Crime

Drugs, deaths and drones: Damning report highlights crisis at Parc Prison

Published

8 months ago

April 23, 2025

NEARLY 900 DRUG FINDS, 17 DEATHS IN A YEAR, AND INMATES LOCKED UP FOR 21 HOURS A DAY

A DAMNING inspection report into one of the UK’s largest prisons has revealed a shocking collapse in standards at HMP Parc in Bridgend, where widespread drug use, soaring violence, and 17 inmate deaths defined a year of crisis.

The prison is the nearest long term jail to Pembrokeshire with hundreds of inmates there from our local area.

***The prison, privately run by G4S, was once hailed as a flagship establishment*** ***(Image: File)***

The unannounced inspection in January 2025 uncovered nearly 900 incidents of drug finds in 2024 alone, with half of prisoners saying it was easy to get drugs inside. On the prison’s A and B wings, 70% of inmates said drugs were easy to obtain, and 34% admitted developing a drug or alcohol problem after arriving.

The prison, privately run by G4S, was once hailed as a flagship establishment. But the report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons lays bare the reality of a facility overwhelmed by addiction, violence, and staff turnover, all following a change in management contract and the departure of the respected long-time governor Janet Wallsgrove.

“The prison had become far too violent,” the report states, with a 60% rise in recorded self-harm since the last inspection. Between February and May 2024 alone, eight inmates died from suspected drug-related causes, many linked to synthetic opioids like nitazenes.

SHOCKING FINDINGS

***Parc prison: Inmates told to throw away drugs after jail deaths (Image: BBC)***

894 drug finds in a year—more than any other similar prison

17 inmate deaths in 2024, including multiple overdoses

30% of all drug tests were positive

Up to 21 hours a day in cells for many prisoners

Self-harm incidents up 60% since 2022

41% of inmates reported being bullied by other prisoners

Inspectors found that many prisoners were left idle, with poor access to work, education or training. Nearly a fifth were unemployed and locked up for most of the day. Even those motivated to work or learn were trapped by delays in allocation.

“The regime was inconsistent and left many inmates bored, frustrated and hungry,” the report adds. Food was deemed inadequate by the majority of prisoners, with meagre portions and little fresh produce. The prison shop lacked healthy options, and fruit and vegetables were scarce.

LEADERSHIP TURMOIL AND DRONE DELIVERIES

***Prison officers prepare to enter a cell during a training exercise (File image)***

After Wallsgrove’s departure in 2023, her replacement lasted less than a year. The management vacuum coincided with a new contract awarded to G4S, a transition that “destabilised the prison” and saw violence and drug use spiral.

Despite an impressive effort from security teams—who intercepted 894 drugs packages—illicit substances continued to pour in. Parc became a prime example of drone-facilitated trafficking, with deliveries often targeting vulnerable windows in cells.

The prison had no enhanced gate security for staff, and the rollout of secure windows was still ongoing at the time of the inspection. Drug-detection tech developed with Bath University was one of the few bright spots, but inspectors said it was not enough to stem the tide.

The disciplinary system was also in disarray. In 2024, over 5,000 adjudications were recorded, a quarter of which were abandoned or delayed. There were also over 800 incidents involving use of force by staff, yet bodycam footage was only available in 54% of cases.

HOPE UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP

***There was unrest in the prison in 2024 following deaths of prisoners at the jail (Image: Herald)***

There were signs of hope. Since new director Will Styles took over in June 2024, no further drug-related or self-inflicted deaths had occurred. Staff morale, recruitment and retention were improving.

Styles introduced a two-year recovery plan and stabilised the leadership team. Inspectors praised his honest self-assessment and noted the beginnings of a cultural shift. Enhanced collaboration with the education provider and initiatives like ‘Parc Tank’ (a business incubator for inmates) were flagged as positive steps.

MENTAL HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE FAILURES

Healthcare services, transferred from G4S to NHS Wales in 2023, were still under-resourced. Dental care was so limited that routine treatments were unavailable, with prisoners encouraged to report pain just to get seen. Mental health services were swamped, and one inmate had waited over two months for a hospital transfer.

The report highlighted 1,962 self-harm incidents in the previous 12 months, and found the mental health referral process overly complex and underperforming. Over 500 prisoners had been referred to the mental health team in the past three months alone.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND PATH AHEAD

***G4S who run Parc Prison said: ‘We’re making progress’***

Inspectors issued 14 key concerns—eight of them requiring urgent action. These include high violence, poor mental health provision, weak offender management, inadequate food, and lack of work or training opportunities.

Despite G4S’s claims of “solid progress,” the inspectorate made it clear that major reforms are still needed. If the current director remains and receives the backing he needs, the report says Parc “may begin to recover.”

