Tearful AM Bethan Jenkins defends Senedd reprimand absence

Bethan Jenkins broke down as she made her statement on Tuesday

A Welsh assembly member broke down in tears in the chamber as she defended her absence from a meeting where she was reprimanded for drink-driving.

Bethan Jenkins was not in the Senedd last week when she was censured for bringing the assembly into disrepute.

At the time the Plaid Cymru AM was attending a pensions protest in Westminster.

Opposition AMs had criticised her absence as disrespectful, saying she should have "faced the music".

Plaid Cymru AM Ms Jenkins was stopped and arrested in the early hours by police in Cardiff last October.

The 31-year-old was banned from driving for 20 months after pleading guilty before Cardiff magistrates.

'Disrespectful'

Afterwards, the South Wales West regional member said she was "deeply sorry" and was coming to terms with depression.

At a plenary session in the Senedd chamber last Wednesday, AMs endorsed a report by the assembly's standards committee which said she had brought the institution into disrepute.

At the time, Miss Jenkins was in London with former workers of the Visteon car parts factory in Swansea who were protesting over lost pensions.

She fought back tears when she read a statement to AMs in the chamber on Tuesday.

She said: "I realised that I was likely to face criticism for my decision to go to London, but I was prepared to face that in order to support the Visteon pensioners, who I have been supporting for four years now in their campaign.

"I would like thank the Visteon pensioners for four years, members of the public, and those AMs of all parties who have been supportive and understanding during these past few months."

She added: "I would like it put on record the apologies I have made to the public already, and to this assembly through my statements to the standards committee."