Crime

Pembroke Dock mother unlawfully killed in brutal knife attack, inquest rules

Published

3 months ago

September 4, 2025

A MOTHER and grandmother who was described as “a complete joy to the world” was unlawfully killed in a violent knife attack at her Pembroke Dock home, an inquest has concluded.

Lisa Fraser, 52, was found dead at her home in Military Road at around 8:00am on May 13, 2022. She had sustained multiple sharp-force injuries, including a fatal cut to the throat.

The morning of the attack

The inquest, which took place at County Hall, Haverfordwest, heard that Matthew Harris, 41, had carried out a string of threatening and destructive incidents across Neyland and Pembroke Dock in the early hours of that morning.

One elderly motorist was left terrified when Harris approached him with a knife and told him: “You are going to die.” Armed police were called to the area.

When officers reached Military Road, they saw Harris leaving Mrs Fraser’s house with his hands raised. He told them he needed to go to prison, claiming: “I killed a Nazi. I’ve just killed a Nazi in there.”

Inside the property, officers found Mrs Fraser lying in a rear bedroom with injuries that were not compatible with life.

Arrest and custody

Harris, a father of two who had worked at Pembrokeshire’s oil refineries as a mechanical engineer, was arrested and charged with murder. He was remanded in custody but never stood trial.

Just two weeks after the killing, on May 27, 2022, Harris was found hanged in his cell at HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire. He later died in hospital.

No justice in the courts

As a result of his death in custody, Harris never faced a jury for the killing of Mrs Fraser. The inquest noted that the family were denied the chance to see the case brought before crown court, leaving many questions unanswered.

For Mrs Fraser’s loved ones, the suicide of her attacker meant that justice was never delivered through the legal system. Instead, the inquest provided the only formal opportunity to set out the events of that day and record how she was unlawfully killed.

Background of the attacker

The inquest was told Harris had a long history of drug use dating back to his school years and had previously served a prison sentence for a drug offence. Although he had suffered with anxiety in his youth, he had no formal mental health diagnosis.

A psychiatrist who interviewed him after his arrest said there was “little to suggest” he suffered from a psychotic illness.

Witnesses reported that in the days before the killing, Harris had displayed erratic and paranoid behaviour, including claiming he had been poisoned.

Tributes to Lisa Fraser

Mrs Fraser was a wife, a mother of three, and grandmother to an eight-month-old grandson. Originally from Kent, she had moved to Pembrokeshire in 2003. She worked in local care homes before taking up a cleaning job in 2021.

Her daughter Phoebe described her as “the glue that kept us all secure.”

“Lisa Fraser was the most innocent, caring person you would ever come across,” she told the inquest. “She should be remembered for the amazing caring soul that she was. Laughter followed her everywhere. She was a complete joy to the world and would support anyone who needed it.”

Phoebe added that her mother doted on her grandson during the eight months they shared together, and cared for adults with additional needs “as if they were her own.”

Her wider family said she had “touched the hearts of everyone she had contact with” and hoped she was now “dancing in gold dust.”

Coroner’s conclusion

Pembrokeshire Coroner Paul Bennett ruled that Mrs Fraser’s death was a case of unlawful killing.

He said: “Lisa Fraser woke up on May 13, 2022, on what was expected to have been a normal day. Like her neighbours in Pembroke Dock, she had no concerns about leaving her property door unlocked. There was no reason to think that anyone would enter the house and do such a terrible thing.”

He concluded: “Lisa Fraser died as a result of stab wounds she sustained to the neck when she was subject of an unprovoked assault committed upon her by an individual who entered the property, who was of sound mind and intended to kill her or cause her grievous bodily harm.”

Mr Bennett commended the Fraser family for their dignity during the four-day inquest, offering his “sincerest and genuine condolences.”

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

8 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.