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Crime

Teacher feared for life during Ammanford school stabbing

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A TEACHER injured by a knife-wielding pupil during a stabbing at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford thought, “Oh God, this could be it,” as she struggled to restrain the attacker, a court has heard.

Two teachers and a Year 10 pupil were injured in the incident, which took place on April 24, 2024.

A 14-year-old girl has admitted three counts of wounding with intent and possessing a bladed article on school premises but denies three counts of attempted murder.

Giving video evidence at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday (Jan 28), teacher Fiona Elias described the moment she confronted the teenage attacker.

Ms Elias said she had told the defendant she could not remain in a lower school hall on the day of the attack. She recalled how the pupil had “menacingly” stared at her while playing with an object in her pocket.

“I asked her to stop staring at me and what was in her pocket,” Ms Elias said in her police interview.

“She said, ‘Do you want to see what’s in my pocket?’ She pulled out a knife and said, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ then started stabbing me.”

‘She had completely lost it’

The jury heard Ms Elias suffered injuries to her shoulder, bicep, and hand.

“I tried to restrain her. I remember holding her arms, and she was pulling away. She had completely lost it, and the red mist had come down,” she said.

“She was trying to stab me in all sorts of places, and she got me in four places. I did not pass out or anything—I just remember thinking, ‘Oh God, this could be it.’”

She described the knife as a pen knife with a silver blade.

Ms Elias and fellow teacher Liz Hopkin shouted for help as they grappled with the attacker.

Ms Hopkin was stabbed in the neck. In her recorded evidence played to the court, she recalled: “She came towards me face on and stabbed me in the neck. I thought, ‘S**t, this is it.’

“I was just shouting, ‘Help, get help.’ I thought, ‘If I let go, people are going to get hurt.’”

Ms Hopkin was airlifted from the school for treatment, while Ms Elias was taken to Morriston Hospital in Swansea.

The case is being heard at Swansea Crown Court (Image: Herald)

‘One way to be a celebrity’

Earlier, the court heard how the defendant had stabbed a fellow pupil multiple times before being disarmed by male members of staff.

During the prosecution’s opening remarks, the jury was told the teenage girl made a chilling comment to Dyfed-Powys Police officers as she was escorted from the school.

“I’m pretty sure this is going to be on the news, so more eyes are going to be looking at me—that’s one way to be a celebrity,” she reportedly said.

The 14-year-old girl denies three counts of attempted murder.

The case continues.

Crime

Pembrokeshire learning support assistant to be sentenced for child neglect

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A PEMBROKESHIRE Learning Support Assistant has appeared before magistrates charged with ill-treating and causing unnecessary suffering to her two children.

This week, Haverfordwest magistrates were shown shocking photographs of the appalling living conditions the children endured between November 2019 and June 2024.

Their bedding was infested with maggots and flies, while a potty containing faeces was left in one of the bedrooms. Faeces were also smeared across the walls and floors.

“It’s difficult to say what effect this will have on those children,” said Crown Prosecutor Nia James.

The children’s beds had no appropriate bedding, only dirty rags. Magistrates heard that concerns were initially raised by one of the children’s teachers after noticing a maggot on the carpet near where the child had been sitting.

“The child said there were flies in his bedroom because of the rubbish,” said Nia James. “He also said he was unable to sleep because of the maggots in his bed.”

Following the school’s concerns, a welfare check was carried out at the family home in Milford Haven.

“Significant issues were noted,” continued James. “There was a stale odour, numerous flies, and a foul smell coming from the fridge. There was a limited amount of food in the cupboards, and the dining room was inaccessible due to clutter, as was one of the bedrooms.

“Faeces were smeared across the walls and floors, and there was no bedding on the beds, just dirty rags. Takeaway boxes and large quantities of rubbish were strewn over the floor, and in one bedroom, a toilet-type potty still contained excrement.

“These were the conditions the children had been living in for years, not just a couple of months.

“This was severe, long-term neglect, with flies and maggot infestations and the smell of urine on the children.”

James told magistrates that the defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is employed as an LSA.

“As an education worker, she should have been aware of the circumstances, given her day-to-day job,” added James.

