Crime

Police prepared for mass west Wales youth gathering after social media alerts

Published

2 months ago

April 19, 2026

Richard Youle - Local Democracy Reporter

SOUTH WALES POLICE were expecting a group of around 150 youths from Carmarthenshire who arrived en masse in Swansea, a meeting has heard.

News of the planned gathering had circulated on social media the day before and was picked up by officers monitoring online activity.

Superintendent Mark Kavanagh said it was one of two planned mass gatherings which the force had become aware of through social media.

“They had all jumped on the train in Llanelli,” he said. “We knew it was coming.”

He said police resources were put in place in advance, along with a dispersal order giving officers powers to move people on from a defined area.

Supt Kavanagh was speaking at a Swansea Council committee meeting, which heard about the work of the multi-agency Safer Swansea Partnership. The group aims to make Swansea a safer and more welcoming place for residents and visitors.

The partnership has six key priorities, including reducing neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour, which formed a major part of the discussion.

Supt Kavanagh said the overall trend in reducing anti-social behaviour in Swansea was “very, very positive”.

However, he added that police were concerned about some young people in their early to mid-teens who were “on the cusp of engaging in violent crime” and other criminality.

He said police in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot were keen to avoid the situation seen in Cardiff, where stabbings involving young people had, he said, become very common. A dedicated serious violence board had now been set up to help tackle the issue.

Turning to anti-social behaviour, South Wales Police imposed a 48-hour dispersal order covering much of Swansea city centre last week following a rise in incidents over the Easter holidays.

Supt Kavanagh said the criteria for such orders were very strict and that they were not used lightly.

He said that in the previous six weeks large gatherings of youths had led to two police officers being assaulted, with one requiring medical attention, while a 71-year-old man had also been pushed to the ground.

“We’ve had a serious assault between two young people which was filmed and then broadcast on social media,” he said.

Cllr Chris Holley said he understood the reason for dispersal orders but was concerned they could put people off visiting the city centre.

He added: “The vast majority of youngsters in this city are great.”

Supt Kavanagh said police officers, community support officers and neighbourhood beat managers were very good at building rapport with young people, and that officers were also trying to get the message out to parents to remain vigilant.

Speaking during the recent dispersal order, Acting Chief Inspector Andrew Hedley said: “We stress that it is only a small cohort of young people who are engaging in this anti-social behaviour, and we do not want to deter the others from coming to the town centre and enjoying all it has to offer.”

Cllr Mike White said anti-social behaviour data showed an overall reduction in Swansea in 2025-26, but questioned whether this was being felt across all neighbourhoods.

Supt Kavanagh said the downward trend had been seen in Townhill, Gorseinon, Eastside and Morriston, among other areas.

He said there were also very localised hotspots, including Penlan, where a parking dispute had caused problems for the authorities. Swansea beach and the area behind Clydach Library were also highlighted as areas of concern.

The superintendent said he was particularly pleased with the willingness of partner organisations to support an operation in the Dyfatty area of the city, which a report before the scrutiny programme committee said had led to arrests and drug warrants.

Senior council officers also outlined prevention work being carried out by their teams, including youth club activities, talks in comprehensive schools and targeted support for young people whose behaviour was at risk of escalating.

Reducing substance misuse and drug-related deaths in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot is another of the partnership’s six priorities, and a rise in the use of ketamine was noted at the meeting.

Matthew Rafferty, from the area planning board which coordinates substance use services in the two counties, said heroin was less of a concern than previously, but warned that “poly-drug” use — involving more than one substance at the same time — was becoming a significant issue.

He said ketamine use among people aged 16 to 24 nationally had increased by more than 200 per cent since 2013, and that prices of around £10 per gram in some areas were significantly lower than cocaine.

He added that users frequently underestimated ketamine’s harms.

Julie Davies, the council’s head of child and family services, said a range of support was available to parents and young people, including fast-tracking to a specialist community drug and alcohol team.

She said the level of need was clear.

“Specifically we are finding crack cocaine among our families in Swansea,” she said.

Crime

Man wanted in connection with rape investigation has Pembrokeshire links

Published

16 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Police in Milford Haven and Neyland assisting Warwickshire officers in appeal to trace 23-year-old

MILFORD HAVEN and Neyland police have issued an appeal to help locate a man wanted in connection with a rape investigation.

