Ben Jenkins, 26, denies GBH after woman suffered facial fractures during Guy Fawkes Night incident outside Nos Da in 2023

A MILFORD HAVEN man accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm on a woman outside a town centre bar has told a Crown Court jury he acted in self-defence because he feared he was about to be run over.

Ben Jenkins, 26, of St Lawrence Avenue, Hakin, is on trial at Swansea Crown Court charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a female motorist outside the Nos Da Bar, Victoria Road, Milford Haven, on Guy Fawkes Night, November 5, 2023.

The jury retired to consider its verdict on Wednesday (Jan 14) after hearing evidence from Jenkins and other witnesses. A verdict is expected later this week.

On the stand

Giving evidence, Jenkins told the court he had been standing in the road outside Nos Da at about 3:00am, talking to his fiancée, Bronwyn Jenkins.

He said a silver car pulled up behind his fiancée’s vehicle and someone shouted words to the effect of: “Get out of the fxxxing way or I’ll fxxxing run you over.”

“I was terrified,” Jenkins told the jury. “I thought my life was in danger.”

He said he went straight home after the incident. The court heard Jenkins provided a prepared statement to police but answered “no comment” in interview.

Under cross-examination, the jury was told Jenkins had consumed six or seven pints of cider and three or four rum and cokes. Jenkins maintained he was not intoxicated.

Prosecutors also questioned why the alleged threat to run him over was not included in his prepared statement.

CCTV footage was shown to the jury which the prosecution said appeared to show Jenkins being held back by a friend to prevent him approaching the car. Jenkins told the court his friend was not holding him back.

Further CCTV was said to show Jenkins being dragged away during the incident. Jenkins told the court this did not reflect what happened and that he was moving away in any event.

Jenkins said he did not know the driver was a woman at the time. He told the jury: “I swung four times but only one punch connected.”

“Shaken and tearful”

Bronwyn Jenkins told the court that when she picked her partner up later, he was “extremely shaken and tearful,” and said he had been in fear for his life.

She told the court she felt threatened after a car pulled up behind her and there was aggressive shouting. Bronwyn Jenkins said she drove down to a roundabout to get out of the way and did not see the incident itself.

Victim’s account

The complainant told the court she and her husband had been driving home after a night out at the Manchester Club when they had to stop abruptly behind Bronwyn Jenkins’ car, which she said was parked in the middle of the road.

She told the court she asked for the car to be moved and did not want to overtake because of the position of the vehicle. She said two men near the car made inappropriate gestures towards her, prompting her husband to tell her to pull over.

Her husband told the court he had been in the Manchester Club earlier and was already upset because his own car had been written off while it was stationary. He said he had called police but no officer attended, leaving him irate.

He told the jury he saw the men making gestures and heard shouting, and told his wife: “What’s their fxxxing problem? Pull the fxxxing car over.”

He also alleged he saw Jenkins punch his wife four times and heard him say: “You fxxxing deserved that, bxxxxh.”

Prosecution and defence

Prosecuting barrister Georgia Donahue told the court Mrs Bernard suffered two facial fractures and a perforated sinus, along with bruising and bleeding.

She said the victim was not aiming to run Jenkins over, and told the jury the Crown’s case was that the violence was “completely disproportionate” and amounted to retaliation rather than self-defence. The prosecution suggested it was Mr Bernard who was the aggressor.

The defence barrister told the jury that he accepted the vehicle moved in the direction of Jenkins, but said it was for the prosecution to prove Jenkins was not acting in self-defence.

He also referred to Jenkins’ character references, and told the jury Jenkins did not realise a woman was in the driver’s seat.

Jenkins remains on unconditional bail while the jury deliberates.