A PEMBROKESHIRE commercial fisherman has admitted failing to ensure his vessel was operated safely following the death of lobster fisherman Jack Walker off the coast of Pembrokeshire.

Adam Evans, aged 31, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week in connection with the operation of the fishing vessel FV Wilaya.

Evans owned the vessel when Mr Walker, aged 35, was dragged overboard and drowned during a fishing operation near Jack Sound, close to Skomer Island, on May 1, 2025.

Jack Murphy KC, prosecuting on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said the offence came to light following the fatal incident.

“Adam Evans’ failure to ensure the boat was operating safely was discovered following the tragic accident when Jack Walker became entangled in a string of pots as he carried out a ‘shooting’ exercise,” he told the court.

Mr Murphy explained that “shooting” involves deploying baited and weighted lobster pots over the side of a vessel, allowing them to sink rapidly to the seabed as the attached rope runs out.

“Jack Walker was dragged into the sea and tragically drowned,” he said.

“This is a high-culpability case involving breaches of safety in which there was wilful blindness to the offending and a high likelihood of causing serious injury or death.”

The court heard that Evans had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the safety of the vessel and its crew.

The prosecution said there had been failures to comply with essential requirements, codes of practice and guidance, including a lack of adequate safety measures and failures to carry out annual maintenance and safety checks.

Evans was also said not to have held the required first-aid training qualification.

At the time of the incident, the vessel was carrying a third person despite not being coded to carry passengers, the court heard.

Evans, of Harbour Way, Hakin, Milford Haven, was interviewed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on July 2 and made what the prosecution described as a series of frank admissions.

He pleaded guilty to failing to take all reasonable steps to ensure that FV Wilaya was operated safely at the time of Mr Walker’s death.

“There were a number of breaches here in relation to safety, particularly given the high-risk nature of fishing,” Mr Murphy said.

“As a result, I request that the case be committed to the Crown Court for sentence.”

District Judge Mark Layton declined jurisdiction and sent the case to Swansea Crown Court, where Evans is due to be sentenced on August 4.

He was released on unconditional bail.

Police say the spikes were placed on a public right of way beside Pembrey Road

DYFED-POWYS POLICE is appealing for information after metal spikes were allegedly placed on a public footpath near Kidwelly, damaging farm machinery and other vehicles.

The incidents are believed to have taken place between June 5 and July 1 on a public right of way beside Pembrey Road.

Officers say the spikes caused damage to farming equipment and other vehicles using the route.

Concerns have also been raised that the objects could cause serious injury to walkers, cyclists, horse riders or others using the public right of way.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact Dyfed-Powys Police online, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 101.

Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote police reference 26*462051.

Goldfinches taken from the wild were found distressed, injured and confined in dirty cages at a property in The Glebe

A PEMBROKESHIRE man who illegally trapped and kept wild birds has been banned from owning birds for 15 years and handed a suspended prison sentence.

Colwyn Probert, aged 38, was found keeping goldfinches and other wild birds in cages at a property in The Glebe, Tenby, following concerns raised by a Dyfed-Powys Police rural crime officer.

Probert, of Kingsmoor Caravan Park, Kingsmoor Common, Kilgetty, admitted three offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and one offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Appearing at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on July 2, he was given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, comply with a six-month curfew and pay £400 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge.

All traps, cages and bird rings seized during the investigation will be confiscated.

The RSPCA launched an investigation after police reported concerns that wild birds were being caught in the rear garden of the Tenby property.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Ellie West attended with police on October 17 last year and was shown an aviary containing more than a dozen goldfinches and a mule-type bird.

The birds appeared restless and repeatedly moved from perch to perch. A further 14 birds were found confined in small cages inside a roofed room at the side of the house.

Three cage traps were discovered at the property, including one that had previously been positioned near a bird feeder in the garden. Officers also found a bag containing metal bird rings and ring cutters.

The birds were seized and initially taken to a boarding establishment before being transferred to the RSPCA’s Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre in East Sussex. They were later released back into the wild.

An ornithological expert who examined the birds said several had suffered damage to their beaks after repeatedly flying into the bars of their cages. One bird was also missing its tail.

Many of the finches had distinctive dark-coloured legs, which the expert said were characteristic of birds caught in the wild.

The expert said: “I believe all the goldfinches were caught from the wild.

“While I did not see the original cages, the dirtiness of many of their feathers would point to the cages not having enough room for them to fly onto perches above the faeces at the bottom.”

The district judge said the birds may have been trapped with the intention of selling them.

Addressing Probert, the judge said: “You put wild birds, which should be free and wild, in unsuitable cages, which must have been extremely stressful for them.”

Speaking after the hearing, RSPCA Inspector Keith Hogben said: “These poor birds were treated like commodities.

“They were caged and unable to exhibit normal behaviour, while they were also living in a filthy environment with no clean water provided for them.

“All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is illegal to deliberately kill, injure or take one, except under licence.”