News
Natasha Bradbury lay dying for ‘one to two hours’ with 53 injuries
NATASHA BRADBURY suffered 53 separate, external injuries during a sustained and severe assault at her home in Haverfordwest, a doctor told a murder jury today.
And she lay dying for “one to two hours, hours not minutes” before her on-off boyfriend Luke George Jones dialled 999 and asked for an ambulance.
By then she was already “freezing cold” and paramedics were unable to revive her.
Jones, aged 33, of Haven Drive, Milford Haven, denies murdering Miss Bradbury at Flat A, Imperial Court, off the High Street, Haverfordwest, in the early hours of February 22.
The prosecution argue he was jealous and possessive and murdered Miss Bradbury, aged 27, just hours after being told she had slept with another man.
A jury at Swansea Crown Court today heard from Dr Deryk James, who carried out a post mortem examination on her body.
Dr James said he found 17 separate injuries to her face and head, and 13 to her neck and upper chest, including fractures to several ribs and a fracture to her spine.
“These are not injuries you get from a fall but from an assault. And not just one but many,” he said.
The injuries that would prove fatal had been caused to her liver, heart and brain, he added. A litre of blood had leaked out of her liver and into her stomach and there was a small tear in her heart.
Dr James said it would be “pretty bizarre” if the injuries could be explained by Miss Bradbury falling over or suffering a series of accidents.
Some of the injuries were of the sort seen after road traffic accidents or a severe assault.
“You don’t see these tears (to the liver and heart) in ordinary domestic falls,” he added. “It could be a stamp or being thrown against a hard surface at speed.
“The overall pattern is one of assault, a sustained and severe assault,” he said.
Dr James explained to the jury why he believed Miss Bradbury had survived for some time after the fatal injuries had been inflicted.
He said that after suffering injury the body sent inflammatory cells, and other types of cells, to the damaged area to begin the repair process.
A single medic had published a paper suggesting that process could begin as quickly as 35 minutes after impact.
But in his opinion the process did not begin for at least one to two hours.
The process certainly stopped at the point of death, he added.
But an examination of Miss Bradbury’s liver and heart revealed the process had been underway at both sites, which meant she must have remained alive “for hours rather than minutes” after those two attacks.
In addition, said Dr James, nerve fibres in her brain had begun to malfunction following the assault to her head, which was another process that took time to begin and did not take place after death.
There was no evidence, he added, that all the injuries were inflicted at the same time and he could not say that some had not been caused hours after others had.
Dr James said Jones himself had suffered small cuts and abrasions but he could not say when.
Cross examined by Chris Clee QC, the barrister leading Jones’ defence team, Dr James said he could not accept that all the injuries could have been caused by Jones kicking Miss Bradbury “forcefully” and her falling onto a glass coffee table, breaking it, and then onto a cabinet and then onto the floor.
And he could not accept that the injuries to her ribs and to her liver could have been caused by one impact.
“They were separate impacts,” he said.
The trial continues.
Crime
Waste dumped at recycling centre leads police to drug factory near Cardigan

Man jailed after drug discovery sparked by vigilant staff
A TIP-OFF from staff at an Aberystwyth recycling centre has led to the discovery of a large cannabis factory in a derelict property near Cardigan — and landed a 20-year-old man behind bars.
Manuel Nerguti was sentenced to six months in prison at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (July 11) after pleading guilty to producing a class B drug.
The court heard that on May 1 this year, workers at the Aberystwyth recycling centre reported a suspicious delivery: four to five bags of cannabis stalks, apparently dumped by men in a hired Ford Transit van.
Police acted quickly and intercepted the van later that afternoon on the road between Aberystwyth and Cardigan. Nerguti and two other men were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cannabis, but were released without charge at the time, as no grow site had been located.
However, a month later, acting on new intelligence, Dyfed-Powys Police executed a warrant at a derelict house in Bridell, near Cardigan. Inside, they discovered a sophisticated cannabis cultivation operation: 260 mature plants spread across five rooms and an attic, with the electricity supply illegally bypassed.
During the raid on June 7, Nerguti attempted to flee but was found hiding behind a washing machine in the garage.
He was charged and later pleaded guilty to producing cannabis.
Detective Constable Sam Garside, who led the investigation, praised the recycling centre staff for their quick thinking.
He said: “This result is thanks to the staff at the recycling centre for recognising that criminal activity was taking place and for alerting police quickly.
“We rely on the public to inform us of anything suspicious going on in their communities and we encourage people to get in touch if they suspect anything. We were able to use our local knowledge and police intelligence to execute a successful warrant and shut down an illegal cannabis factory.
“We are committed to continuing our drug operations across Dyfed-Powys and bringing offenders like Nerguti to justice.”
Police estimate the cannabis seized had a potential street value of up to £242,000.
More information on Operation Scotney — Dyfed-Powys Police’s campaign to tackle cannabis cultivation — including how to spot signs of a drug grow, can be found on their website.
News
Pembrokeshire County Council group to review ‘climate emergency’