Officers are assisting colleagues from Warwickshire Police, who are seeking information on the whereabouts of 23-year-old Rhys Trott in connection with a rape allegation in Nuneaton.

Police say Trott is believed to have links to the Milford Haven area of Pembrokeshire.

In a public appeal, Warwickshire Police said they are keen to trace Trott as part of ongoing enquiries.

Anyone who has seen him or has information about his whereabouts is urged to contact Warwickshire Police through their website or by quoting the relevant incident details.

Milford Haven and Neyland Police shared the appeal on social media on Tuesday (June 3), asking local residents to come forward with any information that may assist officers.

Photo caption:

Rhys Trott, 23, is wanted by Warwickshire Police in connection with a rape investigation and is believed to have links to Milford Haven (Pic: Warwickshire Police).

Crime

Carmarthenshire pensioner jailed for child sex offences dies in hospital

Published

20 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Nicholas Page, 75, died after being transferred from HMP Parc weeks after receiving a three-year sentence

A LLANELLI pensioner jailed for child sex offences has died in hospital weeks after being sentenced.

Nicholas Page, 75, of Ropewalk Road, Llanelli, died on May 7 after being transferred from HMP Parc in Bridgend to an outside hospital.

He had been sentenced to three years in prison at Swansea Crown Court in April after pleading guilty to attempting to possess indecent images of children and arranging a child sexual offence.

The court heard Page’s offending came to light after concerns were raised by a Carmarthenshire County Council care worker who regularly attended his home.

Police later executed a search warrant at Page’s address and seized his mobile phone. The court was told messages on the device showed Page had been attempting to obtain indecent images of children and arrange access to children for sexual purposes.

Prosecutor Craig Jones told the court: “The clear inference is he was paying for the provision of children to be brought to his property.”

Sentencing, Judge Paul Thomas KC said the messages made clear that the purpose of the payments was to facilitate abuse, although he acknowledged the possibility that Page may have been “conned” by the person he was communicating with.

Page had originally been due to be sentenced in May last year but repeatedly failed to attend court, citing medical reasons without producing documentary evidence.

He was later arrested on a warrant and remanded into custody. The court was told he had remained “uncooperative” with efforts to obtain medical reports.

Defence barrister Ryan Bowen said Page was “a product of his childhood experiences”, having been placed into care at a young age and having suffered abuse during his childhood.

Page had no previous convictions.

Finding there was no realistic prospect of rehabilitation, Judge Thomas imposed a three-year prison sentence.

A spokesperson for G4S, which operates HMP Parc, said: “Mr Nicholas Page passed away at an outside hospital on May 7. As with all deaths in custody, this will be investigated by the prisons ombudsman. The cause of death will be for the coroner to determine.”

Crime

Pembroke Dock driver avoided jail after drug-drive crash

Published

23 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Sarah-Jane Absalom

Court heard she had cocaine metabolite and cannabis above legal limits

A DOCK motorist has narrowly avoided imprisonment after driving into a parked vehicle with what the Crown described as “a cocktail of drugs” in her system.

Stacey Wootton, 30, was seen hitting a parked vehicle the week before Christmas as she drove her Volkswagen Golf along Military Road in Pennar.

“She was seen by a police officer and didn’t seem aware of what was going on,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

“She appeared to be drugged up and when she got out of the car, she was staggering. She was clearly heavily influenced by the drugs and could hardly speak.”

The officer’s suspicions were confirmed when blood tests carried out at the police station showed that Wootton had 240mcg of the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine in her system and 3mg of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol. The legal limits are 50 and 2 respectively.

Traces of ketamine and diazepam were also discovered in her blood, although these were below the legal threshold.

Wootton, of Military Road, Pennar, Pembroke Dock, pleaded guilty to two charges of drug driving.

Given the seriousness of the offences, District Judge Mark Layton requested an all-options probation report prior to sentencing.

“The offence stems from the defendant’s drug misuse issues as a result of the breakdown of her five-year relationship,” said probation officer Julie Norman. “It’s appropriate that some rehabilitation is offered to her to help her through her problem.”

After considering the probation report, District Judge Layton sentenced Wootton to eight weeks in custody, suspended for 18 months. During this time she must carry out 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

A 12-month foreign travel prohibition requirement was imposed on her, and she was disqualified from driving for a total of five years. The defendant must also pay a £154 court surcharge and £85 costs.