A PEMBROKESHIRE woman told a court she wished her former partner had killed her after enduring a campaign of violence and coercive control by a man who claimed to be Banksy.

Patrick Smyth, 49, of Oaks Avenue, Romford, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday to 22 months in custody after admitting coercive and controlling behaviour and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Smyth met the woman while on holiday in Tunisia in 2024 and later travelled from Essex to visit her in Haverfordwest.

Thomas Scapens KC, prosecuting, said Smyth quickly began mentally and physically abusing her. He checked her phone, isolated her from friends and family, and installed a phone tracking app which he controlled under the username “Powerful 666”.

He also claimed he was Banksy, the world-famous street artist, telling the victim he was powerful, wealthy and well connected.

“He copied Banksy’s signature and presented it to her, and she believed everything he told her,” Mr Scapens said.

The court heard that Smyth’s abuse escalated during a trip to Cardiff in July 2025, when the couple attended a concert. Smyth lost his temper and had to be removed by security.

Later, at the Coal Exchange hotel, he locked the victim in a room and placed a chair under the door handle to stop her leaving.

“He beat her continuously,” said Mr Scapens. “He put his hand around her throat to prevent her breathing.”

Hotel staff heard him calling her a “slag” and later saw reddening to her neck. They moved the woman to another room for her safety, but Smyth repeatedly tried to force his way inside, banging on the door and shouting.

Staff contacted the woman’s son, who worked in Cardiff. When he arrived, he became emotional after seeing her condition.

In September 2025, Smyth threw the woman into a wardrobe, fracturing two of her ribs. The following month, despite being on bail with a condition not to contact her, he turned up at her home.

“He pushed past her, tied her to a chair in the kitchen and turned off the lights,” said Mr Scapens.

The court heard Smyth refused to let her use the toilet and told her men were coming from London to put her in a pre-dug grave.

The final incident happened in October after the couple visited Morrisons in Haverfordwest. Smyth became aggressive in the store and threw shopping items at the victim. Concerned staff asked a security guard to shadow them.

During the taxi journey home, Smyth threatened to break the woman’s legs and punch her. When the taxi driver intervened, Smyth threatened to break his legs too.

Later that evening, a 999 call was made. No one spoke, but officers could hear a woman screaming and a man’s voice in the background.

When police arrived, they found the victim with cuts to her head. She was extremely upset and tried to hide her face in her roll-neck jumper.

When asked what had happened, she said: “I would in a heartbeat, but I can’t.” The court heard this was because Smyth was listening outside.

In a victim impact statement read to Judge Catherine Richards, the woman said her life had been “fundamentally scarred”.

“I hid my injuries away from other family members because I was scared,” she said.

“I’m scared to go out in case Patrick is there. I don’t treat life the same way anymore and I don’t leave the house by myself.

“It got to the point where I wish Patrick had killed me because I’d prefer to be dead. I’ll never be the same again.”

Smyth appeared by video link from prison, where he had been remanded since his arrest.

His barrister said he “wishes no bad will on the victim” and had reflected on his behaviour.

“He wishes to apologise,” she said. “He has no intention of making any further form of contact with her. Custody has acted as a wake-up call.”

Sentencing Smyth to 22 months in custody, Judge Richards said half would be served in prison and the remainder on licence.

A Haverfordwest motorist has lost his licence after being found with a cocaine metabolite in his system 24 hours after consuming the Class A drug.

Gary Russell, 42, was stopped by officers in the early hours of January 24 as he drove his Volkswagen Golf along Thornton Road, Milford Haven,

“The officers’ attention was drawn to the vehicle because it was being driven in the early hours of the morning,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest Magistrates Court this week.

After providing a positive roadside drugs swipe,  further blood tests carried out at the police station showed that Russell  had 240 mcg of the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine in his system.  The legal limit is 50.

Russell, of Fleming Crescent, Haverfordwest, pleaded guilty to drug-driving and was represented in court by solicitor Alaw Harries.

“He’d taken cocaine the previous day and genuinely didn’t think it would still be in his system,” Alaw Harries told the Bench.  “This is a genuine error of judgement.”

Russell was disqualified from driving for a total of 12 months and fined £120.  He must also pay £85 court costs and a £48 surcharge,

A court has heard how three women were repeatedly spied upon by a Pembrokeshire stalker who threatened to burn their properties and ‘beat the s*** out of them’.

Haverfordwest magistrates were told that between October 18 and November 10, 2025, Thomas Austin, 31, stalked his three victims by:

• Attempting to access their security cameras;
• Repeatedly contacting them on social media and 
• Spying on them in their homes.   

He also took  images of them at various locations in Pembroke Dock.  

This week Austin, of Shore House, Long Mains, Monkton, pleaded guilty to two charges of stalking without fear, alarm or distress and one charge of harassment without violence.

“Threats were made towards each of the three parties,” outlined Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan.

“The defendant threatened to come down to their properties and on one occasion he stated he was going to burn the house down.  On another occasion he said he was going to come down and punch anyone who was there.”

Ms Vaughan read out a direct quote made by the defendant to one of his victims.

“I’m going to come over and beat the s*** out of you,” he told the female.

The Crown concluded by saying that Austin was heavily under the influence of alcohol and cocaine when each of the offences were committed.

Austin, who is employed as a fishing boat skipper, was legally unrepresented in court.  In his mitigation, he said the offences were committed in frustration, when he was denied contact with his children.

“I was trying to call them,  but [the victim] blocked my number,” he said.  “As a result I was unable to contact my children.”

After considering his mitigation, magistrates sentenced Austin to 12 weeks in custody suspended for two years .  During this time he must complete 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 21 group sessions of building relationship counselling sessions. He must also pay a total of £400 compensation to the three victims, a £154 court surcharge and £85 costs.

“After a huge amount of consideration, we find it’s crossed the custody threshold,”commented the presiding magistrate when passing sentence.

“But we’ve suspended it because we think there’s a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”

Magistrates also imposed a two-year restraining order preventing Austin from having any form of direct or indirect contact with the mother of his children.