News

Haverfordwest: John Caffrey sex trial continues at Swansea Crown Court

Published

10 years ago

June 17, 2015

swansea crown court PEMBROKESHIRE police officers gave a colleague a video of a man having sex with a chicken to cheer him up after a road accident, a jury heard yesterday (Jun 16).

They also gave then motorcycle cop John Caffrey videos of a man standing on a box and having intercourse with a horse, as well as one featuring a woman having sex with a cow.

Caffrey is accused of sexually assaulting a girl who said today he had made her watch the films, which he told her had been seized during operations by his colleagues in Haverfordwest.

“After he had his accident the police gave him seized videos to watch while he was recuperating,” she toldSwansea crown court.

“He was laughing, watching me watching the films. The scene involving the chicken was particularly horrific.

“I thought how cruel it was for men to get sexual gratification from something like that,” she added.

Former police officer John Caffrey leaving Swansea Crown Court

Caffrey, now aged 71, of Castle View, Simpson Cross, near Haverfordwest, is accused of sexually assaulting the girl more than 30 years ago.

She claims he once ordered her to strip naked, tied her by a belt to a door and photographed her. He is also accused of helping her to paint her nude body green.

“He was a serving police officer. I was humiliated, embarrassed and scared,” she said.

Robin Rouch, prosecuting, said the woman made a complaint to police while still a teenager but felt it had been “brushed under the carpet.”

She said, “I made a complaint. An officer typed it.”

She said that later, an older officer interviewed her and a friend who had accompanied her to the police station was told to “go home”.

“I remember being worried, because it was getting dark.”

Later, she was shown a statement that appeared to have been written by her in which she said she had “made up the allegations.”

“The statement was as if I had written it but it hadn’t been. I never heard anything more about it.”

In 2013, said Mr Rouch, the complainant finally made contact with the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). She complained about the lack of response to her original contact with the police and the IPCC triggered an investigation.

Caffrey was arrested and charged.

During police interviews, Caffrey told officers he had never touched the complainant indecently and any photographs he may have taken had not been of a sexual nature.

He denies all the charges against him and the trial continues.

Community

Milford Haven paddling pool open daily at 10:00am — safety reminder issued

Published

1 hour ago

July 10, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Town council urges parents to supervise children at all times

MILFORD HAVEN TOWN COUNCIL has reminded visitors to the children’s paddling pool on The Rath that the facility opens daily at 10:00am, and that children must be supervised by a responsible adult.

In a bilingual safety poster shared online, the council set out simple but essential rules to help ensure the pool remains a safe and fun space throughout the summer holidays. While the pool is popular with families, the council warns that it is not officially supervised, and users do so at their own risk.

The key rules include:

Children must be accompanied by an adult.
No running or diving in or around the pool.
No food, drink, or glass bottles in the water area.
No dogs are allowed within the paddling pool zone.
Littering is strictly prohibited.

A council spokesperson said: “Hi everyone, a polite request: we ask that all children be supervised by a responsible adult while using the pool. Thank you.”

There is no formal age limit for the pool, but younger children will be given priority, especially during busy times.

Local families have praised the pool since it reopened, with one visitor, Linda Phillips, commenting: “We’ve just spent two hours there. Great effort everyone! The youngsters are really enjoying it.”

Milford Haven Town Council thanked her for the feedback, calling it “lovely to hear.”

Opening times or access arrangements may change due to weather or maintenance — updates will be posted on the council’s official Facebook page.

Caption:

Splash safely: Milford Haven Town Council’s new bilingual poster reminds families to supervise children and follow the rules while enjoying the paddling pool on The Rath this summer (Pic: Herald).

News

Stricken boat rescued off Ramsey Island after gearbox failure

Published

6 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Off-duty RNLI crew member steps in to assist with tow to safety

ST DAVIDS RNLI all-weather lifeboat launched at 6:20pm on Wednesday (July 9) to assist a 28-foot motorboat that had suffered drive shaft failure near Ramsey Island.

The vessel, which had departed from Porthclais harbour with two people on board, was left without propulsion due to gearbox issues and was drifting dangerously close to cliffs.

The call for assistance was received at 6:09pm, and the lifeboat was launched just over 10 minutes later. Calm sea conditions allowed the volunteer crew to reach the scene swiftly. A local recreational boat from Voyages of Discovery had been standing by the stricken vessel until the lifeboat arrived.

Given the boat’s proximity to the cliffs and inability to manoeuvre, the coxswain made the decision to tow it back to Porthclais. However, the harbour is inaccessible to the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat.

Fortunately, off-duty crew member Robin was nearby on his own vessel and was able to take over the tow and bring the motorboat safely into the harbour.

The lifeboat and crew returned to station by 7:40pm.

Crime

Motorist sentenced over crash that left biker with life-changing injuries

Published

7 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE man who caused life-changing injuries to a motorcyclist in a serious crash at Merlin’s Bridge has been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court.

JAMES IAN PUTTOCK appeared before the court on Wednesday (July 2), where he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving, contrary to section 2C of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

The collision occurred on December 20, 2022, at Merlin’s Bridge, near Haverfordwest, and involved a red Suzuki Splash driven by Puttock and a motorcyclist.

The rider suffered what police described at the time as “life-changing injuries” and was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. The road was closed for several hours while crash investigators examined the scene.

Puttock had originally been due to stand trial, as previously reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald in January 2024. However, he entered a guilty plea ahead of trial.

At sentencing, the court imposed the following:

20 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months
10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days
12-month driving disqualification

The Herald understands the crash had a profound impact on the injured rider and their family, who are still dealing with the long-term consequences of the incident.