Crime

West Wales teenager jailed for preying on elderly women while posing as masseuse

Published

8 months ago

November 3, 2025

Teen posed as therapist to target vulnerable pensioners

A TEENAGER from Gorseinon who tricked elderly women into letting him into their homes by posing as a masseuse and window cleaner has been jailed for seven years.

Jimmy Tawse, aged 18, of Penyrheol Road, targeted four victims — two aged 89, one aged 85, and another aged 63 — in what the judge described as “deeply troubling” offences.

Swansea Crown Court heard how Tawse approached his victims between February and June last year, gaining their trust with false claims before carrying out sexual and fraudulent offences.

On May 15, he called at the home of an 89-year-old woman, claiming to be a therapist. Once inside, he told her to go to the bedroom and remove her clothing for a supposed massage before sexually assaulting her. When confronted, he pretended to be a “sexual therapist” who had gone to the wrong address.

She later told police: “I don’t want to leave the house. I keep thinking I might see him again. I used to go for walks, but now I just stay home because I’m frightened.”

Later that same day, Tawse visited another 89-year-old woman, saying her GP had arranged a massage for her. When she refused to undress, he left abruptly. She said the encounter had left her unable to sleep and anxious to go out alone.

On June 20, Tawse knocked on the door of an 85-year-old woman and claimed to be the son of her window cleaner. After she paid him £55, he followed her inside and made a sexual remark, gesturing towards his groin.

The next day, he targeted a housebound 63-year-old woman, claiming someone had already paid for a £55 massage and it “would be a shame to waste it.”

She said: “I am constantly frightened he’ll come back. I don’t feel safe in my own home anymore.”

The court also heard that Tawse assaulted a police officer earlier in the year after asking to be taken into custody during a dispute with his parents.

Tawse, who left school at 12 and was 17 when the first offences took place, admitted trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, fraud, and assaulting an emergency worker.

Judge Geraint Walters said: “These were serious and predatory offences committed against extremely vulnerable women by a man barely out of childhood himself. It is very, very troubling indeed.”

Tawse was sentenced to seven years’ detention, including four years in custody. He was made subject to indefinite restraining orders for all four victims and placed on the sex offenders register. A sexual harm prevention order will be finalised later this month.

Crime

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

Published

7 hours 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).

Crime

Man wanted by court after failing to attend hearing over alleged shop thefts

Published

9 hours ago

June 16, 2026

Court Reporter

A MAN is wanted by the courts after failing to attend a hearing relating to a series of alleged shop thefts in Pembrokeshire.

Jack Morgan, of Pembroke, was due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (Jun 16) but failed to attend.

The court heard that Morgan faces several allegations of shop theft from businesses in Pembrokeshire.

The charges include the alleged theft of vodka from the Co-op in Pembroke Dock, along with food and drink items including sausages, crisps and Dragon Soop from The Green Garage.

The alleged offences are said to have taken place on various dates earlier this year.

After Morgan failed to attend court, magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest without bail.

He will now be brought before the court once located by police.

Court officials heard that the matters remain before the court and no pleas have yet been entered.

Crime

Shop theft admitted after alcohol stolen from Haverfordwest store

Published

9 hours ago

June 16, 2026

Court Reporter

A WOMAN has admitted shoplifting alcohol from a Haverfordwest store.

Esme Hoyle appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (Jun 16) charged with theft from a shop.

The court heard that Hoyle stole alcohol worth £17 from B&M in Haverfordwest on Sunday, April 6.

Hoyle pleaded guilty to the offence.

Magistrates sentenced Hoyle following her guilty plea and imposed financial penalties, including prosecution costs and a victim surcharge.

The court was told the offence related to a low-value retail theft from the town centre store.

Retail theft continues to place pressure on local businesses across Pembrokeshire, with stores increasingly reporting repeated incidents of shoplifting.