Crime

Calls grow for reform as Pentonville scandal mirrors Welsh prison crisis

Published

9 months ago

September 29, 2025

A DAMNING inspection report into HMP Pentonville has prompted renewed warnings that prisons in Wales face the same systemic failures.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons issued an Urgent Notification to the Secretary of State after finding appalling conditions at the London jail. Inspectors reported that 44% of prisoners felt unsafe, violence was being driven by widespread drug use, and men were locked in filthy, vermin-infested cells for more than 22 hours a day.

New arrivals were often left without bedding, pillows or cutlery, with some scattered around the prison and staff unable to locate or even identify them. Others at high risk of self-harm received little or no support. Inspectors described officers asleep or absent while supervising vulnerable prisoners, and three men had taken their own lives this year.

Half of those surveyed said they had been bullied or victimised by staff. Relations between prisoners and officers were “poor and often hostile”, with a noticeable lack of empathy or care. Wings were dirty, noisy and chaotic, with a pervasive smell of cannabis and infestations of mice and cockroaches.

The inspection also found serious administrative failings. Some men were held unlawfully beyond their sentence end dates because release calculations had not been properly carried out.

Not just a London problem

Campaigners say the findings expose issues that stretch across England and Wales. Nacro, which works in more than 40 prisons, warned that jails are “places of fear and neglect” rather than rehabilitation.

Chief executive Campbell Robb said: “What chance is there for rehabilitation when violence and drugs are rife, nearly half of the prison population feels unsafe, and people are confined to overcrowded, filthy cells infested with vermin? This is not just a failure of one prison, these issues are systemic.”

In Wales, HMP Parc has faced repeated criticism over violence, drug abuse and suicides, while Swansea and Cardiff prisons are regularly flagged as overcrowded and under-resourced. Local campaigners argue that the Welsh estate is under the same pressures as Pentonville, with chronic underfunding and insufficient staff undermining efforts to support rehabilitation.

Call for urgent change

Chief Inspector Charlie Taylor warned that Pentonville’s collapse showed the need for investment and reform. “We found comprehensive failures by leaders to make sure that there was effective oversight and management of some of the basic operations of a reception prison. It will take support and investment from the prison service to turn round this troubled jail,” he said.

Nacro is calling for urgent action to make prisons places of rehabilitation, with greater investment in staff, mental health services, education and employment opportunities.

With Wales facing a rising prison population and persistent failures at HMP Parc, campaigners say the Pentonville report is a stark reminder that the system is “on the brink of collapse” unless the UK Government acts.

Crime

Worcestershire man jailed after violent attack on woman in Tenby

Published

11 hours ago

June 17, 2026

Court Reporter

Defendant was already serving a suspended sentence when serious assault took place

A WORCESTERSHIRE man has been jailed for more than two years after carrying out a serious assault on a woman in Tenby.

Lewis Thompson-Gill, 35, of Worcester Road, Little Witley, was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm following an incident in the seaside town on December 28 last year.

A jury found Thompson-Gill guilty after a trial, having rejected his not guilty plea to the charge that he unlawfully and maliciously caused the victim serious injury.

Swansea Crown Court heard that the offence was committed while Thompson-Gill was already subject to a suspended prison sentence imposed by Worcester Magistrates’ Court on May 6, 2025.

That earlier sentence related to two breaches of a non-molestation order.

Sentencing Thompson-Gill, Recorder Paul Lewis KC imposed a total prison term of two years and four months.

The sentence comprises 20 months’ imprisonment for the grievous bodily harm offence, together with the activation of an eight-month suspended sentence in full.

The court also ordered Thompson-Gill to pay a victim surcharge of £187, which must be paid within three months of his release from custody.

The assault took place in Tenby during the Christmas period and resulted in injuries serious enough to justify the grievous bodily harm charge.

Thompson-Gill will now serve his sentence in custody.

