[3][4] Before becoming an Assembly Member, Sargeant worked as a process operator[5] at the Warwick International Limited chemical manufacturing plant[6] in Mostyn.

[8] His political views developed following the ending of steel production at Shotton in 1980, which contributed to the area's high local unemployment rates.

Speaking to the Flintshire Chronicle, Sargeant spoke of his pride in being the first person from North Wales to hold the post.

[12] In June 2011, he dismissed the three commissioners of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales, stating that the body "has lost the confidence of its stakeholders".

[15] Amidst the 2017 Westminster sexual scandals he was suspended from the Labour Party and removed from his position on 3 November 2017, following unspecified allegations about his personal conduct.

[23] Former minister Leighton Andrews said that in earlier years Sargeant had been the target of bullying and disinformation in the Assembly which had placed "a strain on his and others' mental health," and that this was known to Jones.

[24] UK Independence Party Welsh Assembly member Neil Hamilton called for Jones to resign over the matter, saying that the suspension of Sargeant was both "heartless and in breach of the most fundamental principle of natural justice – giving the accused the right to defend himself.

In a statement on 9 November, First Minister Jones said that, once he had received allegations regarding inappropriate touching or groping by Sargeant, he had had no alternative but to dismiss him.

[29] On 21 April 2018, Carwyn Jones said at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno that he would stand down as First Minister by the end of the year, saying that he had been through the "darkest of times" since Sargeant's death.