News

Hospital records blunder did not cause death

Published

9 years ago

February 23, 2016

Inquest: Milford Haven Town Hall • Pic: Gareth Thomas

AN INQUEST into the death of 49-year-old Peter Francis Jones from Holloway in Haverfordwest was held at the Coroner’s Court in Milford Haven on Tuesday (Feb 2).

Acting Coroner’s Officer Gareth Warlow said that Mr Jones had never been married, but had one son.

The deceased had attended Milford Haven Central School and went on to work in electrical shops for the majority of his life. Before he opened his own business – Connect Appliance Repairs in Haverfordwest – in 1995, Mr Jones was a heavy drinker. The opening of his shop however saw his issue with alcohol come to a halt.

As Mr Jones got older, his health deteriorated and problems with his spine meant that he was in and out of hospital and prescribed Morphine.

In the last few months of his life, Mr Jones’ family and friends noticed that his stomach began to swell.

On May 15, 2015, Mr Jones collapsed while in Haverfordwest and was taken to Withybush Hospital. He had consumed a large amount of alcohol, he had vomited and he was unresponsive.

As there were no beds available at Withybush, so Mr Jones was transferred to Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli. He was then transferred back to Withybush some days later.

Discharged on May 22, Mr Jones was told that he would receive a letter to attend an ultra-sound appointment to diagnose the swelling of his stomach. Due to the fact he was unhappy with his treatment, Mr Jones put in a letter of complaint to the hospital.

On May 26, Mr Jones went to see his doctor because he was concerned about his swollen stomach. He was told to change his lifestyle and to wait for the ultra-sound appointment. The doctor also prescribed Mr Jones anti-depressants and gave him pain relief.

That evening, Mr Jones went to bed as normal with his close friend, whom he was staying with. When she woke at 6am, she noticed that Mr Jones’ breathing was raspy, before it became erratic. She checked his pupils to find that they were very small and therefore called the emergency services.

Mr Jones was taken to A&E, where his health deteriorated, and he was pronounced dead at 7.10am on Wednesday, May 27.

Mr Jones’ mother, Margaret Jones, spoke at the inquest. She discussed the fact that she was unhappy that her son arrived at Prince Philip Hospital with no medical papers, so doctors were only able to deal with the situation based on what they were told and what was before them.

Mrs Jones also handed pictures over to the coroner to highlight her son’s swelling.

Daniel Hauser, who conducted a postmortem of Mr Jones’ body on May 28, spoke at the Coroner’s Court.

Mr Hauser said that Mr Jones was “very healthy person for his age.” He said that there were no major concerns while he conducted the external exam and commented that there were no signs of swelling.

He added that there was nothing out of the ordinary inside Mr Jones’ body as his body was in “very good condition” with “no major findings.”

Mr Hauser then read out a toxicology report, which highlighted the presence of Morphine and Diazepam.

He read that the level of morphine was of a concentration which had caused death in past cases and said the combination with Diazepam could have contributed to his death.

He said: “The postmortem revealed no obvious cause of death I would be happy to give as a cause of death, but the statement of the toxicology report reads that the level of Morphine has been associated with fatality. I believe it was the combined effect of drugs which caused his death.”

Coroner Gareth Lewis came to the conclusion that Mr Jones’ death was drug related and stated that while his parents were rightly concerned about his swelling, it did not cause his death.

Crime

Cabbie and passenger caged for cocaine trafficking in Pembrokeshire

Published

26 mins ago

January 21, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A TAXI driver and his passenger have been jailed after being caught smuggling a kilogram of cocaine into Pembrokeshire. Police stopped their vehicle on the Cleddau Bridge, where the pair tried—but failed—to ditch a “bag for life” stuffed with the Class A drug.

Pajtim Meta and Albert Nikolla, both 26, were ferrying the cocaine from Northampton to Milford Haven when Dyfed-Powys Police intercepted their run as part of a wider crackdown on drug trafficking in west Wales.

Nikolla, from Plough Way, London, admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine, being concerned in its supply, and a separate charge of cocaine possession in London in June 2023.

Meta, of Ruskin Road, Northampton, denied all involvement but was found guilty by a jury after just 50 minutes of deliberation.

Taxi driver convicted of drug trafficking cocaine to Milford Haven

Nikolla’s troubles began in June 2023 when London police spotted him behaving suspiciously in his car. A search revealed 37 wraps of cocaine worth up to £1,850.

But the duo’s real downfall came on January 18, 2024. During a routine stop near the Cleddau Bridge, Nikolla fled Meta’s taxi, discarding a bag that police recovered. Inside was a 1kg block of cocaine with a street value of up to £85,800.

Meta initially claimed he was an innocent cabbie who didn’t know Nikolla or even the area. However, ANPR records showed Meta’s taxi had made nine trips between Northampton and Milford Haven. Confronted with the evidence, he admitted transporting Nikolla but claimed he lied to avoid a long sentence.

Nikolla’s barrister, Matthew Murphy, argued his client—a trained vet from Albania—was coerced into drug dealing by the criminal network that smuggled him into the UK.

Meta’s lawyer, Llewellyn Culver-Evans, said his client, a hardworking taxi driver since 2018, was of good character and determined to turn his life around.

Nikolla was sentenced to four years and three months, including time for the London charges. Meta received five years for his role in the operation.

Both men are now behind bars, their plot to flood Pembrokeshire with cocaine brought to an end.

Crime

Man in custody after admitting sexual assault of boy under 13

Published

1 hour ago

January 21, 2025

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE man is in custody awaiting sentencing at Crown Court for the sexual assault of a boy under the age of 13.

Jake Roberts, 22, of no fixed abode in Cilgerran, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on January 13. He entered an indicated guilty plea to the charge of sexually assaulting a boy under 13 by touching, contrary to Section 7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

The offences occurred on at least two occasions between January 1, 2021, and January 11, 2025. The court heard that the touching was both intentional and sexual.

Due to the severity of the offence, Roberts’ previous criminal record, and the likelihood of reoffending, the magistrates committed him to custody. He will appear for sentencing at Swansea Crown Court on February 3.

Crime

Proposed police precept to be scrutinised by police and Crime Panel

Published

18 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE PROPOSED precept for Dyfed Powys Police will be put under scrutiny at the first meeting of the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel in 2025.

Panel members will meet on Friday 24 January 2025 at County Hall in Haverfordwest to discuss the precept and challenge Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn on his budget plans for the coming year.

The panel, made up of members nominated by the four councils in the force area plus two independent members, has the power to approve or veto the proposed police precept.

Local policing is funded from a Home Office grant, as well as contributions from the public via the Council Tax, known as the police precept.

During the meeting Mr Llywelyn will inform the panel of the findings of a recent public consultation on police funding.

Panel Chair, Professor Ian Roffe, said: “As a Police and Crime Panel, it is our role to scrutinise the Police and Crime Commissioner’s proposed precept to ensure that his financial budget is balanced and appropriate to serve the communities of Carmarthenshire, Powys, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. We are all acutely aware of the financial pressure upon households and it is incredibly important, therefore, that the Police and Crime Panel seek assurances that any increase in residents’ taxes reflect good value for their money.”

Visit www.dppoliceandcrimepanel.wales for more information about the Panel, its membership, forthcoming meeting dates, agendas and webcasting links, as well as submitting questions for the Panel to put to the Commissioner.

Questions can be submitted online, or in writing at [email protected] at least 10 days before a meeting.