News

Badger and the Christmas card

Published

9 years ago

February 26, 2015

HELLO readers! This is Badger’s last column before Christmas and so he is sure that those who elect to subject themselves weekly (or weakly, or weakly weekly, for that matter) to his ramblings about the surface world, will know that Badger is not a fan of Yuletide festivities. Badger peeked up out of his sett the other evening. Instead of the reassuring gloom of the Pembrokeshire night, he was assailed by what seemed to be an outdoor discotheque; a riot of fl ashing lights illuminated the gloaming, while dancing plastic snowmen tinkled the tune to Jingle Bells. Plastic. Snowmen. Jingle. Bells.

Are you people mad up there? It’s quite bad enough that John Lewis think that the meaning of Christmas can be conveyed by encouraging simpering toy penguins to form romantic relationships with other simpering toy penguins: but why are ordinary houses in ordinary streets lit up like a New Orleans bordello at Mardi Gras? Badger thought he was back in a bad 1980’s night club. All it needed was for the snowmen to start boogying on down to “Disco Inferno” and the illusion would have been complete. So far, so Badger, readers. But then at the madhouse where Badger’s human friends work, a Christmas card was received. It didn’t say much, just “thank you”.

A “thank you” to Badger’s chums at The Herald for everything they have done to shine a light into the gloomier corners of Pembrokeshire and drag out and into the light some pretty unpleasant facts and inconvenient truths. Badger was, quite unaccountably, moved. Badger is a strong believer in the power of words and the care that should be applied to their use. But the words “thank you” have a very specifi c power, even if they are used casually.

“Thank you” says that what you have done has been discovered, appreciated and acknowledged. Even if sincere thanks comes from one person, that one person has taken the time to notice what you have done. “Thank you” gives a little tickle of pleasure to the recipient of the sentiment. And that is why Badger offers his very sincere thanks to the members of the IPPG at Pembrokeshire County Council. From Johnny Allen-Squirehouse to Steve Yelland, they never cease to provide Badger with material. Badger does not believe – as some do – that Jamie Adams and his chums are involved in some sort of conspiracy against Pembrokeshire’s people.

He has always preferred the cock up theory of history. And the IPPG’s membership provide ample evidence to support Badger’s point of view. Look at them, readers: pay attention to the webcasts from County Hall. See how your IPPG representatives behave and how they misrepresent the public they are supposed to serve. Badger has often heard it said that it is better to be thought an idiot than to open one’s mouth and dispel all doubt. Badger has heard that aphorism: Johnny Allen- Squirehouse has clearly not heard it. Or perhaps he cannot hear anything over his own booming drawl. Imagine having an internal voice that sounded so pompous, readers.

It would drive you crackers. Look at Johnny A. Join the dots. From Johnny, we whizz all the way to the arse end of the alphabet to Cllr Steve Yelland. Rudbaxton’s representative at County Hall is not a councillor who has drawn himself to Badger’s attention before now. For a few brief seconds last week, readers, Cllr Yelland – by dint of nothing than there happening not to be a councillor Adrian Zebedee – was a very important person. The vote to have an annual election, or the possibility of one, for the leadership of the Council was tied 28-28. Cllr Yelland’s vote was the next, and last, to be taken.

“Independent” Cllr Yelland put as his description on the ballot paper in 2012. Indy – bloody – pendent. Badger supposes that independence has some peculiar quality of blind obedience of which Badger was previously unaware. Perhaps Cllr Yelland is as notionally independent as the satellite states were of the Soviet Union. A sort of Bulgaria, as it were. Not a place anyone paid much attention to way back then, readers, Bulgaria was a reliable ally to the USSR. A country whose secret service was happy to do Moscow’s dirty work. It would be a lie to say that there was any doubt about the way Cllr Yelland would vote. Jamie says “for”, Cllr Yelland says “for”.

Jamie says “against”, Cllr Yelland says “against”. Jamie makes an attempt at humour, Cllr Yelland laughs. Jamie does the sad and patronising voice, Cllr Yelland nods along. He is the yes man’s yes man. Lobby fodder. But cometh the hour, cometh the man. And so Bulgaria Yelland had a moment on Thursday when the eyes of his fellow members were fi xed upon him. “Against,” Cllr Yelland murmured. Barely a beat he missed, readers. Not for Bulgaria the moment of tension beloved of television reality shows. No hesitation of the type beloved of Chris Tarrant when “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” was a popular quiz.

