A MILFORD HAVEN man accused of threatening to blow up a council-owned property and to kill a police officer has pleaded not guilty to all charges at Swansea Crown Court.

Robert Adams, aged 46, of St Peters Road, Milford Haven, appeared before the Crown Court on Tuesday (Dec 16), where he formally denied two serious offences arising from a major armed police incident in the town last month.

The court heard that the charges relate to an incident on Monday (Nov 3), when armed police, fire crews and National Grid engineers were deployed to St Peters Road following reports of threats and concerns over gas and electricity supplies. Power and gas were temporarily shut off to nearby homes as a precaution while police negotiators dealt with the situation.

Adams is accused of making a threat to destroy property belonging to Pembrokeshire County Council, contrary to Sections 2(a) and 4 of the Criminal Damage Act 1971. It is alleged he threatened to blow up the property during the incident.

He is also charged under Section 16 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 with threatening to kill Dyfed-Powys Police officer PC 195 Aled Tayler, intending that the officer would fear the threat would be carried out.

At an earlier hearing before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Adams was remanded in custody after bail was refused due to the seriousness of the allegations and concerns about interference with witnesses.

At Swansea Crown Court, Adams entered not guilty pleas to both charges. The court was told that the case will now proceed to a full trial.

A provisional trial date has been set for April 2026, with further case management hearings to take place in the meantime.

Adams remains in custody.

Judge reminds jurors there is no standard timeframe for victims to come forward as trial reaches final stage

A JURY has been told that allegations at the centre of a historic child sexual abuse trial first emerged following a psychic tarot card reading, as the case reached its final stage at Swansea Crown Court.

Thomas Kirk, aged 50, of Meyler Crescent, Milford Haven, denies orally raping and sexually assaulting a child aged between thirteen and fifteen in Pembrokeshire between 2007 and 2008.

The allegations relate to a single alleged incident said to have taken place more than fifteen years ago at a property where both the defendant and the complainant were present at the time.

Summing up the case on Wednesday (Dec 17), His Honour Paul Thomas KC reminded jurors of evidence that the complainant first disclosed the allegation in 2021 after attending a session with a psychic medium who was conducting a tarot card reading.

The jury heard that during the reading, the name “Tommy” repeatedly arose. The complainant became silent, and the medium suggested there may have been a sexually violent past involving the complainant.

Defence counsel Alan Wright told the jury this led the complainant to later say: “The more I think about it happening, the more I can remember something happening.”

The court heard that the complainant later described a single incident occurring when she was aged fourteen or fifteen, while her mother was at work. She was unable to recall the precise time and could not remember whether the defendant ejaculated.

The defence invited jurors to consider whether the circumstances in which the allegation first surfaced were relevant when assessing memory and reliability.

In his legal directions, the judge told jurors there is no standard timeframe in which a victim of sexual abuse must come forward.

Prosecuting, Robin Rouch told the court it took several years for the complainant to disclose the allegation, first telling her partner and then a close friend, before reporting it to police.

Mr Rouch said the accounts given to her partner and friend were consistent with the account later given to police, and submitted that this supported her credibility.

He told jurors: “It is plain that you have been deliberately lied to by Mr Kirk.”

Jurors were reminded of evidence from the former partner of the defendant, who told the court she had no memory of ever returning to the property in question to find the defendant drunk on the night in question and had no knowledge of him actively drinking alcohol at that time.

The court heard the defendant’s medical records from the relevant period showed he was receiving support for smoking cessation, with no indicators of alcohol misuse recorded.

The witness also told the court there had never been any sexually violent behaviour towards her from he defendant, and that she had not observed any sexually inappropriate behaviour towards the complainant.

The judge reminded jurors that Kirk has no previous history of sexual violence.

Giving evidence, Kirk accepted he may have let people down in various ways but told the court he had never sexually abused the complainant.

In concluding his summing up, the judge reminded jurors it was for them alone to decide which evidence they accepted and whether the prosecution had made them sure of the defendant’s guilt.

The jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict later today.

The case continues.

A VAN driver who was caught speeding on the A48 near Nantycaws avoided disqualification after magistrates accepted that a ban would cause exceptional hardship to others.

Norman Andrew Chapman, aged 59, of Rock Drive, Gelli, Pentre, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Monday (Dec 15).

Chapman admitted driving a Ford Transit 350 panel van at 68mph on a dual carriageway subject to a 60mph limit for that class of vehicle. The offence occurred at 1:05pm on April 2 and was detected using laser equipment.

The court heard detailed mitigation outlining Chapman’s caring responsibilities. He helps care for his housebound mother, who is on oxygen, and has taken on additional responsibilities while his brother undergoes cancer treatment. Magistrates were also told he assists a lifelong friend with panic attacks by taking her shopping, and that losing his licence would jeopardise his employment and potentially affect his employer’s business.

Finding exceptional hardship, the court decided not to disqualify Chapman.

He was fined £193, ordered to pay £400 in prosecution costs, and had three penalty points added to his driving licence.