Crime

Pembrokeshire livestock owner narrowly avoids jail sentence

Published

7 months ago

May 12, 2025

Warning – this article contains distressing images.

A Crown Court judge has been shown horrific video footage of the suffering caused to animals at the hands of Pembrokeshire father and daughter, Richard and Brogan Scarfe.

The video showed a pig squealing in pain after being found with its head stuck in a holding pen while a young lamb was so weak, it could barely stand. Many animals, including pigs and sheep, were severely malnourished while a pig could be seen with two severely injured ears, possibly, the court was told, as a result of cannibalistic behaviour.

“The care you showed to those animals was highly inappropriate,” commented Judge Katherine Richards as she sentenced Richard Scarfe at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (May 12).

“You refused to accept the advice and opinion of experts, and you continued to think that your knowledge was better. But this caused prolonged periods of neglect and high levels of suffering to the animals in your care.”

Last month Richard Scarfe, 44, of Park Street, Pembroke Dock and his daughter Brogan, 26, of Woodbine Terrace, Pembroke admitted causing unnecessary suffering to pigs, sheep, poultry and dogs, between January 25, 2022 and April 18, 2023.

Richard Scarfe was further charged with breaching a Court Order, which banned him from owning, keeping or participating in the keeping of goats, donkeys, cattle, sheep and pigs, or being party to any arrangement under which he was entitled to control or have influence over their care, for a period of five years.

Animal welfare officers from both Pembrokeshire County Council and the RSPCA carried out a number of visit to monitor the animals’ welfare. And on each visit, they discovered the animals’ condition was deteriorating. They also discovered that Scarfe had remained actively involved in the day-to-day husbandry of his livestock despite a five-year disqualification imposed following a previous conviction for causing unnecessary suffering to animals in 2022.

During their visits, the officers discovered:

Dead pigs left in close proximity to enclosures containing live pigs;

Animals suffering from substantial levels of pain and suffering. One pig had extensive damage to both its ears, believed to be the result of cannibalistic behaviour caused by the pigs competing for the limited food and space.

Animal malnourishment, with inadequate food and drinking water supplies;

Severely emaciated sheep, showing their ribs and spine;

Hazardous holding enclosures, often knee deep in mud.

When interviewed by the officers, the court was told that Scarfe claimed the animals were in a good state of health, claiming their underweight appearance was because they were young and still growing.

“Just like there are fat people and thin people, there are fat pigs and thin pigs,” he said.

The pigs were being kept with inadequate supplies of food and fresh drinking water.

A number of dogs were also found locked inside a makeshift kennel that was littered in faeces. Several were underweight and nervous, and despite making numerous visits, the officers never saw the dog released from their kennels.

As a result of the officers’concerns, veterinary advice was sought from the Animal and Plant Health Agency on the cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry found at Scarfe’s property. Body condition scores were carried out,which showed they were all in a substandard condition and suffering unnecessarily as a result of serious failures in their care. A certificate under Section 18 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 was subsequently issued demanding their removal to a place of safety and to prevent further suffering. A total of one cow, 26 sheep, 43 pigs, 23 poultry and five dogs were subsequently seized and removed to a place of sanctuary where they were examined by a veterinary surgeon, with many needing medical intervention.

Richard Scarfe was sentenced to 11 months in custody, suspended for 12 months.

“The fact that you so brazenly breached the disqualification means custody is the only way of punishing you,” commented Judge Richards.

Judge Richards suspended custody for 12 months as a result of Scarfe being the full-time carer of his partner as well as being jointly responsible for the home education of their young son. He was disqualified from keeping animals for life

Sentencing Brogan Scarfe, Judge Katherine Richards said the defendant had ‘acted as a means of misplaced loyalty’ to her father.

She must serve a 12-month community order and carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. She was disqualified from keeping animals for five years.

Crime

Swansea man jailed for online child sex offence dies in prison

Published

9 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

11 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

13 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.