Community

Pembroke Dock: Prince landlord narrowly escapes jail following benefits fraud

Published

9 years ago

March 30, 2015

Suspended sentence: Keith
Francis

A “GREEDY and dishonest” Pembroke businessman fiddled more than £40,000 in benefits while banking over £2M pounds, a judge heard on Monday (Mar 30).

Keith Francis, aged 70, kept quiet about operating six bank accounts and owning pubs, a restaurant and apartments.

Francis, of Bush Rise, Bush Hill, admitted defrauding the Department for Work and Pensions out of pension credits worth £41,851.

Swansea Crown Court heard he had repaid just £2,431.

Merion Davies, prosecuting, said Francis applied for credits in 2004 but would not have been entitled to anything had he told the truth about his financial affairs. But he claimed to have no assets or investments, or any income.

Francis began to receive about £157 on top of his state pension.

But DWP officials found four bank accounts used by Francis and that £2.1m of income had passed through them while he continued to receive pension credits.

Francis had told the Department he had once been a publican, but had stopped in June, 2004, and would never return to the trade.

Officials then discovered he had a financial interest in The Moat House, Pembroke, which was being converted into 14 apartments, 11 of which had been sold.

He also bought the Molly Malone restaurant, Pembroke, in 2007, and also took over the Prince of Wales pub, Pembroke, and the Bush Tavern, Pembroke Dock.

“It begged the question,” said Mr Davies, “where all the money was coming from.”

Officials also discovered a mortgage application which stated that Francis made £50,431 a year and his wife Sylvia £50,250.

“That came as a complete surprise,” added Mr Davies.

prince of wales Francis was interviewed by officials and still maintained he had no assets, income, pensions or savings, even though it was already known at that stage that he had been a director of six companies.

When told it could be proved he had banked £2.1m in four bank accounts alone between 2005 and 2012 “he just laughed.”

Mr Davies said to this day Francis had not provided the DWP with “a single document” and the department still awaited some sort of profit and loss account.

But, he stressed, it was not important whether Francis had been a successful businessman or not. He had been under a clear obligation to disclose income, irrespective of where it came from.

Francis’ barrister, James Hartson, said he was now £1m in debt. Most of the properties he owned were in negative equity and the courts had already issued a restraining order controlling £55,000 in assets.

That order, he said, would easily meet the £39,420 Francis still owed the DWP.

He described Francis as well thought of in the business community.

Judge Paul Thomas told rancis, “The case against you was overwhelming. There were several properties and businesses and it is inconceivable that you should be entitled to state benefits paid for by the rest of us.

“You are greedy and dishonest.”

Francis was jailed for nine months, but the sentence was suspended for 12 months because of his age, the state of his health, his lack of previous offending and his guilty pleas.

He was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work for the community.

Mr Davies said the DWP would ask Francis to pay a minimum of £1,200 in costs at a future hearing.

Community

Milford Haven School warms hearts with over 200 gifts for local children

Published

10 hours ago

December 7, 2023

Tom Sinclair

MILFORD HAVEN SCHOOL has once again led a successful Christmas charity initiative, bringing festive cheer to over 200 children in need.

For several years, the school has been supporting PATCH, the Defender House Charity, through its annual Toy Appeal. This November, a special tradition continued as a Christmas tree adorned with tags stood tall in the school, each tag representing a local child affected by deprivation.

Staff members at the school wholeheartedly participated by selecting a tag, purchasing a thoughtful gift, and placing it under the tree. These gifts were then collected by PATCH for distribution, ensuring a brighter Christmas for many children.

This year, responding to requests from the wider community, the initiative expanded beyond the school gates. Additional Christmas trees with tags were placed in prominent community locations including Milford Haven Library, Neyland Library, and Hubberston and Hakin Community Centre, allowing more community members to contribute to this noble cause.

The response was overwhelming. Over 200 presents were lovingly donated, highlighting the communal spirit of Milford Haven. Ms. Morris, the headteacher of Milford Haven School, expressed her immense pride in the staff’s involvement and extended heartfelt thanks to the libraries and community centres for their indispensable support.

“It’s more than just gifts; it’s about showing we care and understand the challenges some families face, especially during the festive season,” said Ms. Morris. She emphasized the school’s ongoing commitment to supporting local families and raising awareness of the community’s needs.

