News

Monkton: One of four flat siege teens jailed after Magistrates’ Court outburst

Published

9 years ago

November 2, 2015

Stand-off: Police at Monkton flat last week

MAGISTRATES sentenced a 17-year-old boy, responsible for the Monkton siege to six months in custody at Haverfordwest Law Courts on Friday (Oct 30).
In addition to the disruptions he caused on Wednesday, he completely ‘lost it’ in court, in an outburst of anger, swearing at magistrates during his court hearing.
The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had pleaded guilty to threatening to kill police officers and threatening to blow up a flat in Monkton at Llanelli Magistrates Court on Thursday.
His case had been committed to Haverfordwest for sentencing, however during his court hearing, the teen would not calm down and had to be escorted to the cells by security officers.
In his anger, he said the members of the court were: “F****** w*****s,” and said “I don’t even care if i go to prison, you’re all w*****s”.
He also said to an officer in the court: “I’m going to **** your daughter like I **** your grandmother,” and threatened to smash an officer’s head in with a vase.
On Wednesday (Oct 28), at approximately 8.30am, the youth along with three others, had shouted: “I am gonna kill you” at the police from the window of a house in Tenby Court in Monkton, and had made, what looked like, a throat slitting gesture, and was later seen holding a knife, stating: “When you come throught the door I’m going to stick it in your neck,” and “I’ll kill the dog if it comes in here, I’ll stab it in the head.”
He had also threatened to stab members of the police force and their dogs, and emergency services were concerned that the gas supply to the premises could have posed a risk, following further threats from the youths that they were willing to pull out the gas pipes and start a fire.
Also on the scene was a Pembrokeshire County Council housing officer who was on hand at the request of the police to witness the behaviour of the boys, one of whom had been renting the property for aproximately two weeks from the Local Authority.
One youth surrendered to police after approximately 45 minutes, however it was three hours before the other three youths gave up.
After hearing from the youth’s defence lawyer, Matthew Greenish, who asked the Magistrates not to send him to prison, Magistrates sentenced him to six months in prison with a 12 month detention order. He must also pay £20 victim surcharge.

Crime

Pembroke Dock woman in court for failing to remove rubbish from property

Published

1 hour ago

November 25, 2024

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKE DOCK resident is due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court later today (Nov 25) for multiple alleged breaches of a community protection notice.

Sheena Deacon, of 13 Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock, faces charges under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which carries a maximum penalty of a Level 4 fine.

The charges stem from allegations that Deacon failed to remove accumulated household waste from her property on several occasions. According to court documents, the breaches occurred on September 19, September 26, October 2, October 9, and October 17 this year.

The charges indicate that Deacon, despite being issued with a community protection notice, did not comply with the requirements to clear and appropriately dispose of refuse and household waste from her address.

The Herald will bring updates on the case as it progresses.

News

Welsh Conservatives urge Labour to scrap ‘family farm tax’

Published

1 hour ago

November 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have announced plans to bring forward a Senedd debate next week (Nov 27) calling on the UK Labour Government to abandon its proposed “family farm tax.”

The tax, introduced by the UK Labour Government, is being criticised as a move that will harm Welsh farming, threaten food security, and increase food prices. Alongside the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme and perceived “anti-farming agenda,” critics argue this new tax amounts to a coordinated effort to undermine the future of agriculture in Wales.

Shadow Minister warns of consequences
Ahead of the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, James Evans MS, condemned the proposal, stating:
“Labour’s family farm tax will put family farms out of business, threaten our food security, and lead to food prices rising. Only the Welsh Conservatives will stand up for our farmers, and that’s why we’re bringing forward a Senedd motion calling on Labour to reverse this decision. No farmers, no food.”

NFU Cymru expresses alarm
NFU Cymru President, Aled Jones, echoed these concerns, highlighting the widespread opposition from the farming community. Speaking about the impact of the tax on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, Jones said:
“Earlier this week, hundreds of farmers from across Wales journeyed to London to meet with their MPs and register their deeply held concerns about these misguided and ill-thought-out reforms.

“The proposals unveiled by the Treasury last month to introduce a tax on the passing on of our family farms to the next generation are a massive added burden. They will leave many farmers without the means, confidence, or incentive to invest in the future of their business.

“NFU Cymru reiterates its call for the UK Government to halt these changes.”

The motion to be debated
The motion, set to be debated in the Senedd, reads:
“To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the UK Labour Government to reverse its decision to impose a family farm tax on agricultural businesses.”

This debate is expected to attract significant attention, with Welsh farmers and rural communities keenly watching for the outcome.

Community

Internet outage for two villages after exchange box destroyed

Published

4 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENTS of Clunderwen and Llandissilio have been left without internet access following the destruction of an Openreach exchange box just outside Llandissilio village.

The incident occurred yesterday (Nov 23) when the box was reportedly demolished by a vehicle. The damage has resulted in a complete loss of internet services for the two villages, with repairs expected to take at least a couple of days.

Local residents have expressed frustration over the disruption, as the outage affects home businesses, remote workers, and households relying on internet connectivity for day-to-day tasks.

Openreach engineers have cordoned off the site, and work is ongoing to assess the extent of the damage. A spokesperson for Openreach has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.

The vehicle involved in the incident has not yet been identified. Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact the local police.

With repair timelines unclear, affected residents have called for increased communication from service providers to manage expectations during the outage.

“Bringing the community back online is a priority,” a local resident said. “We’re hoping Openreach can resolve the issue quickly and ensure it doesn’t happen again in future.”