A POLITICAL row has erupted after Senedd minister Julie James told Members that a separate Welsh legal jurisdiction is “inevitably developing”.

The Minister for Climate Change made the remarks during a plenary session on Tuesday (Nov 11), saying that as more laws are passed in Wales, they are becoming increasingly distinct from those in England.

“A separate Welsh legal jurisdiction is inevitably developing,” Ms James said. “The more laws we make in this place, the more separate they become from the England jurisdiction. Regardless of whether you view it as a separate legal jurisdiction, a separate body of law is growing up in Wales, and lawyers need to be cognisant of that.”

She said she had discussed the issue with the Lady Chief Justice and other senior judges to ensure the developing body of Welsh law is “properly adjudicated”.

Conservative criticism

Her comments drew a sharp response from South Wales Central MS Andrew RT Davies, who accused Labour and Plaid Cymru of using Senedd reform as “a step towards separatism”.

“Plaid and Labour’s plans to spend £120 million on 36 more politicians and a bigger Senedd are rooted in corrosive separatism,” he said.
“The minister’s comments give the game away about their salami-slice approach to breaking our nation apart. Scrap Senedd expansion and fund our NHS.”

Wider debate

Plans to expand the Senedd from 60 to 96 Members have been jointly backed by Labour and Plaid Cymru under their co-operation agreement. Supporters say the change will improve scrutiny and strengthen Welsh democracy.

Opponents, including the Conservatives, argue the cost—estimated at around £120 million over the next decade—cannot be justified during a period of pressure on public services.

The discussion over whether Wales should eventually have its own legal jurisdiction has been ongoing for more than a decade, as devolved law increasingly diverges from that of England.

A PEMBROKE DOCK man has appeared before magistrates after police discovered a samurai sword inside his home.

When officers visited the basement flat on Bush Street on October 23 for an unrelated matter, they found three swords on display – one of which was deemed to fall outside legal limits.

“The officers discovered three swords, one of which was without the criteria of the legislation,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates this week. “This was because the blade was 22 inches long.”

Defence solicitor Alaw Harries told the court that her client, 34-year-old Mark Briskham, had owned the sword for many years and kept it purely as an ornament.

“It was within his property and not in a public place, which would obviously be much more serious,” she said. “He’s owned the sword for many years, and it’s simply an ornament placed on a stand in a safe place and out of reach.”

After considering the mitigation, magistrates granted Briskham a conditional discharge. He was ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £26 surcharge. A destruction order was made for the samurai sword.

Court hears hurling stick was for self-defence

A PEMBROKE man has denied possessing an offensive weapon after police found him with a hurling stick outside his home.

Jack Morgan, aged 30, of The Green, Pembroke, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

The court heard that Morgan was arrested at his home on November 7 after police were called to an incident involving several men outside the property.

Defending, solicitor Jess Hill told magistrates that Morgan had only armed himself out of fear.

“Four males were beating on the door and the police were called, but there was a delay,” she said. “Jack Morgan was under considerable fear, so the hurling stick was for his protection.”

Morgan entered a plea of not guilty. The case was adjourned until December 22 for trial.

He was released on conditional bail requiring him to live and sleep at his home address, observe a curfew between 8:00pm and 8:00am, and have no contact with the prosecution witness.