A WEST WALES taxi driver who raped a woman after driving her home following a night out has been jailed.  

Dominic Dalton, aged 30, of Pencader, has been jailed for nine years after being found guilty of rape.  

The victim had been on a night out with a friend in Aberystwyth, when she got into a taxi driven by Dominic Dalton in the early hours of Sunday, February 25, 2024. The victim believed Dalton to be a trusted taxi driver who would safely get her home.  

On the journey back, Dalton dropped her friend off first and then took the victim home. Swansea Crown Court heard how he claimed the taxi meter stopped working at this point, as the journey was never recorded past the friend’s address. 
 
During the ride home the victim fell in and out of sleep. When they got to her address, Dalton woke her and helped her inside, guiding her up to her bedroom, where she fell back to sleep. She woke to find Dalton raping her.  
To try and get him to leave, in desperation, she ran and grabbed a knife from her kitchen, screaming at him to leave her house.   

After he refused to do so, the victim managed to flee the property barefoot, slashing the taxi’s tyres, as she left. She found solace at a nearby address and bravely contacted police to disclose what had happened.  

Dalton left the property in his taxi and parked up nearby. He was picked up by another taxi driver after flagging them down, claiming he had had a blowout. He later drove back to the victim’s home address, returning her mobile phone after realising he had taken with him. Whilst there, he saw that police were already in the area. The court heard how he then made attempts to formulate his story and used his mobile phone to access websites with articles including ‘have you been falsely accused of rape?’ and ‘perverting the course of justice’, ‘wasting police time in cases involving allegedly false allegations of rape’. 

He was arrested the same day and following a lengthy investigation by Dyfed-Powys Police, Dalton was charged with rape. 

Appearing at Swansea Crown Court, he denied the offence, claiming the sex was consensual, but after a five-day trial, on January 17th, the jury took less than two hours to deliberate and unanimously found him guilty.  

On Wednesday 18^th February, he was sentenced to nine years in prison.  

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Mathew Nelson, said:  “I sincerely commend the victim’s bravery and resilience in coming forward to report the heinous crime of which she had been subjected to. Engaging with the Criminal Justice System as the victim has in this case takes an act of immense courage that deserves profound respect. By standing up and reporting Dalton, the victim has protected other members of the community too.  I hope this conviction and sentencing brings some closure to the victim after experiencing such an horrific ordeal.  

“As a taxi driver, Dalton’s job was to ensure that his passengers got home safely.   
He abused that position that night, exploiting the victim’s vulnerability, and later went on to lie about his actions. The conviction and sentence passed serves to punish Dalton for his actions, but importantly also validate the victim’s voice.  

“I hope the outcome will give confidence to other victims, in knowing their voices will be heard and listened to. I hope for the wider community, you will feel safe in the knowledge that a perpetrator such as Dalton has been dealt with robustly.”  

16-month sentence suspended as court imposes sex offender registration and ten-year prevention order

MAN in his sixties has been handed a suspended prison sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Huw Bridges, aged 65, of Haven Drive, Hakin, appeared at Swansea Crown Court today (Friday, Feb 20) for sentencing following a trial last month.

Bridges had denied two counts of sexual assault but was found guilty by a jury after around two-and-a-half hours of deliberations.

He was sentenced to sixteen months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. The court also imposed 180 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of 25 days.

Bridges was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for ten years and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting ten years.

The offences related to incidents involving a teenage girl who was aged 16 at the time.

During the trial, prosecutor Hannah George told the jury that one incident took place on June 2, 2024, when the complainant was taken by Bridges on his motorbike to a secluded area near Carew Castle.

The pair went for a walk, during which Bridges kissed the teenager despite her trying to move away and telling him she felt uncomfortable. He then went on to touch her breasts and vagina over her clothing.

The jury was told the teenager reported the incident to her parents almost immediately after returning home. At that point she also disclosed an earlier allegation dating from between October 2020 and October 2021, in which Bridges was accused of touching her vagina over her clothing on another occasion.

