TWO men have pleaded guilty after targeting golf clubs in Haverfordwest and Carmarthen in an overnight burglary-spree.

Mikael Bourkhari, aged 45, and Simon Dickey, aged 38 – both from Newport, South Wales – were charged with two counts of burglary and one count of obstructing police.

At around 12.45am on Sunday 18 January, Dyfed-Powys Police received a call reporting that the intruder alarm had been activated at Haverfordwest Golf Club.

When officers arrived just six minutes later, it was clear that the building had been the target of a deliberate and forcible break-in.

With the alarm still blaring, and a light shining from inside, officers entered the golf club, prepared to catch the intruder red-handed.

Instead, they found that the scene had been abandoned and badly damaged.

Club owners arrived shortly after and noted that several golf clubs worth between £100 and £500 each had been taken from the club shop. It was estimated that the total value of items stolen was around £36,000.

While officers secured evidence at the scene, control room staff at police headquarters gathered intelligence on vehicles in the area that could potentially be linked with the crime.

A red Vauxhall van was identified as part of their enquiries, and a description of the vehicle was shared with officers in both Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.

With officers over the county border alerted to the break-in, local units decided to patrol the golf club in Carmarthen as a precaution. On arrival, it was apparent that the Carmarthen golf club had also been hit.

The front door was extensively damaged, and a yellow crowbar abandoned at the scene. It was estimated that around £7,000 worth of golf clubs had also been stolen from the premises. It was also estimated that around £5,000 worth of damage was caused to the building.

Shortly after 2am, Roads Policing Officers located the suspect vehicle travelling along the A48 towards Pont Abraham, despite fake number plates having been used.

The van was stopped, and a suspiciously large number of golf clubs and bags were found inside. The driver and his passenger – who identified themselves as “Richard Smythe” and “Michael Hale” – were arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Back at custody, the pair confessed to giving fake names and were further arrested on suspicion of obstructing police.

All the stolen items were recovered and returned to the golf clubs.

Mikael Bourkhari and Simon Dickey appeared at Llanelli Magistrates Court the following morning (19 January) and pleaded guilty to both counts of burglary and one count of obstructing police.

The two were remanded into custody until their sentencing on Monday 2 February.

Detective Sergeant Sophie Lambert of Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Crimes like this have a profound impact on the community, particularly those whose livelihoods are built on the success of their business.

“This was a fantastic example of multiple teams across different locations working together to stop these criminals in their tracks.

“The work by the control room staff to quickly identify the suspect vehicle played a crucial role in the swift interception by our Roads Policing Officers. This co-ordinated response undoubtedly prevented further offences from taking place.

“We welcome these guilty pleas and hope that this case sends a clear message that we will take robust action against anyone seeking to break the law in our force area.”

A MAN from Laugharne who sent sexually explicit messages to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl has avoided an immediate jail term after being caught in a paedophile hunter sting.

Swansea Crown Court heard that William John, 59, of Orchard Park, made contact with a Facebook profile in October 2021 which he believed belonged to a young teenage girl. In fact, the account was a decoy run by a paedophile hunter group.

Prosecutor Matthew Murphy told the court the profile made clear the girl was 13 “from the outset”. During their exchanges, the decoy discussed school life and told John she would be turning 14 in November.

Despite this, John went on to “cultivate an online relationship” with the account between October 11 and November 3, 2021.

The court heard the messages quickly became sexual. John explained what masturbation was, asked whether he could show the child his genitals, requested photographs of her body and repeatedly told her he was aroused.

After sending the messages, John deleted them and asked the decoy to do the same. However, screenshots of the conversations had already been captured by the group.

In one exchange, John admitted he knew what he was doing was wrong.

The group later used a second decoy account, posing as an adult woman, to arrange a meeting at the Travelodge in Carmarthen. A local group confronted John at the hotel before police arrived and took possession of evidence, the court was told.

Officers seized John’s mobile phone and recovered the conversations.

When interviewed, John claimed he did not truly believe the girl was 13 and said he had been trying to expose whoever was behind the profile as “scammers”.

However, on the day his trial was due to begin, he changed his plea and admitted attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child. The court heard he had no previous convictions.

Defence solicitor Ian Ibrahim said John’s guilty plea was among his strongest points in mitigation. He told the court the defendant had not reoffended in the more than four years since the offence and was dealing with several physical health problems.

Mr Ibrahim also said John had been “humiliated” after the paedophile hunter group posted footage of the confrontation online, making him “the subject of ridicule” locally.

Sentencing, Judge Catherine Richards said it was conduct like this that made the internet a more dangerous place for children.

John was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

Council tax policing element to increase by 7.47% — an extra £26.95 a year for the average Band D household

POLICE and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn has confirmed the Dyfed-Powys Police precept for 2026/27 following a meeting of the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Panel on Friday (Jan 23).

The precept — the portion of council tax that helps fund local policing — will rise by 7.47%, increasing the average Band D bill by £26.95 a year, or around £2.25 a month.

After several months of scrutiny, the Police and Crime Panel unanimously supported the Commissioner’s proposal. Members of the panel praised the “open and transparent” way the precept process was handled.

The increase will raise a total precept of £93.033m, supporting an overall budget requirement of £161.905m.

In setting the precept, Mr Llywelyn said he had weighed inflation and cost pressures, demand on services, reserve levels, future investment needs, efficiency plans and feedback from residents across the Dyfed-Powys area.

He said the agreed funding would support targeted investment in policing, with a focus on strengthening Local Policing Teams and prevention work.

The Commissioner said funding would support additional neighbourhood officers to increase visible patrols and strengthen local relationships, extra response officers to improve response times, enhanced early intervention work with young people through partnership working with schools, families and youth services, and investment in innovation to improve services to victims and streamline processes so officers can spend more time on frontline duties.

“I recognise the pressure that any increase in the police precept places on households,” Mr Llywelyn said. “However, this decision is about protecting frontline policing and investing in the services that matter most to our communities.

“Residents have been clear that they want to see more officers locally, faster response times and a greater focus on prevention. This investment delivers exactly that.”

He added: “While the financial and operational environment remains challenging, this level of funding provides the stability needed to focus on delivery and on the priorities set out in my Police and Crime Plan.

“I would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their views through the consultation, as well as members of the Police and Crime Panel for their continued scrutiny and support.”

Councillor Keith Evans, vice-chair of the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Panel, who chaired the meeting, said: “I am very pleased with the outcome of the precept meeting and want to take the time to thank panel members and the finance sub-group for their diligence in reaching their decision, which has come after many meetings of scrutiny.

“I wish to note the open and transparent manner the Commissioner and his office responded to the sub-group’s request for information. I would also like to express my gratitude to the panel’s secretariat team for their usual cooperation and support.”