Crime

Tree surgeon ‘hits a nerve’ after hearing derogatory comments about his mother

Published

2 months ago

November 6, 2024

A COURT has heard how a self-employed tree surgeon ‘hit a nerve’ when a customer at a Narberth pub began hurling derogatory comments at him concerning his mother.

Ashley Willliams, 34, refused to accept the comments made to him by fellow drinker Paul Deary, during the incident at The Dragon Inn, Narberth, on the night of October 18, 2023.

“They’d both been drinking at the pub but then suddenly, at around 10pm, the complainant made significant derogatory comments to the defendant from absolutely nowhere, about having sex with his mother,” said Wiliams’ solicitor, Mr Tom Lloyd.

As a result, Ashley Williams, of Stoneyford Farm, Narberth, launched himself at Mr Deary and pushed him backwards, causing his head to hit a wall. The force of the impact resulted in considerable injuries to the back of Paul Deary’s head, and a photograph of the wound was shown to the magistrates.

Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan said Mr Deary required hospital treatment for his injury and sustained 45 stitches to the back of his head which will result in a permanent scar.

In a victim impact statement read out to the court , Mr Deary said the assault has had a profound impact on his life.

“This has made me feel unsafe in my home town,” he said. “I’m now sofa surfing because I don’t want to be there any more.”

During the altercation, Mr Deary’s mobile phone and necklace were both damaged

Ashley Williams pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Deary causing actual bodily harm and was legally represented in court by Mr Tom Lloyd.

“It wasn’t his intention to cause that degree of injury,” said Mr Lloyd. “But those completely inappropriate derogatory comments were made and possibly the most important thing to consider is that this all started by that degree of provocation. And that’s crucial.”

Meanwhile probation officer Julie Norman said that Williams, who is a self-employed tree surgeon, arrived at the pub after finishing work earlier that evening.

“He drank around eight pints of alcohol and as a result, those comments [made by Mr Deary] hit a nerve. If the defendant hadn’t been drinking, he’d have walked away.”

Williams was sentenced to 26 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months. He must pay a total of £500 compensation to Mr Deary, which includes £200 for the damage caused to his mobile phone and necklace. He must pay a £154 court surcharge and £85 costs.

He was also ordered to carry out ten rehabilitation activity requirement days and must wear an alcohol monitoring tag for the next 120 days.

Crime

Gardener cleared of exposure after court hears incident was accidental

Published

7 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Sarah Jane Absalom

A PEMBROKESHIRE gardener has been found not guilty of exposing his ‘flaccid penis’ to a female property owner after agreeing to cut trees in her garden.

The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed Thomas Jones, 21, exposed himself to her after agreeing on a £300 fee for cutting down trees in her back garden.

As he began unloading tools from his van on the morning of November 9, 2022, he allegedly turned towards the woman, exposing himself.

“The first I knew of it was when she pointed at me,” Thomas Jones told Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where he was on trial for exposure.

“I was in shock. I felt embarrassed and awful. I felt bad.”

During cross-examination, Mr Jones, of Long Meadow, Adams Road, Monkton, admitted he did not wear underwear but insisted the exposure was accidental.

“I accept that it was outside my trousers, but I didn’t find her attractive, so why would I do all that?” he said. “It just doesn’t make sense.

“I’ve known my girlfriend for the past seven years, so why would I risk all that, plus risk losing the £300 from the job?”

GIVING EVIDENCE FROM BEHIND A SCREEN

The complainant said Mr Jones had knocked on her door and handed her a leaflet advertising his gardening services.

“I had some trees that needed cutting down, so I took him around, we chatted about it, and we agreed on a price,” she said.

After moving her car to allow Mr Jones to park his van, she claimed she saw what she described as ‘his flaccid penis’ hanging outside his trousers as she walked back into her house.

“I went inside, thinking, ‘That’s very weird’, and I knew it wasn’t right,” she said.

“I went back outside and told him that I’d changed my mind and didn’t want him to do the work anymore. I pointed at it, and I was really angry. I swore at him and asked him to leave.”

Despite apologising repeatedly, Thomas Jones, who has no previous convictions or police cautions, was reported and later charged with intentional exposure. He persistently denied the charge.

DEFENCE ARGUMENT

“The Crown has to prove that the defendant intentionally exposed his penis,” said his solicitor, Gareth Walters.

“But he wasn’t wearing underwear, and it came out of his trousers through his undone zip, which led to him being exposed. It wasn’t an erect penis, and it wasn’t intentional. It was a complete accident.”

After a short adjournment, Thomas Jones was found not guilty. An application for a restraining order against the complainant was refused by the magistrates.

Crime

Dyfed-Powys Police pays out hundreds of thousands in compensation claims

Published

2 days ago

January 5, 2025

Tom Sinclair

NEW figures reveal Dyfed-Powys Police has paid out £324,000 in compensation over the past five years, following nearly 200 claims made by members of the public.

A Freedom of Information requests show a whopping 186 claims were lodged against the force between 2019 and 2024, with compensation payments peaking in 2021/2022 at £138,111. Claims included allegations of unlawful arrest, financial losses, personal injury, and failure in duty of care.

In 2019/2020, 36 claims were made, with nine settled. The following year, 22 claims were lodged, with nine again resulting in payouts. Numbers rose to 38 claims in 2021/2022, with 11 settlements, before dropping slightly in 2022/2023 to 36 claims and eight payouts. However, the most recent figures for 2023/2024 show a significant rise, with 54 claims and seven settlements.

Lucy Parker, a solicitor from JF Law, said: “Claims against police forces highlight the importance of accountability. Issues such as wrongful arrest, assault, and negligence must be addressed seriously.”

Nationally, UK police forces have paid out millions in compensation, with property damage from botched raids cited as a frequent reason.

Dyfed-Powys Police has been approached for comment.

Crime

Police issue update following incident at Tenby multi-storey

Published

4 days ago

January 3, 2025

Luke Sinclair

Dyfed-Powys Police have confirmed this morning that they are investigating a collision on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park in Tenby, at around 4pm on Thursday, January 2.

The collision, police said, involved a grey Nissan Qashqai and a young child.

The child remains in a critical condition in hospital.

The family are being supported by specially trained officers.

One man, aged 33, has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury through dangerous driving, drink driving, and drug driving. He remains in police custody.

Police issued a statement saying: “This is a tragic incident and is a live investigation.

“We ask that you do not speculate the circumstances and allow our officers to carry out their enquiries.

Anyone with information or dashcam footage that could help officers with their investigation is asked to report it to us, either online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 101.