After hearing the prosecution’s evidence, magistrates declined jurisdiction. As a result, the 39-year-old woman will now be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on March 11.

She was released on conditional bail, with restrictions preventing her from having unsupervised contact with her children unless approved by social services or police. She must also continue to reside at her home address.

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Crime

Milford man remanded over cannabis possession and cultivation

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A MILFORD HAVEN man accused of cultivating cannabis at his home address has been remanded in custody by magistrates.

Reece Cookson, 33, is accused of growing the Class B controlled drug at his property in Hawthorn Path, Milford Haven following a search carried out by police officers on January 19.

He is further charged with possessing 995.4 grams of cannabis and of assaulting a female causing her actual bodily harm at the Mount Estate on the same date.

This week, Cookson appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates via a video link from Swansea Prison, where he is being remanded in custody pending his trial, which will take place on March 10.

Following a request from the Crown Prosecution Service, Cookson’s remand will continue due to concerns that he will reoffend and interfere with prosecution witnesses.

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Crime

35 arrests as police disrupt £12 million cannabis operation

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DYFED-POWYS POLICE has carried out its most significant drugs operation to date, seizing more than £12 million worth of cannabis and dismantling 37 large-scale cannabis farms across the force area. The crackdown, named Operation Scotney, has resulted in 35 arrests and the disruption of organised crime gangs operating in rural communities.

Cannabis farm found at Main Street, Pembroke (Picture: M Cavaney/Herald)

Operation Scotney

Raiding sites including former schools, empty town centre shops, and a disused newspaper office, police have uncovered thousands of cannabis plants and tonnes of commercial heating and lighting equipment.

Detective Chief Inspector Rich Lewis explained how the operation began: “Through proactive policing, we noticed a rise in large-scale cannabis factories being discovered in seemingly unrelated locations. The scale was unprecedented, with thousands of plants found in each warrant. It quickly became clear that these factories were linked, run by organised crime groups from outside the force area, aiming to evade detection in our rural towns.”

In response, Operation Scotney was launched in early 2024, bringing together detectives, intelligence experts, and proactive policing officers to locate and disrupt these operations before the cannabis could be cultivated.

Police at the former Woolworth’s building, Pembroke Dock (Image: Herald)

Organised crime hiding in plain sight

The criminal networks behind these farms have been using increasingly brazen tactics, setting up operations in town centres and even on the same street as a police station. DCI Lewis said: “We’ve found cannabis factories in former schools, empty shops, and a disused newspaper office, all in public areas where it would be difficult to go unnoticed. These gangs disguise themselves as construction workers or landlords, wearing high-visibility vests and moving large boxes into buildings in broad daylight to avoid suspicion.”

A striking example occurred in Newcastle Emlyn, where officers discovered 400 cannabis plants just four doors down from the local police station.

Passers by said that the former Mojo’s in Milford Haven was “stinking of skunk” (Picture: Herald)

Crackdown yields major arrests

Over the past year, Operation Scotney has led to the arrests of 35 individuals. Twenty-nine have been jailed, four are awaiting sentencing, two are yet to enter pleas, and two others have been deported.

Carmarthenshire court results:

  • King Street, Carmarthen:
    • Jurgen Kodra: Jailed for 2 years, 4 months for production of cannabis.
  • Old Llangunnor Road, Carmarthen:
    • Nurdin Hoxha: Charged with production of cannabis – sentencing on March 7.
  • Gordon Road, Llanelli:
    • Argil Bushi: Jailed for 20 months for production of cannabis.
    • Aldi Xhaferri: Jailed for 9 months for production of cannabis.
  • Craddock Street, Llanelli:
    • Blerjan Dedja: Jailed for 12 months for production of cannabis.
  • Bigyn Road, Llanelli:
    • Franko Sulovari: Jailed for 18 months for production of cannabis.
  • Mountain Gate Inn, Ammanford:
    • Beni Mirashi: Jailed for 12 months for production of cannabis.
  • Maes Y Wern, Carway:
    • Viktor Gjeloshi: Jailed for 15 months for production of cannabis.
    • Nikoll Necaj: Jailed for 6 months for production of cannabis.
    • Eduart Nenfusho: Jailed for 15 months for production of cannabis.
  • Vaughan Street, Llanelli:
    • Hazis Rapi: Jailed for 12 months for production of cannabis.

