Crime

Why a Haverfordwest man avoided jail despite breaking pensioner’s hip

Published

4 months ago

August 15, 2025

A HAVERFORDWEST man who fractured a 65-year-old’s hip during a confrontation in Cardiff has avoided an immediate prison sentence – a decision that reflects strict legal rules requiring judges to pass the least severe sentence necessary in the circumstances.

At Cardiff Crown Court, 30-year-old Stephen Cody, of no fixed address but now living in woodland near Haverfordwest, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on the pensioner, who was left needing metal plates and screws after the incident on January 27 last year.

The court heard Cody owed the man £10. When confronted outside a hostel, the pair clashed and both fell to the ground, the victim’s hip breaking in the fall. Cody then punched him several times.

Prosecutor Alex Orndal told the court the victim had been struck with fury, while defence counsel Kevin Seal said the injury was an unfortunate outcome of the fall rather than a deliberate attempt to cause serious harm.

How sentencing decisions are made

Judge Daniel Williams imposed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, alongside 150 hours of unpaid work, 20 days of rehabilitation activities, £500 in costs and a £187 surcharge.

While some may see the penalty as lenient, the sentence reflects the law on proportionality. Under the Sentencing Act 2020, judges must only impose custody if the offence is so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence is justified. If prison is unavoidable, the law requires the term to be “the shortest commensurate with the seriousness of the offence.”

Sentencing guidelines from the Sentencing Council also steer judges towards the lowest sentence within the appropriate range, taking into account harm caused, the offender’s intent, their personal circumstances, and whether there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

In Cody’s case, the court accepted that while the injury was serious, it resulted from a fall during a struggle rather than a planned or targeted assault. His guilty plea reduced the starting point for custody, and the judge noted that he had stayed out of trouble since, had a stable living arrangement – albeit in a tent – and was fit to work.

Judges must follow the law, not public opinion

Explaining the principle in a separate case at Swansea Crown Court this week, a judge told jurors that the role of the court is to give the least sentence possible in the circumstances – a plain-English version of the proportionality rule.

For the public, that can sometimes mean sentences appear lighter than the harm suggests. But judges are bound by statute, guidelines and Court of Appeal precedent – not by headlines or popular sentiment.

In Cody’s case, Judge Williams determined that a suspended sentence, combined with unpaid work and rehabilitation, was the shortest and most constructive punishment the law allowed.

Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

Published

4 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include:

Intentional strangulation, contrary to section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015
Common assault
Assault by beating

No further details of the alleged incident were opened in court, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Sudbury was remanded on conditional bail, with the case listed to return to magistrates later this month.

Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

Published

5 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
A second count of assault
Criminal damage
An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

Published

5 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
Intentional non-fatal strangulation
Common assault on a woman
Criminal damage in a domestic context
Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.