The initiative’s success not only brought joy to children but also reinforced the strong bonds within the Milford Haven community. The generosity and compassion shown by the school and its wider community stand as a testament to the power of collective effort in making a significant difference in the lives of those in need.

As the festive season approaches, the Milford Haven community can take pride in their substantial contribution to the PATCH Charity Toy Appeal, embodying the true spirit of Christmas and bringing the warmth of “Nadolig Llawen” – Merry Christmas – to many.

Community

Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office wins prestigious national award for its custody visiting

Published

20 hours ago

December 7, 2023

Tom Sinclair

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys has won a prestigious national Gold award for the quality of its Independent Custody Visiting Scheme.

The Independent Custody Visiting Scheme is a volunteer scheme that is run by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Arising after riots in the 80s centred around public distrust in policing, and in particular the policing of black communities, independent custody visitors (or ICVs) are volunteers who give their time to make unannounced visits to police custody across the UK, ensuring the rights, entitlements and wellbeing of detainees throughout the country.

In Dyfed-Powys, there are currently eighteen volunteers who act as Independent Custody Visitors, and make unannounced visits to police custodies in Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Powys.

They report their findings to the Police and Crime Commissioner, who in turn holds the Chief Constable to account.

The Independent Custody Visiting Association (ICVA) Quality Assurance Awards were presented at a ceremony at the Old Library, Birmingham on 29 November.

ICVA is the national organisation which supports, leads and represents locally-run custody visiting schemes. Schemes manage teams of independent volunteers who visit those detained in police custody.

There were four graded levels of award, and the Dyfed-Powys Scheme was delighted to have received the Gold standard; meaning their Scheme provides an excellent standard of custody visiting and volunteer management. The Scheme was established in Dyfed-Powys in 2001, and since its roll out, thousands of visits have been made to custody suites across the force area.

Welcoming the award, Dafydd Llywelyn, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys told The Herald: “I am thrilled to announce that our Independent Custody Visiting volunteer scheme in Dyfed-Powys has been honoured with a prestigious national Gold Award. This recognition reflects the commitment and dedication of our volunteers and the high standards of custody visiting and volunteer management in our region.

“It is a testament to the collaborative efforts of our community, Dyfed-Powys Police and my Office, reinforcing our commitment to excellence in ensuring the welfare and rights of individuals in Custody. I would like to congratulate and thank all of our volunteers for their hard work – we are proud of this achievement and will continue our efforts to maintain this gold standard in the service we provide to our community”.

On a blog, published following the awards ceremony to congratulate volunteers, ICVA Chief Executive Katie Kempen said; “I am so grateful for all of your incredibly hard work on the Quality Assurance Framework, in what for many have been quite challenging times.

“At the opening of the assessment window, many of your schemes were still in a period of Covid recovery and getting schemes back up to resilience, recruiting and training new volunteers all over the country.

“As we have moved through the process, many of you have come into post and as well as getting accustomed to your new role have taken on the Quality Assurance Framework too. I am so proud of each and every scheme and their award.

“It hasn’t happened without a commitment to the scheme, to the amazing volunteers and ultimately to the fair and effective treatment of those deprived of their liberty by the state. Thank you all so much.

Community

Pure West Radio is Prestige Wales Awards Radio Station of the Year

Published

21 hours ago

December 7, 2023

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE’S very own Pure West Radio is celebrating it’s multi-award winning status after being crowned Radio Station of the Year for a second year running.

Prestige Wales Awards is available to around 30,000 readers across Wales who nominate their favourite businesses in variety of categories.

Pure West Radio has now built to a strong team over 90 – a mix of volunteers and paid-staff – that provides a comprehensive and varied programme of shows and outside broadcasts covering Pembrokeshire.

Its commercial community radio station business model has been recognised as sustainable and attractive to advertisers and the wider community in Pembrokeshire and Pure West Radio is one of the most trusted media brands in the region.

“It’s a great honour to receive this award again” said Toby Ellis, Station Manager. “We love what we do with great passion serving Pembrokeshire, it’s our duty to deliver quality hyper local content to the community and to be recognised for that is just wonderful”

Pure West Radio will be launching on DAB in 2024 and will be looking to recruit people in marketing, sales, content creation and broadcasters – so watch this space!