Crime
Cross-border tool thieves jailed after van raids in rural Wales
Pair from Worcestershire targeted tradesmen across Carmarthenshire and beyond
TWO men who travelled from Worcestershire to raid work vans west Wales have been sentenced after stealing thousands of pounds worth of tools from local tradesmen.
Aston Amos, aged 35, and 27-year-old Robbie Bate, both from Bewdley, made late-night trips through Powys and Carmarthenshire during July, breaking into vehicles in Builth Wells, Brecon and Newcastle Emlyn. Tools worth around £13,000 were taken over two separate nights of offending.
Dyfed-Powys Police launched an investigation following multiple reports of vans being forced open. Officers reviewing CCTV footage identified a black Audi A4 travelling repeatedly between Wales and the West Midlands.
Enquiries later revealed the car had been linked to a booking at a hotel in St Clears, and that both men’s phones had travelled the same route. Amos, who was already subject to a court-imposed GPS ankle tag, was found to have been at the scene of the thefts when the offences took place.
When police searched the Woodman Caravan Park near Bewdley on 9 August, they discovered the Audi and a cache of stolen tools. Both men were arrested soon after.
At Swansea Crown Court, the pair admitted five counts of theft. Amos has 15 previous convictions for 24 offences, including vehicle theft and handling stolen goods. Bate has eight previous convictions for mainly motoring offences.
Judge condemns ‘cruel’ crimes
Judge Geraint Walters said the men had deliberately targeted tradespeople who depended on their tools for their livelihoods. He described the thefts as “organised and deliberate”, adding that taking away a worker’s tools was “one of the cruellest things imaginable”.
Defence lawyers said Amos had been battling drug and alcohol problems and was now sober in custody. Bate, who helps to care for his three-year-old son, expressed remorse and said he wanted to start a gardening business.
Amos was jailed for nine months, to run consecutively to an existing sentence for wounding. Bate received a nine-month suspended sentence, 160 hours of unpaid work, a 12-week curfew, and must complete rehabilitation sessions.
The judge warned Bate that if he breached the order, “you’ll be coming back to Swansea — and you won’t be going home.”
Crime
Two arrested after high-value shoplifting incident in Kilgetty
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.
Business
Eight-year prison sentence after vehicle stop uncovers drugs worth over £150,000
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.”
Crime
Former soldier jailed for stalking police officer over past arrest
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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