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Crime

Hotelier admits assault on partner at Fishguard venue

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A PEMBROKESHIRE hotelier has admitted pinning his partner to the wall after grabbing her by the chin and placing his hands around her neck.

Ex-boxer Daniel Jones, 35, was seen by a customer pinning his partner, Lois Thomas, to a wall in the Abergwaun Hotel, Fishguard, on the evening of January 2, 2025.

“It was around 6:15pm, when a gentleman and his wife looked through the window to check whether the restaurant was open for evening meals,” Crown Prosecutor Nia James told District Judge Mark Layton sitting at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court this week.

“They saw a man, later identified as Daniel Jones, pinning a female against the wall. He appeared to be choking her.”

Concerned for the woman’s safety, the witness banged on the door.

“The door was opened by the defendant, who said the restaurant would open at 6:30pm,” continued Nia James. “When the witnesses returned, they were greeted at the door by Lois Thomas, and they asked her, by texting on their phone, whether she was okay. She said that she was, but the witnesses then left and contacted the police.”

Police officers arrived at The Abergwaun Hotel at 9:30pm, by which time the restaurant and pub had closed.

“The victim was reluctant to speak to officers, although she admitted that the defendant had pushed her against the wall,” said Nia James. “When she was asked if he’d put his hands around her neck, she replied, ‘Ish…but not really.’”

Nia James informed Judge Layton that the offence took place whilst Jones was on bail for allegedly assaulting his brother.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting Lois Thomas by beating and was represented by solicitor Tom Lloyd, who confirmed that the couple have made no contact with each other since the offence.

Jones was sentenced to a 12-month Community Order during which he must carry out 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 150 hours of unpaid work. He was ordered to pay £200 compensation to Ms Thomas, a £114 court surcharge, and £85 costs.

“You grabbed your partner, pushed her against the wall and grabbed her neck,” commented Judge Layton when passing sentence. “She was a vulnerable person and your violence towards her is serious and unacceptable to this court.”

Crime

More than 2,000 child sexual abuse image crimes recorded in Wales last year

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Private messaging platforms exploited by criminals

MORE than 2,000 child sexual abuse image offences were recorded by police forces in Wales over the past year, according to Home Office data. The figures highlight the exploitation of private messaging platforms by criminals to share illegal material, prompting renewed calls for stronger regulations.

The NSPCC has urged the UK Government to take decisive action to protect children in private messaging environments. The charity, along with Barnardo’s and the Marie Collins Foundation, has written to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Science, Innovation, and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, calling for Ofcom’s approach to private messaging to be strengthened.

Six offences recorded daily

The data shows that 2,194 child sexual abuse image crimes were recorded by Welsh police forces in 2023/24, equating to around six offences per day.

  • Dyfed-Powys Police recorded 192 offences.
  • South Wales Police recorded 964 offences.
  • North Wales Police recorded 535 offences.
  • Gwent Police recorded 503 offences.

A separate Freedom of Information request by the NSPCC revealed that, in cases where police documented the platform used by perpetrators, half (50%) of offences occurred on Snapchat. Meta platforms accounted for a quarter of cases, with 11% on Instagram, 7% on Facebook, and 6% on WhatsApp.

Call for stronger protections

In their letter to the Government, child protection charities expressed concerns over Ofcom’s Illegal Harms Code of Practice, published in December 2024. The charities argue that the code does not go far enough to protect children from the worst forms of abuse on private messaging services, despite the Online Safety Act aiming to address such risks.

Ofcom has stated that platforms are only required to remove illegal content where it is ‘technically feasible’. However, campaigners warn that this loophole allows some services to avoid implementing basic protections for children.

Police data suggests that private messaging platforms are involved in more child sexual abuse image crimes than any other type of online platform. Offenders exploit the secrecy of these services to target children and avoid detection.

The role of end-to-end encryption

The NSPCC is calling on the UK Government to push Ofcom to strengthen its codes of practice and ensure online safety regulations adequately tackle this issue. The charity also wants private messaging services, including those using end-to-end encryption, to introduce robust safeguards.