The question – as is the nature of these things – had been reduced to one right answer and the remaining wrong answer. Bulgaria had already phoned a friend, so he knew what to do. He did not need to ask the audience. “Against,” Bulgaria murmured and the door slammed on an opportunity to reign in an over-mighty executive. Badger does not believe that Cllr Yelland is a bad person. For all Badger knows, Cllr Yelland donates generously and widely to charity and helps grannies remove boy scouts from horses’ hooves. But as a sterling example that the word “independent” means less than you might think when it comes to your representatives, readers, Bulgaria Yelland is diffi cult to beat. And for that Badger wishes to extend sincere thanks to Cllr Yelland. Because when – and if – Pembrokeshire’s electors go to the polls in 2017, it will be the conduct of Bulgaria and others like him that will make the job of sweeping the IPPG from power that much easier. And on that positive note, Badger wishes all of his readers – whatever or whomsoever they believe in – a peaceful and merry Christmas.

Community

Public reminded to stay away from Ward’s Yard and Criterion Quay

Published

15 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE PORT of Milford Haven is reminding members of the public to stay away from Ward’s Yard in Milford Haven and Criterion Quay (sometimes known as the offshore jetty) in Pembroke Dock due to concerns over public safety. 

Despite significant security measures, people continue to access the sites illegally, ignoring and sometimes damaging the onsite signage and fences.

Niall Yeomans, Head of Health, Safety and Security at the Port of Milford Haven said: “Safety is our key priority. Members of the public are continuously putting themselves and members of our team at risk of serious harm by trespassing in these areas.”

“Both Ward’s Yard and Criterion Quay are unsafe for public access. They are isolated areas next to deep water and are susceptible to slips, trips and falls.”

Both sites are owned by the Port of Milford Haven and are private property. Anyone found onsite without consent is trespassing, and any criminal damage could result in prosecution.  

Anyone who sees any suspicious activity at Ward’s Yard or Criterion Quay is asked to contact Dyfed Powys Police on 101 urgently.

Crime

‘Sophisticated’ organised crime gang trafficked cocaine and cannabis to Aberystwyth

Published

17 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

FIVE people have been found guilty or admitted to conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis as Dyfed-Powys Police continues its efforts to dismantle organised crime gangs.

Officers seized cocaine with a street value of more than £400,000 from gang members, who continually changed tactics to avoid arrest.

Six defendants have appeared in court in the latest phase of Dyfed-Powys Police’s Operation Burleigh, which sought to disrupt the trafficking and onward supply of class A and B drugs into Aberystwyth, with all but one admitting their charges or being found guilty by a jury.

This brings the total number of people awaiting sentence under the operation to 15.

The court heard that officers from Dyfed-Powys Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Team and Ceredigion Priority Policing Team led the investigation into the OCG, which was described as ‘sophisticated, well-organised and evolving’.

Detective Sergeant Steven Jones said: “This conspiracy operated on a County Lines model, where controlled drugs are trafficked into a smaller rural town from a larger city, and the operation is controlled by one or more ‘drugs lines’.

“In this case there were a total of four lines controlling the supply of cocaine and cannabis within Aberystwyth.

“The conspirators frequently evolved their actions to frustrate the authorities and evade capture.”

The OCG embedded members were mainly asylum seekers brought to Aberystwyth by Toana Ahmad and another man who remains outstanding, with the sole purpose of dealing drugs. The drug lines were initially based in Swansea, and later in areas of Birmingham.

Three properties – on Terrace Road, Alexander Road and Parc Graig Glas – were identified early in the investigation as being used to house the OCG members embedded in Aberystwyth. Substantial amounts of cash, controlled drugs and weapons were recovered from these properties, and from the people found inside.

When arrests were made, the gang changed its tactics. Drugs began to be supplied from vehicles, and OCG members stayed in guest houses to avoid detection.

DS Jones added: “Trusted couriers were employed to transport drugs to Aberystwyth and cash back to Birmingham or Swansea. A number of vehicles, including taxis, were used as the gang attempted to avoid detection along the route, while trains were also taken when courier cars were stopped by officers.”