Caption:

Lewis Thompson-Gill was jailed for a total of two years and four months at Swansea Crown Court (Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police)

Crime

Retired vicar jailed after child images found on laptop

Published

16 hours ago

June 17, 2026

Court Reporter

Former Powys clergyman claimed he had “nothing else to do” when police discovered prohibited material during unannounced visit

A RETIRED vicar has been jailed after police discovered prohibited images of children on his laptop during an unannounced visit to his home.

Andrew Robinson, 77, of Talybont-on-Usk near Brecon, was already subject to strict monitoring after admitting child image offences in 2025.

The former clergyman had previously received a suspended prison sentence, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order following his conviction for possessing indecent images of children.

Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police’s offender management unit carried out a surprise compliance visit to Robinson’s home on June 9, 2026, as part of routine checks on registered sex offenders.

During the visit, officers found an open laptop displaying animated sexual images involving children.

When challenged by officers, Robinson claimed he did not believe the material was illegal. Following his arrest, he reportedly told officers he had been viewing the images because he had “nothing else to do”.

Robinson was charged with possessing a prohibited image of a child and with breaching the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Appearing before the courts the following day, he admitted both offences.

The breach activated the suspended prison sentence previously imposed on him. Robinson was jailed for a total of 12 months and 12 weeks and ordered to pay £187.

Detective Sergeant Paula Rutherford said the case demonstrated the importance of monitoring convicted sex offenders in the community.

She said: “The law is clear. Possessing this type of material is illegal, deeply concerning and contributes to the wider harm caused by child sexual exploitation.

“Some people wrongly believe there are no victims when animated images are involved, but viewing such material helps sustain demand for abusive content and can form part of a pathway towards more serious offending.

“The safeguarding of children and the protection of the public remain at the heart of our work. This sentence reflects the seriousness of Robinson’s actions and the effectiveness of proactive offender management.”

Robinson remains subject to notification requirements under sex offender legislation following his release from custody.

Crime

Drug trafficker must repay £33,000 after court rules he made nearly £500,000

Published

1 day ago

June 17, 2026

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE drug trafficker jailed after a major cocaine and cannabis seizure has been ordered to repay more than £33,000.

Dean Evans, 44, returned to Swansea Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing after prosecutors sought to recover money made through his offending.

The court heard it had been agreed that Evans benefited from criminal conduct by £496,533.94. However, his available assets were calculated at £33,337.37.

Judge Catherine Richards made a confiscation order for that amount and gave Evans three months to pay. If he fails to do so, he faces a further year in prison.

Evans, of St Clements Park, Freystrop, is already serving an eight-year sentence after admitting possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis.

He was caught after Dyfed-Powys Police’s Roads Policing Unit stopped his Seat Ateca on Holyland Road, Pembroke, at around 10:25am on January 2.

Officers searched the vehicle after Evans admitted they would find “stuff” inside.

They discovered around one kilogram of cocaine in a cardboard box in the boot, together with 5.4 kilograms of cannabis in a black bin bag. The cannabis had been split into ten vacuum-sealed bags.

Swansea Crown Court was previously told the drugs had a combined potential street value of up to £185,000, made up of around £125,000 of cocaine and cannabis worth up to £60,000.

A mobile phone seized from Evans revealed what prosecutors described as a “dealer’s list”, with dozens of names and sums believed to be owed. Messages also showed Evans directing dealers below him in the supply chain.

At the original sentencing hearing, the court was told Evans had 23 previous convictions for 62 offences, including rape and robbery. His previous drug matters had related only to possession.

Sarah John, mitigating, said he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had stayed out of trouble for a “fairly lengthy period”, with his last conviction in 2016.

Jailing Evans for eight years, Judge Paul Thomas KC said: “You are clearly a man with few criminal boundaries.

“You ensnared users and low-level drug dealers into debt, dragging them into a vicious circle of criminality.”

After sentencing, DC Phill Jones, of Pembrokeshire’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, said illegal drugs brought misery to local communities and would not be tolerated.

He said: “This sentence should serve as a stark warning to any others who are tempted into the illegal drugs trade. You will get caught and you will go to prison.”

Photo caption: Drugs seized:

Dean Evans was caught with cocaine and cannabis worth up to £185,000 in his car (Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police).