A PEMBROKESHIRE man accused of intimidating a witness in a legal case involving him has been remanded in custody following a hearing at Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Nov 14).

David Rees, 62, of St Dogmaels Road, St Dogmaels, is charged with intimidating a witness, contrary to Section 51(1) and (6) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

The alleged incident occurred on October 30, 2024, near Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court, where Rees was attending a hearing for allegations of possession of an offensive weapon and common assault.

The original charges against Rees stem from a dramatic incident in St Dogmaels on September 16, 2024, which prompted an armed police response. Rees is accused of assaulting a man at a local building plot and being in possession of a concealed weapon—a sword stick, a bladed weapon hidden inside a walking stick. The episode resulted in a significant police presence, including armed officers, canine units, and a helicopter, in the usually tranquil village.

At his initial court appearance on October 9, Rees did not enter a plea to these charges. The hearing was adjourned for clarification from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and Rees was granted conditional bail, with restrictions preventing him from visiting certain addresses or contacting named individuals.

Prosecutors now allege that on October 30, while on bail, Rees approached a key witness in his case, Tom Long, at Harbour House in Trefechan, near the court.

Rees is accused of telling Long to withdraw his complaint, an act intended to intimidate him and interfere with the course of justice, the CPS allege .

At Thursday’s hearing, prosecutor Eurgain Lloyd argued against granting bail, citing the defendant’s alleged actions while on conditional bail and the risk of further interference with witnesses. Defence solicitor Geraint Parry, of Geraint Jones and Co., contested the remand, but magistrates Mrs M Hambidge, Dr M Morel Du Boil, and Mr H Davey rejected the application.

The court determined that the seriousness of the charges and the potential risk to the administration of justice warranted remanding Rees in custody. The magistrates cited the alleged offending on bail as a key factor in their decision.

Rees will remain in custody until his next court appearance, scheduled for November 20, 2024, at Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court. This mention hearing, estimated to last 10 minutes, will take place at the Aberystwyth Justice Centre. A trial on the intimidation charge is set for December 19, 2024, with an estimated duration of 20 minutes.

The charges and the nature of the allegations have drawn significant local attention. The earlier alleged incident in St Dogmaels left the community shaken, with a heavy police presence continuing into the evening to reassure residents.

The subsequent charges of witness intimidation further complicate the legal proceedings against Rees, as the court seeks to ensure the integrity of the justice process.

This case continues to develop, with key hearings scheduled in the coming weeks.

Welsh farmers are preparing for a UK-wide showdown tomorrow (Tuesday), in mass protest against Labour’s controversial inheritance tax hike.

The protest coincides with the first-ever national strike by the UK agricultural sector, led by Welsh activist group ‘Enough is Enough’, calling for a one-week halt in produce leaving farms.  The strike aims to highlight the impact that the highly controversial inheritance tax hike will have on farms which are valued at over £1 million.  Farmers claim the proposal will endanger family-owned farms as well as the country’s food security.

The strike will also see over 10,000 farmers gathering in London tomorrow, November 19, for a protest rally and a ‘mass lobbying’ event coordinated by the NFU, where nearly 2,000 farmers will meet MPs to voice their concerns, while farmers from across Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire will be attending a similar protest at the Welsh Senedd in Cardiff Bay.

Attending the Welsh protest will be Sam Kurtz who grew up on a dairy farm near Fishguard and is now the Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire.

“Farmers across Wales are rightly annoyed at Labour’s U-turn , promising not to change agricultural property relief before the election, but doing so at the first opportunity, impacting farms across the UK,” he said.

“And here in Wales we’ve got even more problems – Labour’s failure to eradicate bovine TB, the implementation of an all-Wales NVZ and of course the sustainable farming scheme which we protested against earlier this year.

“It was the biggest honour of my life to stand in front of 4,500 farmers in Cardiff Bay and tell them that I will always back our agricultural industry and tomorrow I’ll be standing before them once again at the Senedd, in support of every single farmer in Wales.

“Let’s do this protest with pride…pride that we’re flying the flag for Welsh and British agriculture.  Let’s send this message to the Labour government, telling them to scrap the family farm tax.”

The inheritance tax change, introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, imposes a 20% levy on qualifying farms, a move intended to raise £520 million annually by 2029. The treasury claims this policy will primarily impact large estates, affecting only a quarter of farms, but the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) argues the number could be far higher, with up to two-thirds of UK farms impacted. Farmers fear that to meet these steep tax bills, many will be forced to sell land or, in some cases, shut down entirely. 

It is expected that the strike will primarily effect non-perishable goods, with farmers planning to withhold meat and certain crops from supermarket shelves, although dairy farmers are exempt to prevent spoilage of milk and eggs. 

Tim Taylor, a strike organiser, says the intent is to “disrupt but not decimate supermarket shelves,” aiming to generate public support rather than cause undue hardship. 

The farmers’ campaign is being supported by schools across Wales, including Caer Elen in Haverfordwest which on Monday sent out an email to students and staff, inviting them to wear clean wellies to school on Tuesday.

DYFED-POWYS POLICE are appealing for information following a fatal road traffic collision on the A48 eastbound between Cross Hands and Cwmgwili.

The incident occurred at approximately 5:05pm on Friday (Nov 15).

A grey Isuzu D-Max was involved in the crash, which tragically resulted in the death of a 55-year-old man at the scene. His family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers.

Emergency services closed both the eastbound and westbound carriageways while attending the scene.

The westbound carriageway and one lane of the eastbound carriageway reopened at midnight, with the eastbound carriageway fully reopening at 12:30pm on Saturday (Nov 16).

Police are urging anyone with information that could assist their investigation to get in touch. You can contact Dyfed-Powys Police via the following:
🖥️ | Submit information online
📧 | Email: [email protected]
💬 | Direct message on social media
📞 | Call: 101

Please quote reference: 24*970191.