Crime

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

Published

5 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

Monkton motorist banned after drug-driving through Milford Haven

Published

5 minutes ago

January 28, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

A Monkton motorist has been ordered off the roads for three years after driving through Milford Haven town centre with the Class A drugs cocaine and benzoylecgonine in his system

A MAN caught driving through Milford Haven with cocaine in his system has been banned from the roads for three years.

Simon Bowen, aged 35, was stopped by police on August 2, 2025, as he drove through Hamilton Terrace, Milford Haven.

Subsequent blood tests showed Bowen had 240 micrograms of the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine and 27 micrograms of cocaine in his system. The legal limits are 50 and 10 micrograms respectively.

This week, Bowen appeared before District Judge Mark Layton sitting at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court via video link from Swansea Prison, where he is currently serving a sentence for a separate drugs offence.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of drug-driving.

Addressing the court in mitigation, Bowen said: “I know I’ve made mistakes in the past, but I previously had an addiction.

“I’m now on a 12-step recovery process and working towards sorting out my drug addiction.”

In addition to the three-year driving disqualification, Bowen was fined £120 and ordered to pay a £48 court surcharge.

Crime

Woman almost three times drink-drive limit after crashing BMW into hotel wall

Published

6 minutes ago

January 28, 2026

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A WOMAN who was almost three times over the legal drink-drive limit hurled aggressive abuse at a police officer after crashing her car into a wall in a hotel car park, a court has heard.

Caia Restall, aged 34, was seen by hotel staff driving a silver BMW in the Mariners Square car park in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

“They saw her collide with a wall and as a result alerted the police,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told District Judge Mark Layton, sitting at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

When officers arrived, Restall became aggressive, calling one officer “a racist c***” and “a lying creep.”

“She was extremely intoxicated,” the prosecutor said. “When interviewed later, she had no recollection of the incident.”

A subsequent breath test showed Restall had 104 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath — almost three times the legal limit.

Restall, of Heol Penlan, Goodwick, pleaded guilty to drink-driving.

A probation report stated that she had been drinking with friends that evening but became concerned about the welfare of a family member.

“When she found this out, she panicked and made the decision to drive before correcting herself and returning back to the car park,” her solicitor Fenn Richards said. “This was when the police arrived.”

Because Restall was already subject to a previous disqualification for a drug-driving conviction, she was disqualified from driving for a total of three years.

The court also ordered her to complete ten rehabilitation activity requirement days, 150 hours of unpaid work, and to wear a 60-day alcohol monitoring tag.

She was further ordered to pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 in costs.

Crime

Tenby pub assault leaves teenager scarred as mother avoids jail

Published

13 minutes ago

January 28, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

Glass struck victim’s face after drink was thrown during altercation, court hears

A MOTHER-of-two has narrowly avoided an immediate prison sentence after injuring another woman’s face during an altercation at a Tenby pub.

Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court heard that Courtney Howells, aged 28, was involved in the incident on Friday, September 27, 2024. Throughout her appearance in court this week, she maintained that she never intended to cause injury.

Her solicitor, Michael Kelleher, told District Judge Mark Layton that Howells had thrown a drink during the incident.

“She threw a drink, but unfortunately it caused an injury to the victim,” he said.

However, the Crown told the court that as Howells threw the drink towards the victim, the glass left her hand and struck the woman in the face, causing scarring.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the victim, who was 17 at the time of the offence, said the incident had had a lasting effect on her confidence.

“I’m paranoid whenever I go out with my friends,” she said. “I’m constantly walking on eggshells and haven’t been back to the place where it happened.

“I’ve got scars on my face that are a constant reminder, and I have this insecurity over something that could have been prevented.”

Mr Kelleher submitted a probation report and several character references on behalf of his client, again stressing that the incident was not intentional.

“It was reckless rather than intentional,” he said. “The defendant’s intention was to throw a drink, not the glass, and not to cause any injury.”

Howells, of Caerae, Martletwy, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.

District Judge Layton sentenced her to 42 weeks in custody, suspended for two years.

She was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, undertake 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and wear an alcohol abstinence monitoring tag for 60 days.

Howells was also ordered to pay £1,500 compensation to the victim, a £187 court surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs.

A restraining order was imposed preventing her from having any direct or indirect contact with the victim for the next five years.