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Crime

CCRC reconfirms John Cooper case still under review

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THE CCRC (Criminal Cases Review Commission) has confirmed to The Pembrokeshire Herald that its investigation into the convictions of John William Cooper remains ongoing.

The Herald first contacted the CCRC in 2024, when it confirmed that the case was under review. A further update in March 2025 confirmed the case was still active, and this week (Sept 10) the Commission has again stated that the review is continuing.

A spokesperson told The Herald: “I can confirm this case is still under review.”

The CCRC does not provide timescales for its work, but has said that complex reviews can take many months or even years, particularly when large amounts of evidence need to be analysed or new forensic testing is commissioned.

From World War Two to the dock

John William Cooper was born in Milford Haven on 3 September 1944, during the final year of the Second World War. Now aged 81, he is one of the oldest prisoners in the British system.

He was convicted at Swansea Crown Court in 2011 of four murders — Richard and Helen Thomas at Scoveston Manor near Milford Haven in 1985, and Peter and Gwenda Dixon, shot dead on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in 1989.

The jury also convicted him of a string of violent burglaries and a sexual assault.

Cooper, once a farm labourer and later an unemployed drifter, was linked to the crimes years later through advances in forensic science and fibre evidence, as well as witness testimony.

Operation and trial

Dyfed-Powys Police reopened the files in the early 2000s under “Operation Ottawa.” After a lengthy re-investigation, Cooper was arrested in 2009 and charged with the four murders, which had cast a shadow over Pembrokeshire for decades.

At trial in 2011, prosecutors argued that Cooper had carried out the killings for financial gain. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole-life tariff, meaning he is not eligible for release.

The case gained national attention in 2021 when it was dramatised in the ITV series The Pembrokeshire Murders, starring Keith Allen as Cooper and Luke Evans as DCI Steve Wilkins.

The current review

In April 2023 the CCRC confirmed it had accepted Cooper’s application to review his convictions, with his legal team submitting an application that reportedly ran to more than 1,000 pages. In February 2024, the Commission confirmed the review had formally begun.

More than two years later, the case is still being considered. When a decision is finally reached, the CCRC will inform Cooper, his legal team and victims’ families first, before issuing a public statement.

Although it is not known on what grounds Cooper has applied, past CCRC referrals in murder cases have often turned on new forensic testing, new case law, or undisclosed evidence.

The CCRC has said it will issue a public statement once a decision is made.

 

Crime

Two arrested after high-value shoplifting incident in Kilgetty

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TWO men have been arrested on suspicion of shoplifting following a rapid police response to a reported high-value theft at a supermarket in Kilgetty.

Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were called to the Co-op store at around 3.35pm on Wednesday (Jan 28), after a report that a large quantity of alcohol and other items had been stolen.

Using information provided by the caller, Roads Policing Unit officers worked closely with control room staff to identify a vehicle believed to be involved. Several patrol cars were deployed, and the vehicle was located a short time later travelling east.

Police said the safety of all those involved was treated as a priority, with specialist Tactical Pursuit and Containment (TPAC) advice obtained while officers maintained constant observation of the vehicle.

The car was brought to a safe stop on a back road approaching Hendy, involving three Roads Policing Unit vehicles. No injuries or damage were reported.

Following roadside checks, two men — aged 67 and 46 — were arrested on suspicion of theft from a shop.

Both remain in police custody while enquiries continue.

Police said the swift response helped prevent further offending and demonstrated the effectiveness of specialist roads policing officers acting on real-time intelligence.

 

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Business

Eight-year prison sentence after vehicle stop uncovers drugs worth over £150,000

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A ROUTINE vehicle stop by roads policing officers has led to an eight-year prison sentence after more than £150,000 worth of illegal drugs were discovered in a car in Pembrokeshire.

On Friday, January 2, officers from the Roads Policing Unit stopped a grey Seat Ateca on Hoyland Road, Pembroke. The vehicle was being driven by 43-year-old Dean Evans.

During the stop, Evans told officers they would find “stuff” in the car. He and the vehicle were subsequently searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

A search of the boot uncovered a cardboard box containing a one-kilogram block of cocaine and ten half-kilogram packages of herbal cannabis. The street value of the drugs was estimated to be well in excess of £150,000.

Evans was arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession with intent to supply controlled drugs. He was later charged with possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs.

The 43-year-old pleaded guilty at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, January 3.

On Thursday, January 28, Evans was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court to eight years’ imprisonment for possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis.

DC Jones, from Dyfed-Powys Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: “Tackling the supply of illegal drugs is a priority for Dyfed-Powys Police, and the misery that illegal drugs bring to local communities will not be tolerated.

“We welcome the sentence passed to Dean Evans, given the large quantity of harmful drugs he was caught trafficking into Pembrokeshire.

“This sentence should serve as a stark warning to anyone tempted to become involved in the illegal drugs trade in Dyfed and Powys.”

 

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Crime

Former soldier jailed for stalking police officer over past arrest

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Defendant tracked down officer’s home address and sent threatening messages

A FORMER serviceman has been sent to prison after tracking down and harassing a police officer who had arrested him two years earlier.

Gareth Nicholas, aged 41, from Waunarlwydd in Swansea, targeted the officer by discovering his home address and sending a threatening message via Facebook, Swansea Crown Court heard.

The officer had been part of a police team that executed a Scottish arrest warrant at Nicholas’s home in May 2023. Two years later, in August 2025, the officer received an unexpected friend request on social media, followed shortly afterwards by a message that immediately caused concern.

The message began with the words “I found you” and accused the officer of unlawfully entering Nicholas’s property, assaulting him while he was in his underwear, and “abducting” him. Nicholas also claimed he had identified a pattern of corrupt behaviour within the police and issued a veiled threat, stating: “I will catch you down the Liberty son. Look forward to it,” a reference to Swansea City’s former stadium.

The situation escalated further days later when a handwritten letter was delivered to the officer’s former address. The new occupant contacted the officer to alert him to the letter, which repeated allegations of corruption and suggested the matter could be dropped if the officer assisted in exposing alleged police misconduct.

Nicholas was arrested on September 3 and admitted sending the communications, but denied at the time that his actions amounted to stalking.

In evidence, the officer told the court that while he had faced verbal abuse during his policing career, this incident felt different and deeply personal. He said his family installed CCTV cameras, security lighting and fencing, and put safety plans in place for their children. He added that he feared Nicholas had not let go of his perceived injustice and remained concerned the behaviour could continue.

The court heard Nicholas has a substantial criminal record in Scotland between 2019 and 2024, including convictions for stalking, malicious communications, threatening behaviour, domestic abuse offences and possession of ammunition without a licence.

Sentencing Nicholas, Judge Huw Rees acknowledged the trauma the defendant had experienced during military service, but warned him not to repeat the behaviour.

Nicholas, who appeared unrepresented, pleaded guilty to stalking and was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, reduced by 20 per cent for his early guilty plea. Having already served time on remand, his release is expected shortly. He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order banning any contact with the officer.

 

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