Simon Thomas (politician)  Simon George Thomas (born 28 December 1963) is a Welsh former politician who was a member of Plaid Cymru. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Ceredigion from 2000 to 2005, and an Assembly Member in the National Assembly for Wales representing Mid and West Wales between 2011 and 2018. He resigned as an Assembly Member and his party membership on 25 July 2018, following arrest by police on suspicion of possession of indecent images. On 3 October 2018, he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. On 31 October 2018 he was given a 26-week jail sentence, suspended for two years. He went to Aberdare Boys' Grammar School (became Aberdare Boys' Comprehensive School in 1978). At the University of College Wales, Aberystwyth, he gained a BA in Welsh and Education in 1985. He gained a Postgraduate diploma (DipLib) from the College of Librarianship Wales (CLW) in Llanbadarn Fawr, Aberystwyth in 1988 (College became part of the university in 1989). He was assistant curator for the National Library of Wales from 1986–92. From 1992–4, he was Policy and Research Officer for the Taff-Ely borough council. From 1994–2000, he was Rural Development Manager for the JIGSO rural development agency. Thomas is the father of two children. At the time of his trial, he lived in Penparcau, a village south of Aberystwyth. Locals have raised concern that he lives on the same street as a primary school. Thomas was elected as a Councillor in Ceredigion County Council for Aberystwyth East in 1999 and resigned after being elected a Member of Parliament. He was fifth on Plaid Cymru's regional list for Mid and West Wales in the inaugural National Assembly for Wales election in 1999; only list leader Cynog Dafis was elected. Thomas was first elected as MP for Ceredigion in the 2000 by-election after Dafis stepped down to focus on his role as an Assembly member. He retained the seat for Plaid Cymru at the 2001 election with a reduced majority, and lost it in the 2005 general election to Mark Williams of the Liberal Democrats. During the 2005 general election he wrote a blog on the Channel 4 News website which shows a near daily account of his campaign trail and his thoughts following his defeat. After the 2007 Welsh Assembly election, Simon Thomas was appointed a special adviser to the Plaid Cymru ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government coalition between his party and Labour.