Porthcawl pensioner, 89, was discovered after GP raised concerns and asked police to carry out welfare check

A MAN has been charged after the body of his 89-year-old mother was found in a chest freezer at her home in Porthcawl.

South Wales Police discovered the remains of Sylvia Phillips at a property in Poplar Crescent on Monday, February 17, after her GP asked officers to carry out a welfare check.

An inquest at Pontypridd Coroner’s Court heard that the cause of her death is still awaiting further investigation.

Her son, Christopher Phillips, 60, of Porthcawl, has been charged with preventing a lawful and decent burial. He also faces a charge of fraud by false representation.

Phillips has been remanded in custody and was due to appear at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday (Apr 16).

The hearing was told that a post-mortem examination was carried out on March 2 by Dr Stephen Leadbetter at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Senior Coroner for South Wales Central, Graeme Hughes, adjourned the inquest while further enquiries are carried out.

The court also heard that Sylvia Phillips’ family had requested a cremation certificate, which was granted by the coroner.

Judge allows sale of Tesla shares held through Trading 212 as court seeks to establish what assets can be recovered

A HEARING involving jailed drug dealer Austin Hockey was adjourned at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (Apr 13) as the court considered what assets may be available for recovery following his conviction in a Pembrokeshire drugs case.

The court heard that Hockey did not attend the hearing and had refused to come before the court.

Barristers said the defendant had no known assets apart from Tesla shares held through the Trading 212 investment platform. Counsel told the court that efforts were continuing to confirm both the exact value of the holding and the amount that could realistically be realised from it.

The judge was told enquiries had been made with Trading 212 in an effort to establish what figure should properly be relied upon for the purposes of the proceedings.

Because of the uncertainty over the true obtainable value of the shares, the judge granted permission for them to be sold so that a realisable figure could be confirmed.

The matter was then adjourned while further information is obtained.

Hockey, 32, of Acrebush Close, Bishopsworth, Bristol, previously appeared before Swansea Crown Court after admitting six drug-related offences linked to dealing in Pembrokeshire. The court heard he had been in possession of MDMA, cannabis and 2C-B with intent to supply in west Wales on December 1, 2023, and had also admitted being concerned in the supply of the same drugs between August 1 and December 2, 2023. Judge Huw Rees remanded him in custody for sentence after ordering a pre-sentence report.

He was later jailed for 3 years and 4 months after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A and B drugs, and possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs. A sentencing summary states he was stopped by police on a roundabout outside Narberth, where officers found cannabis, MDMA tablets and 2C-B tablets, while phones seized in the case contained messages advertising drugs for sale.

The latest Crown Court hearing focused not on Hockey’s guilt or sentence, but on what assets may now be available for confiscation following the Pembrokeshire offences.

A punchier alternative headline is:

Pembrokeshire drug dealer’s Tesla shares at centre of Swansea Crown Court hearing

Claire Waxman backs urgent reform after review exposes failures in how victims are notified when offenders are freed by mistake

VICTIMS are still being failed by the justice system when offenders are released in error, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales has warned.

Claire Waxman OBE spoke out after the publication of Dame Lynne Owens’ independent review into releases in error, which was published by the Ministry of Justice on Wednesday (Apr 15). The Government said it had accepted all 33 recommendations in principle and would take forward those that can be delivered within the current spending period.

The review was commissioned after the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford, but went on to examine wider problems across the prison and justice system. The Government said recent cases had exposed deep-rooted issues and described the number of release errors as unacceptably high, despite a recent reduction.

According to the Ministry of Justice, there were 179 recorded releases in error from prison between April 2025 and March 2026, a fall of 32 per cent compared with the previous year. Ministers said new checks and a dedicated query unit had already helped prevent further mistakes, while £10m has been committed to digital and AI-based tools aimed at reducing errors.

But Ms Waxman said the review had exposed serious failings in the way victims are informed when offenders are released by mistake.

She said: “Mistaken releases are an appalling failure of our justice system. They cause serious distress to victims and undermine trust and confidence in the justice system.

“Dame Lynne Owens’ report exposes serious failings in how victims are informed when offenders are released in error. In some cases, victims were contacted too late – with one learning through social media – because agencies could not identify which victim contact scheme applied or who was responsible for notifying them.

“I welcome the government’s acceptance of the review and the steps being taken to reduce these errors. But when mistakes do occur, it is paramount that victims are informed first, as quickly as possible and through official channels. Victims should never learn through the media, or by chance, that an offender has been released in error.”

The Victims’ Commissioner said victims should always be told first, as quickly as possible and through official channels, rather than finding out through the media or by chance.

She also backed Dame Lynne’s call for a clear national protocol on victim notification and repeated her own long-standing call for the introduction of a unique victim identifier, which she said would allow agencies to identify, track and contact victims more quickly across the justice system.

Without it, she warned, the system could lose sight of victims at the very moment they most need protection.

The Government said the review’s recommendations covered data and digital systems, governance, process improvements, training and culture. It added that further action would be taken in several areas, with some longer-term reforms dependent on future funding decisions.

The Ministry of Justice said it remained committed to reducing the risk of offenders being released in error and returning figures to pre-prison capacity crisis levels.