A spokesperson for G4S said: “We are encouraged that HMIP recognises that we are making progress. We are determined to ensure the men in our care are safe, supported and can feel optimistic about their futures.”

But with more than 1,700 men inside and nearly 900 drug finds in a single year, the question remains: how did one of Britain’s most successful prisons fall so far, so fast?

Crime

Swansea man jailed for online child sex offence dies in prison

Published

2 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man who was jailed earlier this year for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child has died while in custody.

Gareth Davies, aged 59, of the Maritime Quarter, was serving an 18-month prison sentence after being convicted in May of sending sexually explicit messages to what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. The account was in fact a decoy used as part of an online safeguarding operation.

The court heard that Davies began communicating with the decoy between November and December 2024 and persistently pursued the individual, later attempting to arrange a face-to-face meeting. He was arrested after being confronted by the decoy operators.

Davies had pleaded not guilty but was convicted following a trial. At the time of sentencing, police described the messages as extremely concerning and said his imprisonment was necessary to protect children.

It has now been confirmed that Davies died at HMP Parc on Wednesday (Nov 27) while serving his sentence.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has launched an independent investigation into the death, which is standard procedure in all cases where someone dies in custody. No cause of death has been released at this stage.

A coroner will determine the circumstances in due course.

Crime

Pembrokeshire man sent to Crown Court over death by careless driving charge

Published

3 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE man has been sent to the Crown Court to stand trial accused of causing a death by careless or inconsiderate driving.

Alexander MacCallum, aged 28, of Beach Road, Llanreath, Pembroke Dock, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (Dec 18).

The court heard that MacCallum is charged with causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving following an incident on Thursday (June 13, 2024).

No plea was entered at this stage of the proceedings.

Magistrates were told the case was too serious to be dealt with at magistrates’ level and ordered that it be sent to the Crown Court for trial.

MacCallum was sent to the Crown Court on unconditional bail, with further proceedings to take place at a later date.

The prosecution was brought by Dyfed-Powys Police. No defence solicitor was formally recorded at the hearing.

Crime

Breakthrough in 1993 Tooze murders: 86-year-old man arrested after cold case review

Published

5 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

POLICE investigating one of Wales’ most disturbing unsolved double murders have arrested an 86-year-old man on suspicion of killing elderly couple Harry and Megan Tooze more than three decades ago.

South Wales Police confirmed the arrest on Tuesday (Dec 17), following a forensic cold case review into the 1993 killings, which shocked the rural community of Llanharry and cast a long shadow over the South Wales justice system.

Harry Tooze, aged 64, and his wife Megan, 67, were found shot dead with a shotgun at their isolated Ty Ar y Waun farmhouse on July 26, 1993. Their bodies were discovered inside a cowshed on the property, concealed beneath carpet and hay bales, having been shot in the head at close range.

The brutality of the killings and the remoteness of the scene prompted one of the most high-profile murder investigations in Wales at the time.

Conviction later quashed

In 1995, Cheryl Tooze’s then-boyfriend, Jonathan Jones, was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. The prosecution case rested heavily on a partial fingerprint found on a teacup at the farmhouse.

However, the conviction unravelled just a year later. In 1996, the Court of Appeal quashed the verdict, ruling it unsafe and highlighting serious concerns about the reliability of the fingerprint evidence. The decision was widely regarded as a significant miscarriage of justice.

Jones, who consistently maintained his innocence, was supported throughout the ordeal by Cheryl Tooze, whom he later married. The couple have since spoken publicly about the devastating impact of the case on their lives.

Despite renewed appeals and periodic reviews, no one else was charged and the murders remained unresolved for nearly 30 years.

Operation Vega and forensic advances

In 2023, marking the 30th anniversary of the killings, South Wales Police launched a full cold case review under Operation Vega. The review was led by forensic scientist Professor Angela Gallop, one of the UK’s most respected figures in forensic investigation.

Detectives re-examined preserved exhibits from the original crime scene using modern forensic and DNA techniques that were not available in the early 1990s. Police have not disclosed which items were re-analysed or what evidence led to the latest arrest.

On December 17, officers arrested an 86-year-old man on suspicion of murdering Harry and Megan Tooze. He remains in police custody while enquiries continue. No further details about the suspect have been released at this stage.

Police appeal for information

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Mark Lewis described the arrest as a significant moment, but stressed that the investigation is ongoing.

He said: “While this arrest is clearly a significant development in the investigation, our enquiries are very much ongoing. This case has affected many people over the years and our aim is to find answers to the unanswered questions which remain about their deaths over 30 years on.

“Even with the passage of time, I would urge anyone who has information about the murders, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward and speak to police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact South Wales Police, quoting occurrence number 2300016841.