News

Emotions run high at public meeting

Published

10 years ago

August 20, 2015

THE ROYAL COLLEGE of Paediatrics and Child Health has been commissioned by the Local Health Board to undertake an independent evaluation of the changes in women and children’s healthcare services in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.

As part of that exercise, a public meetingwasheldat WithybushHospital’s Conference Centre on the evening of Wednesday (Jul 29), at 5:30pm. Present were members of the panel charged with carrying out the review and around 300 members of the public.

As the first year anniversary of the Midwifery Led Unit approaches, the experiences shared with the panel were not as positive as the Health Board might have hoped.

And, as The Pembrokeshire Herald can now reveal, the nature of the written material submitted to the Community Health Council, is no less searing an indictmentthantheinformationdelivered to the panel in person on Wednesday.

Two retired members of staff, a paediatrician and a surgeon made it clear thatthechangeswroughtto Withybush’s level of care placed patients’ lives and well-being at risk, pointing out – in the latter instance – the statistical likelihood of additional infant mortality.

While the clinicians’ words were chilling, the experiences of patients clearly affected both those telling the panel of their experiences and the panel members.

The financial hardship caused by the changes to Pembrokeshire families were highlighted by two parents. The need for extra childcare to be paid for when attending Glangwili does not appear to have been taken into account as one of the inevitable effects of moving services away from where patients and their families actually live. She related how she was told she needed to be induced as there was no space available at the weekend.

One family were forced to take out an £8,000 loan to cover the cost of three months’ travel while their premature baby was in hospital with the baby’s mother. The human cost, also affected their older child due to the time spent travellingtoandfromhospitalmeantthat it had to spend an extended period with its grandparents.

Issues regarding transport links, the poor quality or lack thereof, and the absence of accessible public transport at weekends appeared to take the panel members aback. They were further distressed by the experiences of patients with paediatric and maternity services at Glangwili.

The chaos at Glangwili was also the subject matter of emotive submissions: one parent was told how he was told to leave the hospital at 6am, only to need to return three hours later when his child was taken to the Special Care Baby Unit. A couple, fed up with being told that the woman was not in labour because Glangwili staff were able to tell that she was not OVER THE PHONE, ended up delivering their own child in a layby at Canaston Bridge and transporting the baby to hospital wrapped in a coat.

On mum told how she was left in the gown she gave birth in, covered in blood, and with an epidural still in her.

Here is one sample of the patient experiences disclosed to The Herald which the panel will be considering: “My son was born in March. At two weeks old he started vomiting, so our GP changed his milk formula. Over the next few days my baby deteriorated rapidly. After an incident where he passed blood, I called the out of hours’ service at Care on Call. An ambulance was sent and he was rushed to Glangwili. He was in Glangwili for a week being treated for a milk allergy before I was told a heart murmur had been detected. Although poorly he was discharged. The following day I took him to Withybush. A heart scan was carried out and he was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis. I was toldhewouldhavediedhadwenottaken him to Withybush. He was blue-lighted all the way to Cardiff for emergency surgery, but because he was so weak he had to wait to be stabilised first. Had Withybush not been shut, he would have had his treatment and diagnosis straight away. Instead, we had a long and heart-breaking month. Thankfully, my son is slowly improving.”

The panel members were told that midwives who had been compelled to work at Glangwili with no compensation or alternative being given to them or face losing their jobs had left the service as a result of bullying and the demands being placed upon them and their families by the changes.

The Herald can reveal that in November 2014 a complaint was made to the Royal College of Midwives about the staffing culture and situation at Glangwili. The Herald can confirm that a dozen midwives have left or are in the process of serving their notice having quit.

When the service was obstetrician-led, there were five midwives on call overnight. There are now meant to be three covering the whole of Pembrokeshire AND the Midwifery Unit at Withybush. The Herald has been told that the reality of the situation is that often only two midwives are on duty in the county.

Marc Tierney, Labour Assembly Candidate for South Pembrokeshire told The Herald: “It was really important for me that, having made the case for Withybush on many occasions, so many people came along to share their experiences.

“I am very disappointed that the public meeting was so poorly organised. For the review to be trusted it must be builtongatheringasmanypatientstories as possible from across the area to balance the other statistical and clinical evidence being collected.

“That is why I called on the Review Team to undertake a further meeting in SouthPembrokeshireandinCarmarthen so patients there could meet face to face with the reviewers. This isn’t just about Withybush it is about how the services at Glangwili are meeting patient needs now.

“The Health Board and the Review Team have to get this right, regardless of the small additional costs or extra time that may be required.”

Crime

Man charged with attempted murder after Carmarthen park incident

Published

10 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Tom Sinclair

57-year-old due in court following alleged knife and stalking offences

A MAN has been charged with attempted murder following a serious incident in Carmarthen town centre last week.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that James McKenna, aged 57, from Carmarthen, has been charged with attempted murder, possession of a bladed article in a public place, and stalking.

The charges relate to an incident in Carmarthen Park on Thursday (Jan 29), which prompted a significant emergency services response and caused concern among residents.

Police have not yet released full details of the circumstances, but officers were seen in and around the park area for several hours following the incident while enquiries were carried out.

McKenna is due to appear before Llanelli Magistrates Court on Thursday (Feb 5).

