained Nation Cymru.

None of the staff appear to have any relevant experience in research in this area, and papers from a legal case relating to Mullen’s departure from his previous place of employment raise questions about Laurel’s financial arrangements.

The emphasis of the research was on interviewing “survivors of conversion practices” and assessing the evidence they provide. Shortly after the contract was given, the researchers apparently claimed “they have experience of working with complex vulnerable people in very sensitive and potentially traumatic subject areas”.

The Welsh Government has said it will review how the contract was awarded, although it told Nation Cymru that “due diligence processes were followed”. It says it still intends to publish the ‘conversion practices’ research in the coming months, however.

Not for the first time...

Summing up how many have reacted to the news was former tennis star Martina Navratilova, who simply commented “Yikes”.

This is only the latest in a series of pieces of ‘research’ on ‘conversion therapy’ that have been either mired in controversy or have entirely failed to address the subject adequately.

Just two months ago, commentator James Esses shared information showing that those carrying out ‘conversion therapy research’ on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive had run out of steam after interviewing a mere ten people. They said they were reaching a ‘saturation point’, suggesting there were no more pertinent stories to come forward. Yet, none of the examples provided in their report demonstrate any need for a new law.

Several of the studies have forgotten to tell participating ‘victims’ that they are involved in research into ‘conversion therapy’ at all. That has naturally resulted in some barmy results, including several reports from the Ozanne Foundation which described people who were ‘praying alone’ as victims of abuse.

Since genuine abuse is already illegal in the UK, LGBT activists have struggled to pin-point what a new law would address. Often, innocent prayer, pastoral care and parenting are accused of being harmful by those with an axe to grind.

In the Welsh case, only two companies tendered for the contract. Is it really possible that the other company was a less suitable contender? Perhaps it came entirely down to cost, but we may never know.

Curiously, a Welsh Government spokesperson told Nation Cymru that “the contract value is £31,000”, but had previously said it paid £37,429 to Laurel Research Consulting for LGBTQ+ research. It is quite possible that the Welsh Government has had to revise its budget up as time has gone on. If so, is it trying to hide it from the public?

It is also notable that “significant concerns” were raised early in the research process by Wales’ overtly biased “Working Group on Banning of Conversion Practices”, which comprised only activists supporting a new law.

Minutes of its July 2023 meeting show officials had promised members of the working group their names would not be attached to the research. The previous month, the Working Group was worried that the researchers didn’t have enough “lived experience”. That appears to be the least of their worries now.