News
Three of seven boy racers jailed following A40 smash
Three of seven boy racers who swarmed up Arnold’s Hill on the A40 at up to 100mph have been jailed this morning (Dec 22).
The other four received suspended sentences and all were banned from driving.
Judge Paul Thomas told them at Swansea crown court their racing had been childish, immature, astonishingly bad and dangerous.
The seven had been in a convoy of up to 40 cars that had met at a Murco garage in Haverfordwest on August 11, 2013, to drive to Swansea.
Stephen Murray, 23, of 50 Lawrenny Street, Neyland and Ieuan Power, 18, of 17 Harbour Close, Milford, began showing off almost immediately by racing round and round a roundabout, said Robin Rouch prosecuting.
As the convoy reached Arnold’s Hill, where the east bound carriageway opened to two lanes, several cars began racing and using the third, oncoming lane, as an additional overtaking lane, effectively turning that stretch of the A40 into a one way street.
Power became blocked in and undertook a car before swerving back into the regular overtaking lane. As the vehicles slowed at the top of the hill Scott Beavis, 21, of 23 Skomer Drive, Milford Haven could not control his braking and swerved into the oncoming lane at 80mph, hitting head on a Seat Ibiza being driven by Andrea Gainfort.
She suffered a punctured lung and was in hospital for 13 days. Her daughter Zoe and her mother Maureen Howells were also injured.
Beavis himself had to be airlifted to Morriston hospital, Swansea.
Today, Beavis was jailed for six months and banned from driving for two years.
Ian Lloyd, 22, of 66 College Park, Neyland, received the same sentence. Judge Thomas said he had set the pace going upArnold’s Hill and others had followed his example.
Jack Murdoch, 18, of 31 Main Road, Waterson, was jailed for 16 weeks and banned from driving for 12 months. He had told a jury “bare faced lies,” said Judge Thomas.
Edward Adams, 19, of Green Cottage, Thornton Road, Steynton, was jailed for 16 weeks, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work for the community
James Adams, 23, also of Green Cottage, Stephen Murray, 23, of 50 Lawrenny Street, Neyland and Ieuan Power, 18, of 17 Harbour Close, Milford, were jailed for 12 weeks, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to do 150 hours of work.
All seven will have to take extended driving tests before getting their licences back and to pay government surcharges.
Judge Thomas said they had driven “like idiots” on what would have been a busy summer Sunday afternoon in Pembrokeshire.
Beavis had caused the accident but it could have been anyone one them as they had all “driven like lunatics, competing to see who could drive the fastest.”
“Cars are not toys for little boys. It is a culture amongst young men of your age in Pembrokeshire to show off, to pose at ridiculous speeds, buzzing and swarming like bees,” added Judge Thomas.
The judge said he noted that even before August 11 Beavis had received five written warnings from police about his driving. James and Edward Adams had each received two notices and Edwards Adams had once been banned for driving at 107mph in a 60mph area. Lloyd, Power and Murdoch had each received one warning.
Lloyd and Murdoch had denied dangerous driving but had been convicted by a jury after a trial. The other five defendants had entered pleas of guilty.
Judge Thomas again raised concern about the evidence given by two witnesses on behalf of Lloyd and Murdoch.
Mr Rouch said, “It will not be overlooked. It is not going to go away as far as they are concerned.”
Racing before the smash: Scott Beavis
RESIDENT doctors across Wales have voted to accept a new contract, with 83% of those who took part in a referendum backing the agreement, according to BMA Cymru Wales.
The contract includes a four per cent additional investment in the resident doctor workforce and introduces a range of reforms aimed at improving training conditions, wellbeing and long-term workforce sustainability within NHS Wales. The BMA says the deal also supports progress towards pay restoration, which remains a central issue for doctors.
Key changes include new safeguards to limit the most fatiguing working patterns, measures intended to address medical unemployment and career progression concerns, and reforms to study budgets and study leave to improve access to training opportunities.
Negotiations between the BMA’s Welsh Resident Doctors Committee, NHS Wales Employers and the Welsh Government concluded earlier this year. Following a consultation period, a referendum of resident doctors and final-year medical students in Wales was held, resulting in a clear majority in favour of the proposals.
Welsh Resident Doctors Committee chair Dr Oba Babs Osibodu said the agreement marked a significant step forward for doctors working in Wales.
He said: “We’re proud to have negotiated this contract, which offers our colleagues and the future generation of doctors safer terms of service, fairer pay, and better prospects so that they can grow and develop their careers in Wales.
