Defendant accused of confronting man connected to criminal case

A CARMARTHENSHIRE man has been sent to the Crown Court after appearing before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court charged with intimidating a witness connected to a criminal investigation.

Justin Griffiths, aged 41, of Brynhaul Street, Llanelli, appeared before magistrates on Thursday (Mar 5) accused of attempting to interfere with the course of justice.

The court heard that the alleged incident took place on February 10 this year in Llanelli.

Prosecutors allege that Griffiths approached and verbally confronted a man whom he knew to be a witness in an ongoing criminal matter. It is claimed that his behaviour was intended to intimidate the individual and discourage them from assisting the police investigation.

The charge states that Griffiths intimidated a witness in order to obstruct, pervert or interfere with the course of justice, contrary to the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

Witness intimidation offences are treated particularly seriously by the courts because they can undermine the integrity of criminal proceedings and discourage victims or witnesses from coming forward.

Magistrates were told that because of the nature of the allegation and the potential seriousness of the offence, the case was unsuitable for summary trial.

The court therefore sent Griffiths to Swansea Crown Court, where the case will proceed.

He was granted bail ahead of his next appearance at the Crown Court.

Tin ingot theft alleged

THREE men have been sent to the Crown Court accused of conspiring to steal valuable materials from the Tata Steel plant at Trostre.

The case was heard at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Mar 5), where the defendants appeared charged with conspiracy to steal tin ingots from the Trostre Steelworks in Llanelli.

Prosecutors allege that the three men – Christopher Carter, aged 38, of Pemberton Road, Llanelli; Scott Phillips, aged 37, of Bryngwyn Road, Llanelli; and Gareth Lewis, aged 41, of Heol Stanllyd, Llanelli – entered into an agreement to steal quantities of tin ingots belonging to Tata Steel UK.

The alleged conspiracy is said to have taken place over an extended period between July 1, 2023 and October 31, 2024.

Tin ingots are a processed metal product used in steel coating and manufacturing, and the material produced at Trostre is widely used in the packaging industry, including food and drink containers.

The charge alleges that the defendants dishonestly agreed together to remove the metal from the steelworks without authority, contrary to section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

Conspiracy offences are treated seriously by the courts as they involve agreements between two or more people to commit a criminal offence.

Because of the seriousness of the allegation and the potential value of the materials involved, magistrates ruled that the case was not suitable to be dealt with at the magistrates’ court.

All three defendants were sent to Swansea Crown Court where the case will proceed.

They were granted bail pending their next appearance before the Crown Court.

Category B video allegation

A 56-YEAR-OLD man has been sent to the Crown Court to face serious child image offences following a hearing at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Mar 5).

Stephen Battenbough, of Penygraig Road, Ystradowen, Swansea, appeared before magistrates charged with multiple offences relating to indecent images of children and extreme pornography.

The court heard that Battenbough is accused of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child between January 31, 2020 and May 9, 2024. One of the allegations relates to the creation of a Category B indecent video involving a child.

Category B material is considered among the most serious classifications of indecent imagery, depicting explicit sexual activity involving children.

Battenbough is also charged with distributing an indecent image of a child. The allegation states that on May 7, 2024, at Swansea, he distributed a Category B indecent image of a child.

In addition to the child image offences, Battenbough faces a further charge of possessing extreme pornographic images. Prosecutors allege that between January 31, 2020 and May 9, 2024 he possessed 16 extreme pornographic images depicting a person engaged in sexual intercourse with a live animal, namely a horse.

The charge states that the images portrayed the acts “in an explicit and realistic way” and were considered grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character, with a reasonable person believing the people and animals depicted were real.

A further charge alleges that between April 7, 2018 and May 9, 2024 Battenbough made an indecent photograph of a child classified as a Category C image.

The offences are charged under the Protection of Children Act 1978 and the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.

Magistrates ruled that the case was too serious to be dealt with at the magistrates’ court and sent Battenbough to Swansea Crown Court for trial.

He was granted unconditional bail until the next hearing.