Crime

Former Carmarthenshire teacher jailed for rape and voyeurism

Published

5 months ago

June 23, 2025

Victim tells court: ‘What he did to me is unforgivable’

A FORMER teacher and restaurant manager has been jailed for nine years after being convicted of raping a teenager in Carmarthen more than two decades ago.

Daniel Gravell, 43, carried out the attack on a 19-year-old woman in 2002, following a house gathering in the town. Swansea Crown Court heard the victim had been unwell and was taken to bed by friends before Gravell raped her while she was vulnerable and unable to consent.

The woman, now in her 40s, bravely addressed the court during sentencing on Monday (June 23), describing the lasting trauma she has experienced. She told the judge: “On the night I was raped I was extremely vulnerable. I know I’ve done nothing wrong, but shame is something I continue to feel. I’m angry about how his behaviour has shaped my life.”

She said seeing Gravell around Carmarthen in the years that followed left her feeling “uncomfortable” and that informing her family of the incident was devastating. “The look on my brother’s face will stay with me forever,” she said. “He [Gravell] needs to take responsibility for his actions.”

Gravell denied the charge of rape but was found guilty by a jury earlier this year. The court also heard he had taken explicit photos of a woman without her knowledge in 2021. In that case, Gravell had consensual sex with the woman but took naked pictures of her afterwards without asking. He later blamed the flash on his phone, claiming it had gone off accidentally.

He pleaded guilty to the voyeurism offence and was sentenced to six months, to run consecutively with the eight-and-a-half-year sentence for rape.

Judge Geraint Walters told Gravell: “Rape leaves a scar. Many never recover. It’s a terrible thing to do to another human being.” He added that a probation report found Gravell has the “potential to be a predatory offender” and that he had shown “no remorse whatsoever.”

The judge also addressed Gravell’s comment, made to a friend at the time, in which he boasted about the rape and referred to the victim using demeaning language.

Gravell, formerly employed at a Swansea school and until recently managing the Baltic Inn near Pontyates, will serve the full sentence in custody and has been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

He was also charged with two further rapes, one in 2005 and another in 2022. He was cleared of the 2022 allegation, while the jury could not reach a verdict on the 2005 case. A retrial on that count will take place at a later date.

Speaking outside the court after the sentencing today, Detective Inspector Dale Thomas, said: “I can only start today by extending my deepest sympathies to the victims in this case for the horror they suffered at the hands of Daniel Gravell.

“The bravery shown by the victims – from their initial reports all the way through to today’s sentencing – must be commended.

“The courage it takes to report a rape or sexual offence, no matter how recent or non-recent, cannot be underestimated. I hope that today’s result brings some comfort to the victims as they begin to move forward with their lives.

“Rape is as much a psychological offence as it is physical.

“We have heard how a woman endured 20 years of suffering because of what Daniel Gravell did to her in 2002.

“We must recognise that this victim did not only suffer a physical attack in 2002 but has also suffered the emotional consequences since.

“We have also heard about the devastating impact a non-physical sex offence can have on an individual’s emotional welfare too.

“Thanks to the bravery of the victims in this case, Daniel Gravell is now a convicted rapist and will face the punishment he so rightly deserves.

“I want to send a clear message today: if you are a victim of rape or sexual assault, please come forward.

“We have specially trained officers and partners who will support you every step of the way.

“Today’s result shows that we can, and will, do everything possible to investigate and prosecute vile offenders such as Daniel Gravell.”

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
Violence against staff up 109%
Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.

Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Court Reporter

A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.

Crime

Banned for 40 months after driving with cocaine breakdown product in blood

Published

7 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been handed a lengthy driving ban after admitting driving with a controlled drug in her system more than ten times over the legal limit.

SENTENCED AT HAVERFORDWEST

Sally Allen, 43, of Wentworth Close, Hubberston, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Dec 4) for sentencing, having pleaded guilty on November 25 to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the prescribed limit.

The court heard that Allen was stopped on August 25 on the Old Hakin Road at Tiers Cross while driving an Audi A3. Blood analysis showed 509µg/l of Benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine. The legal limit is 50µg/l.

COMMUNITY ORDER AND REHABILITATION

Magistrates imposed a 40-month driving ban, backdated to her interim disqualification which began on November 25.

Allen was also handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as directed by the Probation Service.

She was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge. Her financial penalties will be paid in £25 monthly instalments from January 1, 2026.

The bench—Mrs H Roberts, Mr M Shankland and Mrs J Morris—said her guilty plea had been taken into account when passing sentence.