End-to-end encryption is a secure communication system where only the sender and recipient can access messages, preventing service providers from detecting illegal content. This, campaigners argue, creates a ‘safe haven’ for child abusers.

Childline reports rise in cases

Data from Childline provides further evidence of the dangers of private messaging platforms. Last year, the service delivered 903 counselling sessions to children experiencing blackmail or threats to expose or share sexual images online—a 7% increase compared to 2022/23.

One 13-year-old girl who sought help from Childline said: “I sent nude pics and videos to a stranger I met on Snapchat. I think he’s in his thirties. I don’t know what to do next. I told him I didn’t want to send him any more pictures and he started threatening me, telling me that he’ll post the pictures online. I’m feeling really angry with myself and lonely. I would like support from my friends, but I don’t want to talk to them about it as I’m worried about being judged.”

NSPCC chief executive’s warning

Chris Sherwood, NSPCC Chief Executive, said: “These offences cause tremendous harm and distress to children, with much of this illegal material being repeatedly shared and viewed online. It is an outrage that in 2025 we are still seeing a blatant disregard from tech companies to prevent this illegal content from proliferating on their sites.

“Having separate rules for private messaging services lets tech bosses off the hook from putting robust protections in place. This enables crimes to continue to flourish on their platforms even though we now have the Online Safety Act.”

He added: “The Government must set out how they will take a bold stand against abuse on private messaging services and hold tech companies accountable for keeping children safe, even if it requires changes to the platform’s design. There can be no excuse for inaction or delay.”

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Crime

Mother accused of murdering six-year-old son set to appear in court

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A MOTHER accused of murdering her son and attempting to kill her father is set to appear in court next month.

Karolina Zurawska, 41, of Cwm Du Close, Gendros, Swansea, is charged with the murder of her six-year-old son, Alexander Zurawski, whose body was discovered at a property in Swansea in August last year. She is also accused of attempting to murder her father, 67-year-old Krzysztof Siwi, on the same occasion.

Zurawska was due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on Monday but was not produced from custody. A plea hearing has now been scheduled for March 3. She remains in custody.

Following Alexander’s death, his family described him as a “very kind child”. They said: “Alexander was always well-behaved and never naughty. He was very clever and very mature for his age. He had great understanding of facts. Alexander was always helpful, always eager to assist with cooking and cleaning.

“Alexander spoke both English and Polish and would often correct his parents with their English if they got words wrong. He was amazing.”

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Crime

Woman ‘humiliated and embarrassed’ after alleged childhood rape

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A COURT has heard how a woman was left feeling ‘humiliated and embarrassed’ after being allegedly raped by a man when she was just nine years old.

“I feel so humiliated,” the victim told a jury sitting at Swansea Crown Court on Monday.

“He told me that if I ever told anybody, they wouldn’t believe me and I wouldn’t have any friends.  I took his word for it.

“I was so scared that I used to wet the bed.  And I knew why I was doing it…it was because I was scared.”

Gary Hicks, is accused of raping the female sometime between July 7, 1987, and December 31, 1989, when she was aged between 9 and 11.

This week Hicks, 63, appeared before a jury where he denied the charge.

The Crown claimed that at some point between 1987 and 1989, Hicks entered an upstairs bedroom in the house in the Milford Haven area where the child was living at the time of the alleged offence.

“She’d fallen asleep on the floor and Gary Hicks entered the room and laid her on her front,” said Daniel Jones, KC, for the Crown.

“She felt the defendant lift her hips and he penetrated her vagina with his hands from behind.”

Mr Jones claimed the assault lasted ‘a few minutes’.

“Gary Hicks said that if she ever told anyone about the abuse, she would not be believed and she’d have no friends,” he said.  “‘Who was going to believe a young girl over a grown up?”

However when the child reached adulthood, she began telling people in confidence.  These included her psychotherapist in 1993, her GP in 2006, a work colleague, and close members of her family.  Finally, in the early hours of October, 2022 the victim made a call to Dyfed-Powys Police claiming that Gary Hicks had raped her when she was a child.

Hicks, formerly of Milford Haven, who now resides in Oregon Way, Luton denies the charge of rape. 

His trial is expected to continue throughout this week.

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