Ceredigion court results:

  • Former Llandysul school:
    • Alfred Perkola: Conspiracy to supply and possession with intent to supply cannabis. Sentencing on February 26, 2025.
    • Aldi Gjegjaj: Conspiracy to supply and possession with intent to supply cannabis. Sentencing on February 26, 2025.
  • Former Llandysul school (second warrant):
    • Armeld Troski: Jailed for 40 months for production of cannabis.
    • Njazi Gjana: Jailed for 30 months for production of cannabis.
    • Ervin Gjana: Jailed for 30 months for production of cannabis.

Pembrokeshire court results:

  • Honeyborough Industrial Estate, Neyland:
    • Zhupa Gentian: Jailed for 12 months for production of cannabis.
    • Ergest Mucopata: Jailed for 12 months for production of cannabis.
  • Stop search, Cleddau Bridge:
    • Albert Nikolla: Jailed for 4 years, 3 months for possession with intent to supply and supply of cocaine.
    • Pajtim Meta: Jailed for 5 years for possession with intent to supply and supply of cocaine.
  • India Row, Monkton, Pembroke:
    • Sergej Zakacura: Jailed for 7 years, 3 months for production of cannabis.
  • North Crescent, Haverfordwest:
    • Shahin Mustaj: Jailed for 8 months for production of cannabis.
  • Treowen Road, Pennar, Pembroke Dock:
    • Ervis Kerciku: Jailed for 12 months for production of cannabis.
  • Industrial Yard, Honeyborough:
    • Flamur Vengo: Jailed for 24 months for production of cannabis.
    • Nertil Dallenga: Jailed for 24 months for production of cannabis.
  • Dimond Street, Pembroke Dock:
    • Armando Beti: Jailed for 2 years, 8 months for being concerned in production of cannabis.
  • Main Street, Pembroke:
    • Amarildo Daja: Jailed for 12 months for being concerned in production of cannabis.
  • Dimond Street, Pembroke Dock:
    • Esmirald Dedej: Charged with production of cannabis and remanded in custody.
    • Arsen Tanasica: Jailed for 12 months for production of cannabis.

Powys court results:

  • Former County Times building, Welshpool:
    • Dino Marku: Jailed for 18 months for production of cannabis.
  • Former County Times building (second warrant):
    • Kastriot Gega: Jailed for 6 months for production of cannabis.
  • Broad Street, Welshpool:
    • Alban Qemalli: Jailed for 22 months for being concerned in production of cannabis.
  • High Street, Welshpool:
    • Kladji Toci: Jailed for 16 months for being concerned in production of cannabis.
  • Former HSBC bank, Llandrindod Wells:
    • Two men deported following arrest.

The force says it remains committed to disrupting organised crime and ensuring the safety of local communities.

Police officer at an illegal cannabis farm (Pic: Herald File image)

Can you help the police?

The most frequent signs of a cannabis factory are:

  • HEAT: Cannabis plants need heat to grow. You may see condensation on windows or notice that ice and snow is missing on rooftops in the winter.
  • SMELL: Cannabis plants have a strong smell, which is stronger in the last three months of growth.
  • RUBBISH: Lots of ‘garden’ rubbish dumped outside such as plant pots, compost and empty plant food containers.
  • LIGHT: Cannabis needs bright lights 24 hours a day to grow. You may also hear noise from fans.
  • SECRECY: Windows might be covered up to hide illegal activity, or extra locks installed.
  • ELECTRICITY: Your street may be suffering from frequent and unusual power cuts as electricity meters are bypassed.
  • VISITORS: Are people coming and going, possibly at odd hours? Are the lights constantly on but nobody appears to be there?

If you have any information or concerns to share, contact Dyfed-Powys Police in the following ways:

Report online | https://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us-beta/contact-us/

Email | [email protected]

Call | 101

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.

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