“This contract will help to retain the doctors already in training, and also attract more doctors to work in Wales, where they can offer their expertise and benefit patients.”
Dr Osibodu added that the BMA remains committed to achieving full pay restoration and acknowledged that challenges remain for some doctors.
“Whilst this contract sets the foundations for a brighter future for resident doctors in Wales, we recognise that there are still doctors who are struggling to develop their careers and secure permanent work,” he said. “We need to work with the Welsh Government and NHS employers to address training bottlenecks and underemployment.”
The Welsh Government has previously said it recognises the pressures facing resident doctors and the importance of improving recruitment and retention across NHS Wales, while also highlighting the need to balance pay agreements with wider NHS funding pressures and patient demand.
The new contract is expected to be phased in from August 2026. It will initially apply to doctors in foundation programmes, those in specialty training with unbanded rotas, and new starters, before being rolled out to all resident doctors across Wales.
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.
THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have challenged the Welsh Government over climate change policies they say could lead to reductions in livestock numbers across Wales, raising concerns about the future of Welsh farming.
The row follows the Welsh Government’s decision, alongside Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Liberal Democrats, to support the UK Climate Change Committee’s Fourth Carbon Budget, which sets out the pathway towards Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The Carbon Budget, produced by the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC), states that meeting Net Zero targets will require a reduction in agricultural emissions, including changes to land use and, in some scenarios, a reduction in livestock numbers.
During questioning in the Senedd, the Welsh Conservatives pressed the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs on whether the Welsh Government supports reducing livestock numbers as part of its climate strategy.
Speaking after the exchange, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Samuel Kurtz MS, said the Welsh Government could not distance itself from the implications of the policy it had backed.
Mr Kurtz said: “By voting in favour of these climate change regulations, Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats have signed up to the UK Climate Change Committee’s call to cut livestock numbers in Wales, and they cannot dodge that reality.
“The Deputy First Minister’s smoke-and-mirrors answers only confirm what farmers already fear: that Labour, along with their budget bedfellows in Plaid and the Lib Dems, are prepared to sacrifice Welsh agriculture in pursuit of climate targets.”
He added that the issue came at a time of growing pressure on the farming sector, pointing to uncertainty over the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme, the ongoing failure to eradicate bovine TB, nitrogen pollution regulations under the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs), and proposed changes to inheritance tax rules affecting family farms.
The Welsh Government has repeatedly said it does not have a target to forcibly reduce livestock numbers and has argued that future emissions reductions will come through a combination of improved farming practices, environmental land management, and changes in land use agreed with farmers.
Ministers have also said the Sustainable Farming Scheme, which is due to replace the Basic Payment Scheme, is intended to reward farmers for food production alongside environmental outcomes, rather than remove land from agriculture.
The UK Climate Change Committee, which advises governments across the UK, has stressed that its pathways are based on modelling rather than fixed quotas, and that devolved governments have flexibility in how targets are met.
However, farming unions and rural groups in Wales have warned that policies focused on emissions reduction risk undermining the viability of livestock farming, particularly in upland and marginal areas where alternatives to grazing are limited.
The debate highlights the growing tension between climate targets and food production in Wales, with livestock farming remaining a central part of the rural economy and Welsh cultural identity.
As discussions continue over the final shape of the Sustainable Farming Scheme and Wales’ long-term climate plans, pressure is mounting on the Welsh Government to reassure farmers that climate policy will not come at the expense of the sector’s survival.
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Adam Jenkins
December 22, 2014 at 3:02 pm
The photograph at the bottom of your page of Scott is at pembrey race circuit! Not before the accident at all
Tom K
December 22, 2014 at 3:11 pm
About time the boy racers of Haverfordwest got punished. Maybe now the others will learn not be such idiots, but I won’t hold my breath.
They all got what they deserve.
admin
December 22, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Judging by the state of the car, I doubt it was after the crash
Anon
December 22, 2014 at 4:26 pm
Dangerous driving has been an issue for many years and does not appear to be something that is going away very quickly.
Something has got to change in the way we prevent and deal with these cases, or we risk losing more loved ones in a particularly gruesome and painful way.
I have personally lost 2 of my friends in 2 separate car crashes and my wife has also lost one of her friends in another separate incident. All 3 were teenagers at the time.
As painful as it was for us at the time, It was even worse watching our friends’ families come to terms with their loss. This has left a lasting impression in our memories.
