Nicholas Page, 75, died after being transferred from HMP Parc weeks after receiving a three-year sentence

A LLANELLI pensioner jailed for child sex offences has died in hospital weeks after being sentenced.

Nicholas Page, 75, of Ropewalk Road, Llanelli, died on May 7 after being transferred from HMP Parc in Bridgend to an outside hospital.

He had been sentenced to three years in prison at Swansea Crown Court in April after pleading guilty to attempting to possess indecent images of children and arranging a child sexual offence.

The court heard Page’s offending came to light after concerns were raised by a Carmarthenshire County Council care worker who regularly attended his home.

Police later executed a search warrant at Page’s address and seized his mobile phone. The court was told messages on the device showed Page had been attempting to obtain indecent images of children and arrange access to children for sexual purposes.

Prosecutor Craig Jones told the court: “The clear inference is he was paying for the provision of children to be brought to his property.”

Sentencing, Judge Paul Thomas KC said the messages made clear that the purpose of the payments was to facilitate abuse, although he acknowledged the possibility that Page may have been “conned” by the person he was communicating with.

Page had originally been due to be sentenced in May last year but repeatedly failed to attend court, citing medical reasons without producing documentary evidence.

He was later arrested on a warrant and remanded into custody. The court was told he had remained “uncooperative” with efforts to obtain medical reports.

Defence barrister Ryan Bowen said Page was “a product of his childhood experiences”, having been placed into care at a young age and having suffered abuse during his childhood.

Page had no previous convictions.

Finding there was no realistic prospect of rehabilitation, Judge Thomas imposed a three-year prison sentence.

A spokesperson for G4S, which operates HMP Parc, said: “Mr Nicholas Page passed away at an outside hospital on May 7. As with all deaths in custody, this will be investigated by the prisons ombudsman. The cause of death will be for the coroner to determine.”

A WOMAN has died following an emergency response at West Angle Beach on Sunday afternoon.

Angle RNLI was launched at 3:09pm on Sunday, May 30, following an urgent request to assist with an incident at the beach.

Once on scene, the lifeboat’s Y boat was deployed ashore with three crew members on board.

The RNLI crew worked alongside St Govan’s and Tenby Coastguard Rescue Teams, Welsh Ambulance Service paramedics, the Wales Air Ambulance and Dyfed-Powys Police.

The crew remained at the scene for around two hours.

A spokesperson for Angle RNLI said: “No further details will be released.

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the casualty at this difficult time.”

Busy week for lifeboat crew

The callout was one of four attended by Angle RNLI during a busy few days for the volunteer crew.

At 4:27pm on Monday, the lifeboat was requested to launch following reports that two people had been caught in a rip current at Freshwater West Beach.

The launch was later cancelled after it was confirmed that the two people had been brought safely ashore by a surfer.

Later the same evening, at 6:32pm, the crew was paged again to assist a four-metre speedboat with two people on board which had broken down and was drifting near Angle Buoy.

The vessel was taken under tow to the Cleddau Reach slipway and safely recovered by 9:00pm.

Mayday call from yacht

On Wednesday, at 6:05pm, Angle RNLI was launched following a mayday call from the lone skipper of a 10-metre yacht, around 25 miles south-west of St Ann’s Head.

The yacht had suffered engine failure and, because of a lack of wind, the skipper was unable to sail.

Fatigue and seasickness led the skipper to issue the distress call.

An Angle RNLI spokesperson said: “With the skipper now severely seasick and unable to leave the cockpit, two crew members from the lifeboat were transferred onboard to assist.

“With the vessel adrift and without a means of power, and taking into consideration the effects this was having on the skipper, the safest course of action was to take the vessel under tow.

“With a tow passed and set, the crew began the five-hour journey back to Milford Haven.”

The yacht was safely brought into the marina with help from marina staff.

The lifeboat crew returned to station and made the vessel ready for further service by 2:00am.

PEMBROKESHIRE has reached a major digital milestone, with 75% of the county now able to access gigabit-capable broadband.

The figure marks a dramatic rise from just over 5% coverage in 2019, with year-on-year growth driven by public and private investment, community engagement, and support from the Swansea Bay City Deal’s Digital Infrastructure Programme.

Early commercial interest in rural Pembrokeshire was limited, so a strong focus was placed on working with communities to demonstrate demand and remove barriers to deployment. That approach helped create the conditions for competitive investment and has since transformed the local market.

Today, 43.7% of gigabit coverage in Pembrokeshire is delivered by alternative network suppliers, including Ogi, Voneus and local provider Dragon WiFi. Openreach also remains a major network developer in the county and is expected to continue playing a key role.

Cllr Paul Miller, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Place, the Region and Climate Change at Pembrokeshire County Council, who has had portfolio responsibility for digital infrastructure since 2017, said: “Reaching over 75% gigabit-capable coverage is a major milestone for Pembrokeshire and demonstrates what can be achieved through partnership working.

“In 2019, large parts of the county were being overlooked for investment and just 5% could get gigabit speeds. Since then, working with partners across the sector, approximately 50,000 homes and businesses in Pembrokeshire have been connected.

“While we recognise there is more to do before we reach 100%, the progress so far, particularly given the rural nature of our county, has been incredible.”

Delivery across the county has been supported by a combination of public and private investment, including the Local Full Fibre Networks programme, which connected around 70 public sector sites, the UK Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, Openreach’s Fibre Community Partnerships, Welsh Government’s Access Broadband Cymru grants, planned commercial builds and the Digital Infrastructure Programme’s Better Broadband Infill Project.

Martin Williams, Partnership Director for Wales and the West of England at Openreach, said: “We’re proud to be supporting Pembrokeshire’s digital future, with our full fibre network now reaching 43,000 premises, backed by £12.9m of investment.

“This milestone means faster, more reliable connectivity for homes and businesses across the county, especially in rural areas. Working closely with Pembrokeshire County Council and the UK Government, we’re continuing to bring full fibre to even more communities.”

Pembrokeshire County Council said its Digital Champions have played a key role in increasing connectivity. Through a proactive “barrier-busting” approach, the team has helped streamline internal processes and provide coordination to support suppliers and speed up deployment.

Work will now continue to extend coverage further, particularly in harder-to-reach rural areas, as Pembrokeshire builds the digital foundations needed to support economic growth, public services and resilient local communities.

For more information about connectivity in your area, email [email protected]