Crime

Tenby fisherman jailed for ‘appalling’ campaign of domestic abuse

Published

3 months ago

November 4, 2025

A TENBY fisherman has been jailed after subjecting his partner to what a court described as a “campaign” of violence and intimidation throughout their relationship

Oscar Allen, 23, of St Julian’s Street, Tenby carried out repeated assaults on his partner between September last year and August, Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard. Prosecutor Harry Dickens said Allen’s behaviour was “violent and toxic” during the relationship, with a series of incidents that left his victim living in fear.

The court was told that in November or December last year, Allen became enraged after seeing his partner on her phone while he was cooking. In anger, he hurled a plate of food at her — narrowly missing — before it smashed against the wall. He then accused her of being “sneaky” and shouted at her.

In early May, when the victim told Allen she planned to go out with friends, he became aggressive and told her: “You’re not f***ing going out.” He pushed her around their bedroom around 15 times, snatched her phone, and locked the front door to prevent her from leaving.

After noticing a text message from a male friend, Allen’s anger escalated further. He spat in his partner’s face, called her “disgusting”, threw a washing basket at her head, and hurled her phone against the wall.

Later that month, on 26 May, the pair attended a friend’s birthday celebration at a pub in Saundersfoot. During another argument, Allen grabbed the victim’s finger and pulled it back before lifting her onto his shoulder and carrying her away. He placed her on a bench and gripped her throat with one hand.

“She describes thinking she was going to die,” Mr Dickens told the court.

Allen then took her phone and only released her after some time. The victim returned to her friends inside the pub, but Allen was refused re-entry. Undeterred, he followed the group to Sands nightclub, where he spent the night stalking his partner and threatening any men who spoke to her. Using her phone, he purchased £20 worth of drinks for himself — then poured them over her each time.

In another incident at a dance event in Narberth on 26 July, Allen threw his partner over a grass bank after she asked to dance with her friends. Weeks later, on 11 August, he slapped her twice in the face “unprompted” at an afterparty following nights out in Tenby.

Allen pleaded guilty to five offences of assault by beating, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, strangulation, fraud by false representation, and criminal damage. The court also heard he had three previous convictions for four offences and was already serving a 12-month suspended sentence at the time of the attacks.

In mitigation, defence barrister James Hartson said: “There’s very little I can say about the offences themselves that would assist either the court or the defendant. Mr Allen is rightly and thoroughly ashamed of his actions. This was an appalling series of offending against his partner.”

Mr Hartson added that Allen had undertaken courses in prison to address issues of domestic violence and anger management.

Sentencing him to 30 months in custody, Judge Daniel Williams also activated the full 12-month suspended sentence, to run consecutively.

“This was a sustained pattern of violent, controlling behaviour,” the judge said. “Your partner lived in fear because of your actions.”

Allen will serve half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.

Crime

Former soldier jailed for stalking police officer over past arrest

Published

22 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Court Reporter

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.

Crime

Drink-driver ran red light and narrowly missed another motorist

Published

23 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

A DRINK-driver was seen running a red light, swerving between lanes and narrowly missing another vehicle while being followed by police, a court has heard.

Reuben Kirkman, aged 26, was stopped by officers after being seen driving a Vauxhall Corsa along Iscoed Road, Hendy, on the night of June 21, 2025.

“He was stopped by officers as a result of his standard of driving,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told District Judge Mark Layton, sitting at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

“He had a near miss with another vehicle, he had no lights on, he drove through a red light and he was seen swerving between lanes.”

Subsequent blood tests showed Kirkman had 147 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80.

His solicitor, Peter Harper, told the court the offence occurred after Kirkman had spent the day with his football team.

“They ended up in the pub and he consumed some alcohol,” he said. “He planned to leave his vehicle there but failed to find a taxi.

“So he sat in his car for around 30 minutes, drank some water and made the stupid mistake of driving home.”

The court was told Kirkman, of Castle Buildings, Castle Street, Swansea, is a sport science and nutritional science graduate and is currently employed in food supply at Wetherspoons.

After pleading guilty to drink-driving, Kirkman was disqualified from driving for 17 months and fined £430. He was also ordered to pay a £172 court surcharge and £85 in costs.

Crime

Pembroke Dock woman fined after drunken abuse in town centre shop

Published

23 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A PEMBROKE DOCK woman has been fined after hurling drunken abuse at shoppers when she entered a town centre store in a highly intoxicated state, a court has heard.

Karen Rees, aged 52, entered a store in Dimond Street, Pembroke Dock, just after 10.00am on January 6.

“She was heavily intoxicated, shouting and swearing and pushing cans off the counter,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told District Judge Mark Layton, sitting at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

“But she was also having difficulty getting her words out as a result of the level of her intoxication.”

Rees, of Kavanagh Court, Pembroke Dock, pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly in a public place.

She was fined £80 and ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £32 surcharge.