News

Justice at last for female employees

Published

10 years ago

February 24, 2016

Doreen Goldthorpe: Four years hard work has led to 100 women getting a payout

SOME one hundred female employees and former employees of Pembrokeshire County Council are celebrating this week having successfully pursued a claim for Equal Pay Discrimination against the local authority, which is set to cost the council hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Claimants included hard working care workers, cleaners, dinner ladies and lollipop ladies began their action in 2012, when formal complaints of discrimination to Pembrokeshire County Council were completely rebuffed by the authority’s senior staff.

The ladies however were not to be put off and contacted solicitor Mr Chris Benson of Leigh Day & Co, London, who after considering the matter agreed to take on the case. Leigh Day had previously succeeded in winning a landmark case on Equal Pay in the High Court whilst representing female workers of Birmingham City Council.

An open meeting was held at the Cleddau Bridge Hotel, Pembroke Dock, when more employees who believed they had been discriminated against came forward and following this the case was pursued by Leigh Day which has resulted in this week’s payment to the claimants in an out of court settlement agreed with the council.

The Ladies are extremely grateful to Leigh Day for their diligent approach to the case that has lasted nearly four years, but are less than complimentary to the council who have fought the claim every step of the way, despite other local authorities settling their claims many years ago.

The union UNISON also offered no help to the group, stating in a letter to the women in 2012 that ‘you cannot bring a claim unless you do so within six months of leaving your employment, changing your job, being promoted or your employment transferring to a different employer’.

The landmark case against Birmingham City Council led by the team from Leigh Day at the Supreme Court led to the historic judgement that extended the time limit for claims from six months to six years.

In December 2014 the women were told they were entitled to pay outs but that they were unlikely to receive them before Christmas that year, which caused great unrest amongst the women, as former Chief Executive Bryn Parry-Jones had received a six figure settlement whilst they were still waiting.

Over two years later the claim has finally been settled despite the continuing claims from the council that some women were not entitled to payment as there was ‘no male comparator’ in their job role.

The council had claimed that cooks in charge, cook supervisors and care staff were eligible for pay-outs whilst cleaners, catering assistants, lunchtime supervisors, teaching assistants and school crossing patrols were not. Leigh Day and Co, who gathered information from local unions and other sources to support their claim that every woman was entitled, challenged this. The council also admitted making ‘nominal’ pay-outs to employees in ineligible job roles in order to avoid the legal costs of contesting these claims. With the council now also having to pay the solicitors fees on top of the individual pay outs, the eventual bill is sure to be multiple hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Mrs Doreen Goldthorp has led the charge against the council, after she was underpaid in her role as a care worker, she told The Herald: “After four years of fighting Pembrokeshire County Council we have finally come to the close of our claim, in which there are 100 of us waiting to be paid out our cheques from Mr Chris Benson and Ms Sara Rumberg from Leigh Day & Co at their London office.

“Thank you very much to them, and I’m sure all these people when they get their cheques will appreciate what has been achieved.

“I am delighted that something I started four years ago has now resulted in 100 women in similar situations getting their just rewards and receiving their pay out.

“It wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic team at Leigh Day, who took on our case when our unions UNISON and GMB said they would not, and when the council said we had no chance.

“We were told by the council at one point to ‘take us on you won’t win anything’ and we have proven them wrong. It is a wonderful day.”

The Herald contacted Pembrokeshire County Council for comment, a spokesperson said: “I understand a settlement has been agreed with just over 100 ex-female employees relating to compensatory payments in lieu of equal pay.

“Initially some of them would not have been liable for a payout as there was only a six month window in which a claim could be made. However a landmark case involving Birmingham City Council in 2012 increased the window for lodging a claim to six years.”

Crime

Man charged with attempted murder after Carmarthen park incident

Published

2 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

2 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

8 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.