Now I’m no angel myself, I’ve been guilty of enjoying the risk of speeding around the country roads of Pembrokeshire when I was a teenager/in my early 20s.
I don’t think its an age thing, as I often see grown men driving extremely dangerously on their morning commute, but it does seem to mostly be males that are to blame here.
However since I became a father a couple of years ago, I’ve looked at things slightly differently. What if, through no fault of my own, someone crashed into my car and killed one or more of my family?
My wife and/or I could be deprived of seeing our daughter growing up, or our daughter could have to grow up without one or both of her parents. Not to mention the effect on Grandparents, Friends, Aunts, Uncles, and so on.
How could someone possibly put other people and their families at risk for their own self satisfaction and bravado?
One, two, or all three generations of Andrea Gainfort’s family could have been lost in that accident, with their fate decided by an entirely pointless act of selfishness.
I’m not pretending that I have all the answers, there are people far cleverer than me who may have better ideas, but I do believe that dangerous drivers should be made to see the damage they create.
They should also be made to understand the impact it has on their own families, who may have to live with the knowledge that their own child has caused the death of another.
For anybody reading this, I have one request to make before you next get into the driving seat – please, PLEASE THINK:
What if, through driving too fast, me or one of my friends causes the death of my mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister…??
I’ll leave that thought with you.
tomos
December 22, 2014 at 5:20 pm
I think adam was trying to be a pedant but admin corrects him perfectly 🙂
these guys should have had a longer custodial sentences – THAT would keep them off the roads.
ps the “unreliable witnesses” thought themselves SO clever – better pack your bags too, and don’t forget if you’re bending down to pick up the soap – straight backs 😉
Rhys quigley
December 22, 2014 at 5:37 pm
THE PICTURE YOU HAVE USED OF SCOTT IS BEING FALSELY USED You have picked this picture and put a diffrent title to it because this picture is taken on a private track not a public road so this photo has no relevance to the crash. You as a newspaper should be state facts and the truth not miss leading the public with irrelevant imformation and photos
anon
December 22, 2014 at 5:56 pm
Whether the photo is from the racetrack or not, it just shows that he has learnt bugger all from track days, as to how to control his car. it is just a pity it was not one of his own family that he crashed into,
Joe Baldry
December 22, 2014 at 6:40 pm
Beavis and his mates are imbeciles and deserve even harsher sentences. They drove around like idiots, almost causing many other incident…..this accident was just a matter of time.
Longer custodial sentences and much longer driving bans were needed here….for all of them.
So, for the ones who were jailed, have a nice Christmas inside. I just hope you have time to reflect on what you’ve done but somehow I doubt you will. It seems that you’re all still blaming others for YOUR actions. To the rest of you who got off with suspended sentences….stay the hell away from these ‘friends’ of yours, grow the hell up and move on. Next time you will be going to prison and that really will screw up your life, job and aspirations. That said, Beavis had already done that prior to this incident. Idiot.
Anon
December 22, 2014 at 7:03 pm
i rang up the herald earlier and you lot hung up on me because i stated that you titled the photo incorrectly and shoudnt of used this and you saying it was before the crash you lot know nothing because it isnt actually him in the drivers seat of that saxo on the track day shows how much you lot know about this photo and his driving . yes he had an accident but it has nothing to do with him learning or not learning anything on a track day .. And the one who wished it on his parents thats low you cant wish anyone to be hurt in a accident your just sick and i hope you lot read this comment because it states facts and as for the herald your as bad as norris of coronation street with your gossip!!! Get all the facts before writing and using other peoples photos which has nothing to do with him being in an accident!
Rhys quigley
December 22, 2014 at 7:04 pm
ANON you have gone off the subject that I was on because I was just telling everyone that didn’t know the truth that this picture is a misleading picture and has no relevance to this article,what scott done in his spare time and OFF the PUBLIC ROAD is no else’s business apart from his.
How dare you wish it was one of his family this wasn’t planned it was a complete incident
Anon
December 22, 2014 at 7:36 pm
People were nearly killed and all you\’re concerned about is the caption under the bottom photograph? If the photo was indeed taken at a circuit – then it raises the question… if people are able to race their cars on circuits (at their own risk), why do they still insist on racing them on public roads at the risk of innocent people? It might not have been planned, but the collision was entirely his own fault and the fault of the other idiots at the time.