“The prosecution’s case is that the defendant had a sexual interest in teenage girls,” Ms George told the jury.

Bridges was arrested on June 14, 2024, and later interviewed by police. In a prepared statement he denied sexually assaulting the complainant.

He accepted there had been physical contact but claimed he had only put his arm around the teenager and “pecked her on the cheek” in an attempt to comfort her, insisting the gesture was not sexual in nature.

After the jury returned guilty verdicts on both counts, Judge Geraint Walters adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report before imposing sentence today.

A MAN has been sentenced to life imprisonment after admitting the murder of his estranged wife in Cardiff.

Appearing at Cardiff Crown Court today (Feb 20), Thisara Weragalage, aged 38, of Pentwyn, was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years and nine months for the murder of Nirodha Niwunhella.

Weragalage had initially pleaded not guilty but later changed his plea, admitting the offence before the court on January 16, 2025.

The family of 32-year-old Niwunhellage Dona Nirodha Kalapni Niwunhella, known as Nirodha, paid tribute following her death, describing her as “a cherished daughter, family member and dear friend to many”.

They said: “We remember Nirodha as a cherished daughter, family member and dear friend to many. Nirodha will be forever remembered with peace, love and gratitude.

“She touched many lives with her kindness and warmth and her memory will continue to inspire us. Though her life ended too soon, the love she shared will always remain with us.

“Rest in peace angel.”

In a victim personal statement read to the court, her father said: “My only daughter was Nirodha Kalpani Niwunhella. She was a happy, mischievous, playful girl who captivated everyone’s hearts as a child. She loved her mother and father dearly and was a very good friend to her friends. She was a sweet girl who also loved animals.”

He added: “I am 64 years old and my wife is also 64 years old. The pain and anguish we felt when we were informed on August 21 that our daughter had been murdered cannot be described in words. After the brutal murder of our only daughter, all our hopes were ruined. Her loss is an unbearable mental burden for the family.

“We faced a lot of problems because this crime took place abroad. We were further affected by communication difficulties and economic hardships. We were further hurt and mentally distressed after it was confirmed that this crime was committed by our daughter’s husband. We still cannot understand how he could have committed this heinous crime, as we loved him also as much as we loved our daughter.”

Emergency services were called to South Morgan Place in the Riverside area of Cardiff at 7.37am on August 21, following reports of a seriously injured woman. Officers located a broken knife blade and handle nearby, and a post-mortem examination later revealed Nirodha had been stabbed at least twenty times.

Police officers who arrived first at the scene began immediate first aid, followed shortly afterwards by paramedics. Despite their efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses reported seeing a man — later identified as Weragalage — fleeing in a Ford Fiesta. Fast-track CCTV enquiries confirmed the vehicle was registered to him.

Less than an hour later, officers received a welfare-related call via the ambulance service concerning an incident on Seawall Road. Attending officers identified the man as matching the description circulated in connection with Nirodha’s death. A search of the nearby area located the Ford Fiesta, which contained blood inside, and Weragalage was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Graham Williams said: “Nirodha was beloved by her family and friends, and her life was ended by her jealous and cowardly former partner.

“Nirodha was in the process of separating from Weragalage, who could not accept that she no longer wanted to be in a relationship with him. He brought knives to the area which he said were to intimidate her and then went on to murder her.

“I’m pleased he owned up to his cowardly actions and spared Nirodha’s loved ones from enduring a trial. While no sentence can compensate for this loss of life, I hope the end of criminal proceedings helps bring them some peace.

“This sentencing is the result of countless hours of work from teams across the force, and I’d like to thank everyone involved for their time and efforts to secure this outcome. I’d also like to thank those from the community who supported our investigation throughout.

“We will not stand for violence in any form, including violence against women and girls, and we will do everything in our power to hold those responsible to account.”