In June 2023, two vehicles travelling from the West Midlands towards Aberystwyth were stopped by police on consecutive days. A black sock was uncovered in the engine of the first car, which was found to contain 82g of high purity cocaine divided into 169 grip seal plastic bags.

Davinder Singh, who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs, was the driver of the second vehicle, which was a taxi. A blue plastic bag was seen falling out of his shorts, which contained over 81g of high purity cocaine divided into 167 grip seal bags.

DS Jones said: “On the basis that the amounts of cocaine transported over the 37 couriers over the course of the conspiracy period were similar, over 3kg of cocaine would have been conveyed to Aberystwyth from Birmingham.

“This equates to class A drugs with a potential street value of over £308,950. In addition to this, class A drugs were seized from individuals and addresses with a potential street value of £103,445, along with cash totalling £11,687.

“A number of teams and departments across Dyfed-Powys Police, from analysts, CCTV operators and priority policing teams, to CAB, the Technical Support Unit, Economic Crime Team and Force Intelligence Bureau all assisted in dismantling the OCG from top to bottom.

“Their dedication and relentless efforts have assisted in making Aberystwyth a safer place to live without the threat and harm of drugs being made easily available on the street.”

After a seven-week trial at Swansea Crown Court earlier this year, the following three defendants were found guilty for their parts in the conspiracy:

Toana Ahmad, aged 33, of Lee Gardens in Smethwich, West Midlands
Barzan Sarhan, aged 31, of no fixed address
Ahmed Piro, aged 26, of no fixed address

The jury failed to reach a verdict on two defendants during the earlier trial. They have been subject to a retrial starting on July 1, with the following outcomes:

Hawre Ahmed, aged 35, of Pinderfields Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was found guilty by the jury of conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.
Diar Yousef Zeabari, aged 35, of Flat 5, 41 Bryn Road, Swansea, was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.

Karwan Karim, aged 39 of 125 Griffith John Street, Swansea, also stood trial, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs on day three.

In addition to the OCG members found guilty during the most recent trials, the following have previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs under Operation Burleigh:

Davinder Singh, aged 36, of Huntingdon Road, West Bromwich
Daban Khalil, aged 23, of Streetly Road, Birmingham
Kastro Omar, aged 30, of Junction Road, Northampton
Karwan Jabari, aged 26, of Weedon Close, Northampton
Walid Younis Abdal, aged 34, of St Anne’s Road, Doncaster
Saman Aziz, aged 41, of Kirk Road, Merseyside
Adel Mustafa, aged 39, of Hubert Road, Newport
Charlotte Roberts, aged 21, of Sutton Hill, Telford

The following have previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs:

Akasha Smith, aged 24, of Third Avenue, Aberystwyth
Luqman Jarjis, aged 21, of Wake Green Road, Birmingham

News

Community asked for views on allocation of new St Davids homes

Published

17 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST phase of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Glasfryn housing development in St Davids is progressing well with the second phase also underway.

The development being built by GRD Homes Ltd, began in November 2023, with a first phase completion date of Winter 2024 looking hopeful, ahead of the scheduled plans.

The first phase consists of seven properties, including a mixture of one and two bedroom bungalows

As completion draws closer the properties will be advertised via Pembrokeshire Choice Homes.

Ahead of this, the Council’s housing team will be holding community engagement on the 13th August 2024 at the Ty’r Pererin Centres, Quickwell Hill, St Davids, SA62 6PD, 5pm-7pm.

This will be a chance for officers to liaise with the local community about the allocation process for these properties.

Glasfryn’s second phase is well underway, with the initial groundwork already completed. This phase includes a further 11 two bedroom bungalows, with a completion date in late 2025.

These bungalows will meet the latest Welsh Government’s Development Quality Requirement, and will be energy efficient, built to EPC A specification and include solar panels to help tenants with running costs.

The Glasfryn development is funded in partnership with Welsh Government.

Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr Michelle Bateman said: “We are really keen to work with the community on a local lettings policy for these new properties, as we have done for our developments in other parts of the County.”

If you have any queries please email the Customer Liaison Team on [email protected], phone them on 01437 764551, or visit Housing’s Facebook page.