News

Tragic death of university field trip student at Dale

Published

9 years ago

October 28, 2016

Tom Sinclair

West Dale Beach

AN INQUEST into the death of a 20-year-old man was held at Milford Haven Town Hall yesterday (Oct 27).

James Thomas Manto, of London, died on May 7 this year; he had been part of a university field trip to Pembrokeshire with Plymouth University. Family members were present at the inquest.

Mr Manto had been staying at Dale Fort; he was found face down and unresponsive on Dale Beach.

In his second year of a geology course, Mr Manto was described as having ‘no concerns and was looking forward to the future’. His mother had been in contact with him on social media while he was in Pembrokeshire; he had told her how he was ‘really enjoying the field trip’.

The night prior to Mr Manto’s death (May 6) marked the final night of the field trip – students and lecturers had arranged to go into the village of Dale for food and drinks.

Statements read by students and lecturers recalled that Mr Manto was ‘highly intoxicated’ on the night leading up to his death the following morning. Members of staff at The Griffin Inn had asked Mr Manto to leave the premises.

Mr Manto was last seen standing outside The Griffin Inn at around 2am (May 7).

By 8.30am that morning, lecturers informed staff at Dale Fort that they had a student missing; the police were also informed.

A search party was launched by police, with the help of RNLI lifeboats and a helicopter search party.
Mr Manto was found by members of the RNLI, with police reporting they had located a missing body at around 11.15am; Mr Manto had suffered severe lacerations.

RNLI crew members attempted to resuscitate Mr Manto for 20 minutes. This was followed by the arrival of a Coastguard vessel carrying a defibrillator, after which crew members attempted a further 10 minutes of CPR. The inquest also heard how ‘attempts were made to inject adrenaline into his groin’.

An Air Ambulance was also called to the scene. A statement by winch man and paramedic Austin Harley was read during the inquest.

Mr Harley recalled how he and other crew members had been ‘instructed to respond’ to the incident following a training exercise; little information had been given other than ‘male with head injury’.

When Mr Harley arrived at the scene, he recalled how several emergency services were already present.

An ambulance had been waiting on the shoreline; however, Mr Harley made the decision that Mr Manto needed to be airlifted to hospital.

He recalled: “On three occasions we were instructed to shock the patient, which we did.”

Mr Manto was later pronounced dead in hospital.

The post mortem report was also read during the inquest, described by Coroner Gareth Lewis as ‘difficult reading’, and therefore only provided relevant details of the report.

The post mortem labelled Mr Manto’s death as ‘unnatural’, adding that he had suffered several injuries included ‘blunt head trauma’ and ‘left rib fractures’, as well as ‘multiple injuries to the head and chest’.

It also suggested that such injuries ‘may have been caused by a fall from height’, and concluded that ‘the cause of death was multiple injuries’.

Mr Matthew Watkinson, a lecturer on the field trip who had known Mr Manto since the start of his course, was called to give a statement during the inquest.

He described Mr Manto as ‘in a group and highly intoxicated’ on the night of May 6.

He recalled: “I saw James leave the pub but didn’t see where he went.”

Coroner Lewis went on to ask Mr Watkinson if the university had learned any lessons for future field trips: “Has the university implemented any procedures?”

Mr Watkinson said how the university had held several meetings between senior staff.

He said: “We looked particularly at how to further encourage students to be responsible regarding alcohol intake.”

Mr Watkinson also added the students would be reminded of their ‘responsibility to one another’.

He added: “I’d specifically briefed the students that afternoon about responsibility and being mindful of the local people.

“In my heart, I wish I’d come across him and was able to bring him home.”

Following his statement, Mr Manto’s mother questioned Mr Watkinson as to why her son had not been escorted home, given his intoxicated state.

Mr Watkinson replied: “My view of James at the time was he was with a large group of students.”

He added: “I didn’t think it was a situation where he’d be a danger to himself.”

Several statements by other students on the field trip were also read. They described Mr Manto as ‘swaying’ and ‘unsteady on his feet’. Commenting on Mr Manto’s character more generally, it was said he was found to be ‘very quiet’ and ‘shy’.

In his concluding statement, Coroner Lewis said: “We can only speculate as to what happened in those last few moments.”

With reference to Mr Manto’s injuries being consistent to those of a heavy fall, Mr Lewis stated the death was ‘accidental’, adding: “James Manto died as a result of an accident.”

Local Government

Essential bridge maintenance and repairs planned for January

Published

1 hour ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Works on Westfield Pill Bridge to affect A477 traffic

ESSENTIAL maintenance and repair work is set to begin on Westfield Pill Bridge, with traffic management in place on the A477 between Neyland and Pembroke Dock.

The programme of works is due to start on Monday (Jan 19) following a Principal Inspection carried out in 2022, which identified a number of necessary repairs to maintain the long-term durability and safety of the structure.

Westfield Pill Bridge is a key route linking communities in south Pembrokeshire and carries a high volume of daily traffic. While major works were last undertaken in 1998 — which required a full closure of the bridge — the upcoming refurbishment has been designed to avoid shutting the crossing entirely.