A CALL for a group to review Pembrokeshire County Council’s decision to declare a climate emergency some six years ago has been backed by councillors.
In May 2019, the council declare a climate emergency following a notice of motion by Cllr Joshua Beynon calling on the authority to back the global consensus that climate change poses a risk to the well-being of future generations.
He had urged county councillors to back a motion to take “bold, decisive action” to fight “truly, catastrophic” climate change.
He called on the council to commit to becoming a zero-carbon local authority by 2030.
At the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, a notice of motion by Cllr Mike Stoddart called for the establishment of a working group to review the decision made by the council to declare a climate change emergency.
Cllr Stoddart’s motion said: “Given the turbulence on the global financial markets; the parlous state of the UK’s public finances; Pembrokeshire County Council’s projected funding gap; and the government’s softening of its policies on the switch to EV vehicles and heat pumps, this council establishes a seven person, politically balanced working group to review the authority’s decision to declare a climate emergency at its meeting on May 9, 2019.
“The working group will be asked to: (a) examine the effect of the emergency declaration on the level of council tax in Pembrokeshire and particularly the extent to which any such increases militate against the authority’s anti-poverty policies.
“(b) The cost of decarbonising the council’s housing stock and the effect this has had on the authority’s ability to finance the building of new housing.
“(c) The extent to which the council’s decarbonisation programme has contributed to a reduction of the risk of runaway global temperature increases, and (d) any other effects that the working group considers may have adversely impacted the wellbeing of the residents of Pembrokeshire.”
Cllr Stoddart’s notice of motion was previously supported at the June meeting of the council’s corporate overview and scrutiny committee, with a recommendation to full council in July meeting, to reinstate the Net Zero Working Group to review the contents of the notice of motion and, subject to the outcome of this review, review the future delivery of the Net Zero Action Plan.
Cllr Stoddart’s call was backed by Cllr Steve Alderman, and Cllr Rhys Jordan, who said: “I fully support this, it couldn’t come sooner; around England and Wales councils are looking at this, there’s been a huge push for a ‘net zero’ agenda at any cost, I don’t think we’re in a position to drive that.”
Cllr Aaron Carey said: “We’ve set ourselves some lofty goals, but we haven’t got the money to back it up.”
Members overwhelmingly agreed to back the June committee recommendations.
News
Urgent appeal to save 1,000 hens in Pembrokeshire and beyond

British Hen Welfare Trust seeks homes before Friday deadline
AN URGENT appeal has been launched to find homes for more than 1,000 hens due to be rehomed next weekend – including from a rescue centre in Boncath, Pembrokeshire.
The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) is coordinating the rehoming effort on Saturday (July 26), aiming to rescue ex-caged hens from slaughter and instead place them into loving homes. The appeal also covers rehoming centres in Locking, near Bristol, and Kineton in Warwickshire.
The charity says the hens have come to the end of their commercial egg-laying lives, but remain healthy and can thrive as pets. However, they must be rehomed by Friday (July 25) to avoid being needlessly killed.
“This is a time-sensitive and visual story that resonates locally,” said Andy Hill, Marketing & Communications Officer for the BHWT. “These hens have worked hard their whole lives and deserve a second chance.”
The organisation recently marked the rehoming of its one millionth hen – which was adopted by King Charles III – and the upcoming effort is part of its continued mission to improve hen welfare across the UK.
Local spokespeople are available for interview, and high-resolution images are available for media use.
For more information or to register interest in adopting hens, visit: www.bhwt.org.uk
Image for illustration purposes only
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