News

Woman stole money from grandparents

Published

12 years ago

January 23, 2014

A MILFORD HAVEN woman was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work after stealing £1,324.12 from her grandparents at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Jodie Farrow, aged 24, of Charles Street, pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud and a charge of theft after stealing a considerable amount of money from her grandparents, Harold and Jeanette Evans.

Prosecuting, Ellie Morgan said: “Jeanette and Harold Evans had received a bank statement from their joint account and noticed there was £1,000 missing. She then realised that her bank card and her cheque book were missing.

“After checking their two previous statements, they noticed that cheques had been paid and cash withdrawals had been made other than somebody by themselves. Farrow’s grandfather contacted the bank, and found that a cheque for £150 had been paid to Gary Phillips. They realised then that their granddaughter was likely to be responsible, as Mr Phillips is her landlord.

“Farrow’s grandmother had previously been in hospital and saw that transactions had been made around that time and at other times when it couldn’t have been them. They also remembered that when they received their pin number, Mrs Evans was unable to read it, therefore asked Farrow to read it to her.

In custody, Farrow said: “The cheque book is in my old bedroom at my nan’s house”. She had disposed of the card. She was asked to provide an explanation, she said that she didn’t realise she had made so many transactions. The total taken from her grandparent’s account was £1324.12, a combined sum from the cheques and card transactions”.

Defence solicitor, Michael Kelleher said: “It’s a very sad case for all concerned. Her grandfather won’t speak to her and her grandmother is very disappointed and she was previously of clean character. It’s not a sophisticated crime and it’s difficult for her to explain why she did it. There were small amounts of money she owed and it was a way of paying it off”.

A full probation report was prepared by probation officer, Julie Norman, who said: “Farrow has been fully co-operative, and up until September led a normal life. She lost her job and had no money, and her boyfriend was in custody, therefore she was left in the flat on her own. She had debts and it was too embarrassing to speak to her grandparents. She does occasional bar work and is currently actively looking for work”.

The chair of the bench told Farrow: “I’m grateful you have been co-operative, but the sad thing is if you had have spoken to them, they probably would have given the money to you”.

Farrow was given 200 hours unpaid work and has to pay compensation of £1324.12. Farrow also has to pay £85 cost and £60 victim surcharge, which will be deducted from her benefits at £5 per week.

Health

Hywel Dda warns of ‘significant pressure’ as A&E departments remain packed

Published

25 minutes ago

March 3, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Patients urged to use NHS 111 as Withybush, Glangwili and Bronglais face continued strain

HYWEL DDA University Health Board has warned that its emergency departments remain under “significant pressure,” with particular concern at Withybush Hospital.

In a statement issued on Monday (Mar 2), the Health Board said A&E departments at Withybush, Glangwili and Bronglais hospitals were continuing to experience high demand.

Patients were urged to contact NHS 111 Wales for advice if they are unsure where to seek help, and to use community pharmacies and minor injury units for non life-threatening conditions.

The Health Board said: “Help us to help you get the right care in the right place.”

It added that those with serious or life-threatening emergencies should always call 999.

Delayed discharges impacting flow

The statement also highlighted pressures caused by delayed discharges, urging families to support relatives who are medically fit to leave hospital but are waiting for homecare or community health support.

Bed-blocking, often linked to shortages in social care packages, is widely acknowledged as a key factor in A&E overcrowding, as patients cannot be moved from emergency departments into inpatient wards.

When wards are full, ambulance handovers slow and patients can face long waits for assessment and treatment.

Withybush under particular strain

Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest was singled out as being under “particular” pressure.

There were no signs yet that things were improving today (Tuesday).

The Health Board did not release figures for waiting times, ambulance delays, or bed occupancy rates in its statement.

However, it confirmed that demand remains high across west Wales.

Alternative services highlighted

The public were reminded that:

NHS 111 Wales can provide 24-hour advice.
Option 2 via 111 offers urgent mental health support.
Community pharmacies can treat a range of common ailments without appointment.
Minor injury units are available for non life-threatening issues.

The Health Board thanked residents for their support and cooperation during what it described as a challenging period.

News

Vote.wales: Information website launched to give people voting confidence

Published

11 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Vote.wales to host all essential election information for the Senedd election

A BRAND new voter information website, vote.wales, has been launched today (2 March) by the Electoral Management Board for Wales, part of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru.

Vote.wales is the first website of its kind in Wales and tells people everything they need to know about the election, including advice about voting, information about the Senedd, and a postcode search function to provide tailored local information.

The website holds information about who can register to vote, how voting works in polling stations, as well as postal and proxy voting, and what accessibility support people can expect when they go to vote.

A postcode search function on vote.wales allows voters to see which of Wales’ 16 new constituencies they will be voting in, as well as telling them where their local polling station is located.

Once nominations have closed, the website will also inform voters which political parties and independent candidates are standing in their area.

The website explains how the Senedd works and what it does, highlighting which policy areas are devolved to the Senedd and which remain the responsibility of the UK Parliament. It also sets out the difference between the Senedd and the Welsh Government.

Further developments are expected in the coming weeks. In a first for Welsh elections, voters will soon be able to access detailed accessibility information about their local polling station. Political parties and independent candidates will also be able to publish their election leaflets on the platform, so voters can see not only who is standing but what they stand for.

Following the election, vote.wales will publish the full election results.

Commenting on the launch, Shereen Williams MBE OStJ, Chief Executive of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, said:

“An important election is coming on 7 May, and vote.wales is the place to go to find out all about it.

“We know that people across Wales are looking forward to making their voices heard at this election, but many people don’t feel they have all the information they need before they go and vote.

“If you have questions about this election, then head to vote.wales. Voting confidence starts here.”

Crime

Pencoed: Assault victim dies and murder investigation launched

Published

15 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE POLICE investigation into the serious incident which happened on Felindre Road, Pencoed, in the early hours of Saturday, February 28, is now being treated as murder.

We can confirm the 58-year-old man who was critical in hospital passed away earlier today – his family are being supported by specially trained officers at this time, and our thoughts are with them.

The Major Crime Investigation Team at South Wales Police is now leading the investigation, and the 26-year-old man arrested remains in police custody.

Detectives investigating the incident are appealing to anyone who may have been in the vicinity of Felindre Road, Pencoed, between midnight and 5am on Saturday to get in touch.

Motorists are urged to their check dashcams for any footage which may be relevant.

Detectives would like to speak to two potential witnesses – two elderly people who are believed to have walked along Felindre Road between 12.30am and 4am on Saturday.

Detective Inspector Graham Williams, from the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “Sadly, a 58-year-old man has died in hospital following the incident on Saturday morning. Our thoughts are with his family at this time and they are being supported. I would like to reassure the local community that we have somebody in custody and are not looking for anybody else at this time. I thank everyone in the community who has helped our investigation so far, and I urge anyone with information which may be relevant to our investigation – particularly the two potential witnesses – to get in touch.”

If anybody does have information, they should contact 101 quoting reference 2600063517. Alternatively, they can submit information via the Major Incident Public – https://mipp.police.uk/operation/62SWP26C30-PO1