A 62-year-old Pembrokeshire resident, David Rees, has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon in a private place and common assault. The charges follow a dramatic incident involving armed police response in St Dogmaels village on September 16.

Rees, who appeared at Aberystwyth Magistrates Court last week, is accused of beating a man at a local building plot. Additionally, he faces allegations of possessing a concealed weapon—a sword stick, which is a sword hidden within a walking stick, found in his residence.

The episode led to a significant police deployment including armed officers, canine units, and a helicopter in the usually tranquil village, indicating the seriousness of the situation. Police described the event as an “isolated incident” that was “safely resolved.”

Despite the disturbance, the community saw continued police presence well into the evening to provide reassurance to the villagers.

At his court appearance at Aberystwyth Justice Centre on Wednesday, October 9, Rees did not enter a plea. The court adjourned the hearing until the end of October, pending further clarification from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on the charges related to the bladed article. This adjournment also allows time for Rees to enter his plea.

Pending his next court appearance, Rees has been granted conditional bail with specific restrictions, including prohibitions on visiting certain addresses and making contact with named individuals.

A JURY has heard the harrowing evidence of a woman who was allegedly raped in a lane in Milford Haven by 19-year-old Nathan John.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was just 16-years-old when she was allegedly led down a lane after leaving Circles nightclub on the night of October 2, 2022.

“I didn’t want to go [down the lane], because I didn’t trust him,” said in a pre-recorded interview with Dyfed-Powys Police officers that was played to a jury at Swansea Crown Court on Monday afternoon.

“But he’d put my jacket down his trousers and said if I wanted it back, then I had to get it.”

The court was told that John and the young woman had kissed ‘around five times’ earlier that evening when they were both in Circles nightclub.  

But according to the Crown, John’s behaviour towards the woman turned violent when they left the venue.

“When we left Circles he said he was going to walk me home, and I was comfortable in his presence, but when he wanted to go down the lane, he got more aggressive. 

“He grabbed me by the arms and I tried to walk away, but he kept stopping me, and that’s when he pushed me down and got aggressive,” she said.  

“He covered my mouth and slapped me across my face twice, and then he pulled my jeans down. 

“By now I was crying and I just wanted to go home.”

“When he was raping me, I just accepted that that was what he was doing – I was scared of him.”

The young woman, now 18, who gave her evidence with her shoulders hunched forward, staring at her hands, said that John bit her on the cheek and grabbed her hair, using it to pull her up.

“He then grabbed me by the chin and ejaculated in my mouth,” she said.  

But under cross-examination after the complainant took to the witness stand in Swansea Crown Court the defence barrister John Tarrant, KC, claimed she had consented to having sex with Nathan John.

“There was a suggestion by you to take things further, and immediately outside the alley you were both keen on each other and you both wanted to have sex.

“Did you walk in, on your own free will, knowing that you were going to have sex? 

“Did you undo the belt on his jeans? 

“Did you pull his jeans down?”

Close to tears, the woman rejected each of the defence’s claims.

“No, I did not,” she said.

Richard John has pleaded not guilty to seven charges of sexually assaulting two women, both aged 16, in October 2022 and May 2024. 

These include two charges of rape.

His trial is expected to continue throughout this week.

A 30-YEAR-OLD Pembrokeshire man has been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Monday, 14 October, for assaulting and strangling a woman during a domestic incident last year. Liam Brian, of Owen Street in Pennar, was found guilty of multiple charges, including assault and coercive behaviour.

The offences occurred on Friday, 11 August last year when Brian confronted the victim, accusing her of infidelity after searching her phone. Following a heated argument, he assaulted and strangled her, with the abuse lasting nearly three hours. Throughout their relationship, Brian had engaged in controlling behaviours, including restricting the victim’s contact with family and male colleagues and denying her access to personal items like her bank card and house keys. He even went so far as to not allow the victim to shower before work.

The victim documented the incident and reported it to the police. However, Brian allegedly pressured her to withdraw her complaint on Wednesday, 24 January, leading to additional charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

In court, Brian’s defence highlighted his awareness of the impact of his actions and his desire to seek help. He has spent time in custody participating in rehabilitation programs for substance and alcohol misuse, earning wristbands to prove this. Liam Brian has expressed his desire to be a better person and a better father, wanting to contact his children.

Her Honour Judge C. Richards sentenced Brian to 34 months in prison, with the possibility of serving half that time in custody and the remainder on licence. A restraining order was also issued, prohibiting him from contacting the victim for ten years. As part of his sentencing, Brian must seek legal arrangements to see his children through family court or a solicitor. The judge warned that any breach of bail conditions would result in further court action and a fine.