Officers monitor local tensions following terror attack on Jewish event in Sydney

DYFED-POWYS POLICE have issued reassurances to communities across west Wales following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where gunmen opened fire during a large Hanukkah celebration, killing numerous people and injuring many more.

The attack, which took place at the “Chanukah by the Sea” event attended by around 1,000 people, is being treated by Australian authorities as a terrorist incident targeting the Jewish community. One of the attackers was shot dead by police at the scene, while another was detained after being disarmed by a bystander.

In response, Dyfed-Powys Police said they are closely monitoring any local tensions and maintaining contact with community groups to offer reassurance.

A spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the events that have been reported from Australia, and our thoughts are with all those affected, particularly members of the Jewish community. We will continue to monitor any tensions in our area closely. Local teams will be engaging with different groups, businesses, and key individual networks throughout Dyfed-Powys to provide reassurance to the community.”

No specific threat identified in west Wales

The force has not announced any increase in patrols, but says that routine engagement with faith groups, schools, and community organisations will continue as part of their ongoing reassurance work.

Impact on local Jewish community

West Wales is home to small but longstanding Jewish communities who have previously worked with Dyfed-Powys Police on hate-crime awareness and safeguarding campaigns.

The force says it will continue dialogue with these groups in the coming days as international reactions to the Bondi Beach attack unfold.

SAMUEL KURTZ MS has renewed his warning that a moratorium linked to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) guidance has left housebuilding across large parts of Pembrokeshire “frozen” for almost six months, with growing consequences for employment, local businesses and the county’s already stretched housing supply.

Raising the issue in the Senedd last week, the Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire challenged Ministers over the continued paralysis affecting new developments connected to NRW’s interpretation of rules surrounding the marine Special Area of Conservation off the Pembrokeshire coast. Despite efforts by local planning authorities to work within the requirements, development has stalled across wide areas of the county.

Mr Kurtz stressed that responsibility for the impasse sits with NRW and the Welsh Government, not with local councils, which he said are “doing everything reasonably possible” in exceptionally constrained circumstances. In the absence of clear, workable national guidance, planning departments cannot approve applications or provide certainty to developers.

The knock-on effects, he warned, are now being felt across the local economy. Housebuilders are laying off staff, and architects, surveyors and other construction-related firms are seeing projects scrapped or delayed indefinitely. These are “real and immediate” job losses in a county already facing an acute shortage of homes, he said—undermining the Welsh Government’s stated aim to increase housing supply and support economic growth.

Mr Kurtz has called for urgent engagement between Ministers, NRW and councils to find a proportionate solution that protects the marine environment without damaging livelihoods or halting much-needed housing delivery. He has also pressed the Cabinet Secretary for Housing to set out what support, if any, is being offered to affected workers and businesses, and when certainty is likely to return to the sector.

Commenting, Samuel Kurtz MS said:
“Everyone accepts the need to protect our natural environment, but this blanket, unresolved approach from NRW—made worse by inaction from the Welsh Government—has left housebuilding in Pembrokeshire frozen for nearly six months.

“Planning authorities are being placed in an impossible position. Builders and architects are already laying off staff because they simply cannot operate under the current guidance.

“These job losses are a genuine and growing cause for concern. At a time of severe housing shortage, the Welsh Government must take responsibility, get a grip on the situation and deliver a solution that protects the environment while safeguarding jobs, homes and local communities.”

Two-year prison sentence and decade-long SHPO imposed at Swansea Crown Court

A CARMARTHENSHIRE man has been jailed for two years after he admitted sending sexually explicit messages and images to three girls under the age of sixteen.

Devon Wildgust, aged 22, of Lon y Gruglas, Ammanford, appeared at Swansea Crown Court today (Monday, Dec 15) for sentence. The court imposed a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which will significantly restrict his contact with children, as well as his access to devices and the internet. He must also comply with sex offender notification requirements.

Wildgust previously appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on November 24, where he indicated guilty pleas to three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. All three victims are protected under Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Amendment Act 1992.

The offences took place over just six days, between 15 and 21 November 2025. During this period, Wildgust sent explicit and indecent images of himself — including photographs of his genitals — to three separate girls, each under sixteen. He also made sexually explicit comments and requested sexual acts. The court heard he did not reasonably believe any of the children were over sixteen.

Because of the seriousness, pattern and escalation of the offending, magistrates committed the case to Swansea Crown Court for sentence under Section 14 of the Sentencing Act 2020. He had been on conditional bail, including daily reporting to Ammanford Police Station, until today’s hearing.

Following the sentencing, Predator Awareness and Red Rose UK issued a joint statement welcoming the outcome. They said: “Devon Wildgust is a dangerous sex offender who presents a massive risk to children. As a combined force we are determined to prevent further harm by intercepting communications online and bringing predators to justice.”