Instead, the works, scheduled to take place in early 2026, will be managed through traffic control measures to keep the bridge open throughout the project.

The planned refurbishment will include the replacement of both eastbound and westbound bridge parapets, the renewal of expansion joints, and full resurfacing of the bridge deck.

The work is expected to take no longer than three months and will involve weekend and night-time working to help minimise disruption. All construction activity will be carried out from the bridge deck and has been scheduled to avoid clashes with other planned trunk road works, as well as periods of higher traffic demand.

Two-way traffic signals will be in place for the duration of the works. These will be manually controlled during peak periods, with particular efforts made to reduce delays affecting school transport.

Motorists are advised that there may be delays to local bus services during the works, including the 349 (Haverfordwest–Pembroke Dock–Tenby) and 356 (Milford Haven–Monkton) routes.

Drivers are encouraged to allow extra time for journeys and to follow on-site signage while the works are underway.

Crime

Breakthrough in 1993 Tooze murders: 86-year-old man arrested after cold case review

Published

1 hour ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

POLICE investigating one of Wales’ most disturbing unsolved double murders have arrested an 86-year-old man on suspicion of killing elderly couple Harry and Megan Tooze more than three decades ago.

South Wales Police confirmed the arrest on Tuesday (Dec 17), following a forensic cold case review into the 1993 killings, which shocked the rural community of Llanharry and cast a long shadow over the South Wales justice system.

Harry Tooze, aged 64, and his wife Megan, 67, were found shot dead with a shotgun at their isolated Ty Ar y Waun farmhouse on July 26, 1993. Their bodies were discovered inside a cowshed on the property, concealed beneath carpet and hay bales, having been shot in the head at close range.

The brutality of the killings and the remoteness of the scene prompted one of the most high-profile murder investigations in Wales at the time.

Conviction later quashed

In 1995, Cheryl Tooze’s then-boyfriend, Jonathan Jones, was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. The prosecution case rested heavily on a partial fingerprint found on a teacup at the farmhouse.

However, the conviction unravelled just a year later. In 1996, the Court of Appeal quashed the verdict, ruling it unsafe and highlighting serious concerns about the reliability of the fingerprint evidence. The decision was widely regarded as a significant miscarriage of justice.

Jones, who consistently maintained his innocence, was supported throughout the ordeal by Cheryl Tooze, whom he later married. The couple have since spoken publicly about the devastating impact of the case on their lives.

Despite renewed appeals and periodic reviews, no one else was charged and the murders remained unresolved for nearly 30 years.

Operation Vega and forensic advances

In 2023, marking the 30th anniversary of the killings, South Wales Police launched a full cold case review under Operation Vega. The review was led by forensic scientist Professor Angela Gallop, one of the UK’s most respected figures in forensic investigation.

Detectives re-examined preserved exhibits from the original crime scene using modern forensic and DNA techniques that were not available in the early 1990s. Police have not disclosed which items were re-analysed or what evidence led to the latest arrest.

On December 17, officers arrested an 86-year-old man on suspicion of murdering Harry and Megan Tooze. He remains in police custody while enquiries continue. No further details about the suspect have been released at this stage.

Police appeal for information

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Mark Lewis described the arrest as a significant moment, but stressed that the investigation is ongoing.

He said: “While this arrest is clearly a significant development in the investigation, our enquiries are very much ongoing. This case has affected many people over the years and our aim is to find answers to the unanswered questions which remain about their deaths over 30 years on.

“Even with the passage of time, I would urge anyone who has information about the murders, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward and speak to police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact South Wales Police, quoting occurrence number 2300016841.

Crime

Former police officer accused of making sexual remarks to women while on duty

Published

2 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Court Reporter

Court hears allegations of inappropriate behaviour during official police visits

A FORMER police officer has appeared in court accused of making sexually inappropriate remarks to women he encountered while on duty.

Luke Silver, aged 34, is alleged to have abused his position as a police officer by making unwanted and explicit comments to two women during the course of official police business.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Silver attended one woman’s home following an incident involving her partner and took an initial statement. However, the woman told the court that Silver later returned to her address on several further occasions, during which the conversation allegedly became personal and sexual in nature.

She said the officer asked intrusive questions about her sex life and made comments about her appearance, which she found unsettling. In messages sent to a friend at the time, the woman described his behaviour as “inappropriate”, “strange” and “creepy”.

The court was told she later said she felt uncomfortable during the visits, claiming Silver behaved in an overly relaxed manner while speaking to her and made remarks that were entirely unrelated to the police matter he had attended for.

A second woman has also made allegations that Silver asked her sexually explicit questions and made comments about her body while acting in his capacity as a police officer.

Silver, formerly of Gwent Police and now living in Lamphey, Pembrokeshire, denies three counts of improper use of police powers or privileges. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021.

The trial is continuing at Cardiff Crown Court.

(Image: WNS)