News
Milford Haven: Extended hours for Circles nightclub approved
AN APPLICATION from the owner of Circles nightclub, also known as The Basement, to extend the opening hours to 9:30am has been approved.
The application was heard by the Council’s Licensing Sub Committee, which met on Friday, July 1.
It means that the nightclub, located on Victoria Road, Milford Haven, can now open from 6pm until 2.30am on Monday and Tuesday, until 6.30am on Wednesday and Thursday and until 8.30am on Friday, from 1pm to 8.30am on Saturday, and between 1pm and 6.30am on Sunday.
As well as that the club will also be allowed to open to 9.30am for bank holiday Sundays and New Years Eve.
There had been concerns from residents in the area that problems such as noise disturbance and disorder would worsen if the new hours were approved.
One resident who wrote to the council stated: “When I am going out on Saturday and Sunday mornings the amount of drunk people that are in the road is ridiculous. Not only is it a danger to drivers, I have had to stop the car before now to avoid a drunk woman actually sitting in the middle of the road.
“I have also been flagged down and had a lift home demanded of me as there are no taxis available at this time.”
However, the committee felt that such problems would not arise and decided to grant the application.
It was also highlighted that there had been no responses from the police or from the Council’s pollution control team in respect of the application.
Nightclub owner, Mr Mark Thomas said: “It has been a night club for the last 20 years but times have changed.
“People’s habits have changed and in the business, we’ve got to move with the times. At the moment we are open until 5am but we’re in a position where the trade warrants going over that time and unfortunately we don’t tend to get people in until half past 2.
“We have had another premises open in the town as competition to ourselves and this does change the amount of people we see.
“It’s a well-attended premises on a Saturday evening, Friday evening we see 50-100 people, on Saturday we would see probably 150-200 and we want to be in a position when people do attend we are able to benefit from their attendance for a little longer.
“On many occasions the additional hours may not be used, however, on occasions when we have got sufficient business there then we would like to make the most of it.”
Milford Haven Town Councillor Eric Harries also attended the meeting to give the Town Council’s support to the application.
Cllr John Davies asked if the extended hours would worsen the quality of life experienced by residents in the area, but, Mr Thomas said that there were limiters in the property to control the noise levels and that there are doormen on the front of the premises who make sure patrons leave the premises in a quiet and orderly manner.
Mr Thomas added that there had not been any complaints regarding noise or disorder from the public or police when the night club had been open late in the past due to Temporary Event Notices (TENS).
He concluded that if problems did arise from the new hours he would be happy to enter discussions about resolving the issue and if the problems persist, he would revert the club back to its previous hours.
After half an hour discussing whether to allow the application, the committee returned to deliver its verdict, stating that the application was granted and that doormen should remain present for a minimum of 30 minutes after closure to dispel noise or disorder.
News
Milford Haven man admits to downloading indecent images of children
A MILFORD HAVEN man has been sentenced after admitting to downloading over 1,000 indecent images and videos of children, including highly explicit content involving young children. Gareth MacDonald, now 23, appeared before Swansea Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images and videos across various devices.
The court heard that police visited MacDonald’s home, which was the scene of protests after his arrest, last year following intelligence suggesting that child abuse images had been accessed there.
Officers spoke with MacDonald’s mother at the door before entering to conduct a search.
During the operation, two mobile phones, a tablet, a laptop, and two hard drives were seized.
MacDonald initially spoke to one of the officers privately, admitting to downloading the images and saying, “It’s me.” Later, in formal interviews, he revealed that he had grown “bored with legal pornography” roughly a year earlier, knowing that what he was doing was illegal but continuing regardless.
Prosecutor Emily Bennett informed the court that MacDonald’s devices held 15 Category A images, the most severe classification, 26 Category B images, and 960 Category C images. Some content depicted children as young as nine, and the most serious material involved pre-teen children in distressing situations.
Bennett also noted that MacDonald had briefly joined an online group where members self-identified as paedophiles, although he left without sharing any material. Cleaning software was also found on his devices.
Defense counsel Dan Griffiths acknowledged that MacDonald’s actions had crossed the custodial threshold, but argued that there was “a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.” He highlighted MacDonald’s cooperation with police and his willingness to comply with rehabilitation programmes.
Judge Geraint Walters, presiding over the sentencing, addressed MacDonald, saying, “For some considerable time, you have accessed this kind of imagery, fully aware of the harm it represents.” He acknowledged that MacDonald largely isolated himself and stayed at home, factors he considered in the sentencing.
MacDonald was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, with a requirement to complete 20 rehabilitation activity days and participate in the Horizon programme. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration.
News
Welsh teenager jailed for creating 3D-printed gun at home
A TEENAGER who assembled parts for a viable semi-automatic firearm using a 3D printer has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison.
Owain Roberts, 19, purchased nuts, bolts, steel barrels, and metal rods online, constructing components of an FGC-9 gun with the aid of a 3D printer.
Detectives said that this case marks the first of its kind in Gwent, where Roberts admitted to manufacturing a firearm component. He appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday (Nov 14).
In April, firearms officers executed warrants at two Newport addresses connected to Roberts. Seized items included a 3D printer, two laptops, six plastic reels, and parts for an FGC-9 firearm.
PC Tom Meazey, from Gwent Police’s East Serious Organised Crime team, stated: “Illegally-held firearms can lead to tragic consequences and devastate innocent people’s lives. To own a firearm, including a printable one, is illegal in the UK without a valid firearms certificate. Roberts’s reckless actions in buying items capable of manufacturing a firearm placed people at direct risk.”
This rare and complex investigation involved support from the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Roberts received a prison sentence of four years and nine months.
Crime
Ceredigion man sentenced for selling £150,000 in illegal DVDs
A CEREDIGION man has been sentenced for selling counterfeit DVDs worth £150,000 under major brand names without authorization.
David Robert Thomas, 47, from Sarnau, ran a sophisticated online operation, producing and selling fake DVDs labeled with brands like Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Sony, and Universal City Studios LLC. Thomas used seven different websites and managed multiple bank and PayPal accounts, including those of family members, to carry out his business.
Councillor Matthew Vaux, Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: “Counterfeiting is often thought of as a victimless crime, but it harms the local economy by undermining legitimate businesses that pay taxes and create real jobs. This result sends a clear message that counterfeit sales will not be tolerated, and we will act against offenders.”
Thomas pleaded guilty at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (Nov 11) and was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. His sentence includes a four-month curfew and fifteen Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.
Under the Crime Act 2002, forfeiture proceedings will follow to reclaim the financial benefits from Thomas’s criminal activities. Judge Richards took into account the market value of equivalent genuine goods, the sophisticated setup of Thomas’s business, and his previously clean record in reaching the sentencing decision.
The case was brought forward successfully by Ceredigion County Council’s Trading Standards Service.
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