The Herald understands the case involves allegations of both violence and targeted behaviour towards an individual, with stalking listed among the charges.

Public concern

Carmarthen Park is a popular and busy public space used daily by families, dog walkers and joggers, and incidents of this severity are rare.

The news has prompted concern locally, particularly as the alleged offences include possession of a knife in a public place.

Residents have previously raised questions about safety in parks and open spaces across west Wales, especially during darker winter evenings.

Court proceedings

At this stage, the charges remain allegations and the case will now proceed through the courts.

Magistrates will decide whether the case is sent to Crown Court due to the seriousness of the attempted murder charge.

Further details are expected to emerge during Thursday’s hearing.

The Herald will be attending court and will provide updates as they become available.

Crime

Sex offender jailed after living off grid in Pembrokeshire and refusing to register

Published

11 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Court Reporter

Man walked into police station after months avoiding authorities

A CONVICTED sex offender who told police he intended to live “off grid” rather than comply with legal monitoring rules has been jailed after handing himself in at a Pembrokeshire police station.

Christopher Spelman, aged 66, of no fixed address, appeared for sentence at Swansea Crown Court after admitting breaching the notification requirements of the sex offenders register.

The court heard Spelman was released from prison in Dorset on July 4 last year but immediately refused to provide police with an address, despite being legally required to do so within three days.

Instead, he indicated he planned to buy a tent and live outdoors.

Prosecutor Brian Simpson said officers subsequently launched a nationwide search when Spelman failed to make contact with police. Public appeals were issued and his case featured on the television programme Crimewatch.

Detectives believed he had been travelling around the UK using public transport and staying at campsites. He was known to have links to several areas including Merseyside, Manchester, Devon, Cornwall and Hampshire.

His whereabouts remained unknown until January 3 this year, when he walked into Haverfordwest police station and was arrested. It is unclear how long he had been in Pembrokeshire.

Spelman previously served seven years in prison after being convicted in 2014 of 12 counts of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 14. He was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The court heard this was not the first time he had failed to comply with the rules. After an earlier release in 2016, he again failed to register his address and avoided police for around five years before being caught.

He has 11 previous convictions for 29 offences.

Defence barrister Andrew Evans described the case as unusual and said his client had long disputed his original conviction and had expressed a wish to live “outside society”.

However, he said Spelman had gradually accepted that he remained subject to court orders and now wanted more stable accommodation and a chance to rebuild his life. The defendant asked the court to impose a custodial sentence so arrangements could be made for his future release.

Judge Geraint Walters noted there were signs Spelman wished to change but warned that any further breaches would result in longer prison terms.

With credit for his guilty plea, Spelman was sentenced to 10 months in prison. He will serve up to half in custody before being released on licence.

Crime

Former Wales rugby star admits Christmas Day drink-driving offence

Published

17 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Sarah-Jane Absalom

Ex-Ospreys captain was almost twice over limit in Pembroke town centre

Former Wales back row Jonathan Thomas has admitted driving through Pembroke town centre on Christmas Day when he was almost twice over the drink-drive limit.

This week Haverfordwest magistrates heard that Thomas, 43, was stopped by officers as he drove his Mercedes CLA 220 along The Green, Pembroke, at around 5pm on Christmas Day.

“The officers were very concerned at the manner of his driving, as the car was being driven erratically and was swerving to the other side of the road,” said Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan.

“When Jonathan Thomas got out of the car, the officers could see that he was having difficulty standing and was unsteady on his feet.”

Subsequent breathalyser tests showed Thomas had 62 mcg of alcohol in his system, the legal limit being 35.

Thomas, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to the drink-drive charge and was represented in court by solicitor Jess Hill.

“He has family in the area and had travelled to spend time with them on Christmas Day,” she told the magistrates. “He’s very remorseful for his actions and hugely regrets his decision that day.”

Jess Hill concluded by saying that Thomas is currently “between jobs and living off his savings”.

Thomas, who gave his address as Main Road, Bredon, was disqualified from driving for a total of 18 months.

“The length of your disqualification reflects the fact that you were more than a little bit over the limit,” commented the presiding magistrates when imposing sentence.

He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £48 court surcharge.

The former Wales back row left his role as Swansea RFC head coach at the beginning of December 2025 as a result of ongoing health concerns. He was forced to retire from playing in 2015 on medical advice after being diagnosed with epilepsy and is one of the 390 former rugby union players currently taking part in a concussion lawsuit against the sport’s authorities.

“Long-standing issues linked to the head trauma have caused me some concern recently and it has been impossible for me to give the role everything it needs,” he said in a previous interview with the BBC.

His rugby career started out with Pembroke RFC juniors before moving to Swansea RFC, which he captained when he was 19. He then joined the Ospreys where, over a ten-year period, he won four league titles and an Anglo-Welsh Cup. He was the youngest player to captain the Ospreys and, at the time of leaving, was the joint highest appearance holder, together with Andrew Bishop, on 188 appearances.

His international career saw him play for Wales at Under-16, Youth, Under-19, Under-21 and Sevens levels. He made his senior international debut against Australia in 2003, featured at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was part of two Six Nations Grand Slam-winning sides in 2005 and 2008. Between 2004 and 2011, Thomas was included in every Wales Six Nations squad. In his appearances for Wales, he scored seven tries.