Mike r
December 22, 2014 at 7:55 pm
One things clear is these boys had a lot of friends who are unwilling to see the seriousness of the incident. A slightly different angle, slightly slower reaction time and you\’d be talking fatalities! They should spend their time in prison considering how lucky they are it didn\’t result in anything more serious, and their immature friends arguing how \’people don\’t know anything\’ should use this as an example and sort their driving out! We do know by the way because it\’s been to court and they\’ve been prosecuted for it, don\’t really need any more proof than that.
Arran
December 22, 2014 at 7:55 pm
As regards the photograph the caption is entirely accurate. It is a picture of him racing before the accident. Maybe a couple of months before but still prior to it.
TAM
December 22, 2014 at 11:13 pm
There are some jokers on here now, trying to defend their dullard mates…..there’s no defending them, that\\’s why the best you can pull out of the bag is something to do with a picture caption. Your mates are idiots and deserve longer prison sentences and driving bans, accept that and don\\’t defend their stupidity!
Anon
December 22, 2014 at 11:16 pm
Big lolz arron it wasnt even him driving the car in the photo haha get your facts right taaaaada
Anon
December 23, 2014 at 2:17 am
Have a thought for the victim in seat and then think about their family and what they\’ve been threw, there all a bunch clowns so I don\’t understand how u can stick up 4 all those idiots, what if it was one of your family in that seat???
Anon
December 23, 2014 at 6:08 am
Regardless of what track that pics from. If that was my family he had hit. He’d be I a coffin. Utter pricks should never be allowed to ever go near a car again.
Billy McG.
December 23, 2014 at 9:59 am
You little boys have not yet learned what life is about. I have been in prison myself many years ago for a short stretch for sorting out some mug like this lot in a pub fight.
When you come out of prison you will be a different person. You will realise that all the public bravado of your driving, your boasts on social media, your heavy drinking sessions proving what hard men you are will count for nothing when you come across real hardened criminals in prison who will make you their bitches. You will spend most of your time in the toilets shitting yourselves with nervousness trying to hide from the bad men that will own your asses (literally) once they realise you are just soft punks from a little nothing town in west Wales.
To the others who received suspended sentences, you’ll reign in your activities for sure. You’ll all be shitting yourselves now, getting buses everywhere or scrounging lifts off your other mug, low life mates who think life is all about the speedometer and getting “wrecked” at the weekend. If I was the family of the people who were injured I’d be making sure you paid more than the price of a government surcharge and losing your licence.
Losers.
Willie G
December 23, 2014 at 11:26 am
@ Rhys QuigleyBit more thinking required here. The photos description is 100% accurate. The f***wit is indeed racing and it is before the crash. It just does not say how long before the crash or where. It beggars belief that you are sticking up for this clown when he could easily have killed someone or himself. Would you be so supportive if he put your mother in hospital ????
ian
December 23, 2014 at 6:18 pm
plenty of beavis’s butthead mates here defending the indefensible – I suggest you have a look at facebook where this story is mentioned by news outlets and his mates using their real names – I suggest you have a look, make a note of their names and businesses and avoid them as they don’t sound like ppl decent ppl would want to associate with
Dan
December 24, 2014 at 1:11 pm
I am not trying to stand up for Scott as he and a few others were beyond stupid for what they done I just want to point out that yes the picture of the car was on a race circuit, was before the incident but I think that maybe it could have been worded slightly different as the way it\\\’s worded makes it sound like it was taken on the day of the accident. I have made a complaint to the herald about this but sadly I was confronted by a man who became aggressive over the phone and didn\\\’t let me get my point across, I found this very unproffecional and will be taking the matter further.
IAN
December 24, 2014 at 6:38 pm
I congratulate the Pembrokeshire Herald for standing up to these silly ppl complaining about a picture
Liam Ferris
January 20, 2015 at 12:36 pm
They all should have received life bans and longer sentences. No wonder my car insurance is so damn expensive. It’s because of idiots like these.
Edward Tomp
January 20, 2015 at 12:42 pm
Only six month sentences? Surely they should all have had been jailed and for a whole lot longer than what they got? I almost guarantee that several of these clowns will not have learned their lesson.
Watch this space.
Adam John
January 22, 2015 at 1:30 pm
Scum, the lot of them. Lock them all up and throw away the key. The length of sentences and the ban durations are an absolute joke. These idiots should never be let behind the wheel again.
All their friends and families are all over Facebook trying to defend them. This only shows that they will never hold their hands up, take responsibility and accept what they did wrong.
The sentences are unduly lenient and people need to contact the CPS or Attorney General’s Office to complain.