News

Chip shop owner claims wife’s death was accident

Published

5 years ago

November 12, 2019

SWANSEA CROWN COURT has heard that a chip shop owner burned his wife to death by scolding her with chip fat following a domestic dispute.

But Geoffrey Bran, 71, says that the death of his wife of 30 years in October 2018 was an accident. The court heard that her injuries were caused when she threw ‘spoilt fish’ at him causing superficial injuries and bruises to his head and forearms, before pulling a deep fat fryer over herself causing 41% burns, from which she later died in hospital.

Geoffrey and Mavis Bran ran the Chipoteria business in Hermon, near the Pembrokeshire Carmarthenshire border. The burger van and wooden shack business had not been open for long – perhaps a year – when the incident happened.

The jury, of five men and seven women was told that Mrs Bran was constantly nagging her husband over trivial or silly matters and that the relationship was ‘argumentative’ and ‘loud’

The court further heard that the relationship had deteriorated further in the months before her death. At the time of the incident, Mr Bran was arrested by police on suspicion of assault but later released.

Chipoteria – the snack shack in Hemon is now closed

After suffering the burns, Mrs Bran was transferred to Morrison hospital in Swansea where she died of her wounds six days later. Bran was re-arrested in November 2018.

But Mr Lewis prosecuting said that the terrible burns were not the result of an accident, but by her husband deliberately pushing or throwing a deep fat fryer which contained boiling oil over her.

He said that people who know the couple knew that they both had short tempers.

On Tuesday, October 23 last year, both the Brans were at work in the Chip shop, while their friend Mr Gareth Davies was in their house.

Mr Davies heard Mrs Bran come into the house, naked from the waist up, shouting ‘I’ve been burned… I’ve had boiling fat all over me.

Mr Davies described Mrs Bran’s upper body as a “crimson colour” and said that her skin was peeling off at the wrists.

Mrs Bran then told Mr Davies, who at that point had a cut above his eye, to fetch more fish for customers – she initially declined an ambulance.

Bran told Mr Davies that his wife had slipped and grabbed the fryer, causing it to come out of the holder and spill onto her.

However, a friend of Mrs Bran, Miss Caroline Morgan, received a call from her at around 1.15pm, she said that Mrs Bran screamed down the phone at her saying: “Geoff has thrown boiling oil over me. Please get here, I need you now, help!”

The court heard that on arrival to the house Miss Morgan found that Mrs Bran in shock, saying: “I was nagging him – and then he flipped”

Bran denies murder and the trial continues.

Accused: Geoff Bran (Pic S4C)

Community

Festive celebrations at St Davids Cathedral this weekend

Published

32 mins ago

December 21, 2024

Tom Sinclair

ST DAVIDS Cathedral is set to host two special events on Sunday (Dec 22), offering a blend of joyful participation and traditional carol singing to mark the Christmas season.

In the morning, families are invited to the Scratch Nativity at 11:00am. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed as wise men, angels, sheep, or shepherds and take part in an unrehearsed retelling of the Christmas story. Canon Leigh described the event as: “Complete, wonderful chaos for an hour… but with some poignant, thought-provoking moments to centre ourselves on the real meaning of Christmas.”

Later in the evening, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight will take place at 7:00pm, featuring the Cathedral Choir. The event, steeped in tradition, will see the cathedral bathed in candlelight as carols and scripture readings fill the historic space.

Doors will open at 5:45pm for those seeking unreserved seating, and a large turnout is expected for this beloved Christmas celebration.

Crime

Three men from London admit their guilt over illegal cannabis farm

Published

59 mins ago

December 21, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THREE men admit their guilt after police discover over 700 cannabis plants during a raid on a former school building in Llandysul.

Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police executed a warrant at the former Ysgol Gynradd Llandysul on Heol Llyn Y Fran on November 15. Inside, they found 737 cannabis plants spread across multiple rooms.

Armeld Troksi, 29, and Njazi Gjana, 27, both from Empire Avenue in Edmonton, London, along with Ervin Gjana, 24, from Durham Avenue in Romford, were arrested at the scene and later charged with producing cannabis.

The three men appeared before Swansea Crown Court, where they admitted their involvement in the illegal operation. Defence solicitor Joshua Scouller requested a pre-sentence report for Ervin Gjana, which was granted by Judge Geraint Walters.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 20.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: “Following a warrant executed at the former school on Heol Llyn Y Fran, officers discovered a significant cannabis grow containing 737 plants.

“We are grateful to the local community for their continued support and cooperation. Officers will remain in the area while the site is secured.

“Our commitment remains firm in disrupting drug production and supply networks across our force area.

“We encourage residents to report any suspicious activity, no matter how small it may seem. Every piece of information can make a difference, and reports can easily be submitted through our website.”

News

Protest in Lampeter to save Wales’ oldest university

Published

1 hour ago

December 21, 2024

Tom Sinclair

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Wales’ oldest university staged a march and demonstration last Friday (Dec 20) in a bid to highlight the plight of the Lampeter campus.

The protest, organised by the Lampeter Society, brought together former and current students, along with local residents, to oppose plans by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) to relocate humanities courses to Carmarthen next September.

The rally began at Lampeter Rugby Club at 10:30am, with demonstrators marching to the university campus. Despite the timing—on a weekday and so close to Christmas—organisers reported a strong turnout.

Ieuan Davies, one of the organisers and a Lampeter alumnus from the 1980s, said: “We wanted to show support for the students whose education is being directly affected by these plans, and to remind decision-makers of the devastating impact this will have on the local economy and culture.”

Established in 1822, Lampeter is Wales’ oldest higher education institution. In 2009, it merged with Trinity College Carmarthen and later joined with Swansea Metropolitan University to form UWTSD.

The proposed relocation of the humanities faculty has sparked concerns about the long-term sustainability of higher education in Lampeter. Campaigners argue that losing the faculty would mark the end of over 200 years of academic heritage in the town.

The Lampeter Society has also launched a petition calling on the university and the Welsh Government to create a ‘viable, sustainable plan’ for the campus’s future. The petition requires 10,000 signatures to trigger a debate in the Senedd and can be accessed at https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246410.