THE INDEPENDENT Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) has rejected a complaint submitted by Pembrokeshire resident Sally Ann Nolan regarding a court report published by the Pembrokeshire Herald and related concerns about the conduct of journalist Thomas Sinclair.

The complaint related to an article headlined “Hearing adjourned for Haverfordwest man accused of two assaults”, published on 30 July 2025, together with certain comments posted on the newspaper’s Facebook page and on personal social media accounts.

IPSO’s decision Following an initial assessment, IPSO’s complaints team determined that the submission did not raise a possible breach of the Editors’ Code of Practice and therefore declined to take the complaint forward.

1. Alleged breach of Clause 3 (Harassment) Ms Nolan complained that a comment posted on the Pembrokeshire Herald’s Facebook page described her as “delusional” and suggested she was “making up nonsense”. She linked this to the conduct of journalist Thomas Sinclair.

The comment in question was not made by Mr Sinclair. IPSO explained that complaints concerning a journalist’s conduct can only be considered if they are submitted to the publication or to IPSO within four months of the alleged conduct. As the events complained of occurred in July 2025 and the complaint was first received by IPSO on 9 December 2025 (more than four months later), this aspect of the complaint fell outside IPSO’s jurisdiction. IPSO therefore declined to consider it further.

2. Alleged breach of Clause 9 (Reporting of crime) Ms Nolan contended that the article breached Clause 9 by naming her and her partner as the alleged victims of the assaults without first obtaining their permission.

IPSO acknowledged Ms Nolan’s distress at seeing the names published. However, it noted that the names had already been stated in open court. Under the principle of open justice, newspapers are entitled to report information that has been made public during court proceedings unless a specific reporting restriction has been imposed by the court. The Editors’ Code does not require publications to contact complainants, victims or other individuals before publishing details that emerge in open court. IPSO therefore found no possible breach of Clause 9.

3. Additional matter The complaint also contained an allegation that Mr Sinclair had driven a vehicle without a valid MOT. IPSO reiterated that it only considers issues that fall within the scope of the Editors’ Code of Practice and does not provide advice or rulings on general legal matters. It therefore did not consider this point.

Response from the newspaper A spokesperson for the Pembrokeshire Herald stated that

• the vehicle mentioned in the complaint was not owned by the newspaper at the relevant time and Mr Sinclair did not drive it
• the publication reports court proceedings in the public interest and in accordance with any reporting restrictions imposed by the courts

Next steps IPSO informed Ms Nolan that she is entitled to ask the IPSO Complaints Committee to review the decision to reject the complaint. Any request for review must be submitted within seven days of the date of the decision letter.

Teenager, 14, came within inches of death when speeding motor boat hit his kayak near Burton, court told

A COURT has heard how a 14-year-old schoolboy came within inches of losing his life on the River Cleddau after his kayak was struck by a high-powered, dual-propelled motor boat being helmed by Haven Master Adam Russell.

CCTV footage played to Judge Geraint Walters, sitting at Swansea Crown Court, showed Russell steering the 5-litre motor boat, White Mischief, into the schoolboy’s kayak near Rudders Boat Yard in Burton.

The court heard Russell ignored warning calls from two other river users who alerted him to approaching kayaks, and continued at exceptionally high speed while remaining seated at the helm. He had six passengers on board, including children.

Because of the speed, Russell failed to see the young kayaker and struck his vessel.

“When I saw him heading towards me, I knew I was going to be in trouble,” the teenager said in a victim impact statement read to the court.

“I could see the boat getting closer and closer, and I had no idea what was going to happen. I couldn’t get out of the way… no matter what I did, the boat kept coming towards me. I felt helpless and I knew I was going to be hit.”

Prosecuting on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Nick Cotter KC said the boy had been enjoying a day on the river with two school friends and two of their fathers. The court heard each kayaker was wearing a bright red buoyancy aid and was clearly visible, with excellent weather conditions that afternoon.

As the group paddled downstream through a designated water skiing area of the River Cleddau, they encountered Russell and White Mischief.

“Witnesses said he was travelling far too fast,” Mr Cotter said.

“The young boy tried his best to paddle out of the way but then the White Mischief changed direction and began heading directly towards him. When it hit the kayak, the boy was thrown into the water and the White Mischief passed directly over him.

“To say that the child was lucky is an understatement.”

Mr Cotter told the court that, following the incident on August 11, 2024, the teenager has been unable to return to the river despite being a keen open-water surfer and sportsman.

“My confidence and ability to go kayaking again has changed,” the child said in his impact statement.

“I get flashbacks about the sound of the running engine, and whenever my dad or my friends suggest going out kayaking, I never want to go because I don’t want that to happen to me, or to anyone else, ever again.”

After the collision, the boy was taken by ambulance to West Wales General Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. His kayak sustained significant damage and was left unusable.

Russell, who has been employed as haven master at Neyland Yacht Haven for the past eight years, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury to another person while in charge of a boat, contravening Merchant Shipping Regulations relating to preventing collisions at sea, failing to adhere to a safe speed and failing to act on a clear risk of collision.

He was represented by barrister Jon Tarrant KC.

“From the outset the defendant has accepted full responsibility and understands that the boy was only inches away from a very tragic situation,” Mr Tarrant said.

He told the court that in Russell’s eight years in the maritime industry there had been no issues concerning his behaviour, either onshore or offshore. A number of character references were submitted to Judge Walters prior to sentence.

Russell was sentenced to 12 months in custody, suspended for two years. He was ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to the victim, £675.95 compensation for the damage to the kayak and £3,000 in prosecution costs.

He must also complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

“The boy desperately tried to avoid you, but you failed to see him,” Judge Walters said when passing sentence.

“You travelled directly over him, causing him to be thrown into the water and the result of the injuries could have been so much worse. It’s pure luck that they weren’t.

“Just like our roads, the seas and the rivers are not playgrounds. We must all recognise the risks they present to others.”

WELSH NHS Confederation says planned care is improving but calls for prevention, sustainable social care funding and investment in estates and equipment

NHS leaders in Wales have welcomed major progress in cutting waiting lists, including what they said was a record monthly reduction, but warned improvements could stall without longer term reform and investment.

New data for November show there were just under 757,900 referral to treatment patient pathways waiting to start treatment, a fall of around 23,400 compared with October and about 44,000 fewer than the same time last year.

The figures also show just over 38,100 pathways waiting longer than one year for a first outpatient appointment, down on the previous month and 62.9% lower than the peak in August 2022. It is the lowest figure since October 2020.

For the longest waits, the number of pathways waiting more than two years fell to just under 6,900, down 90.2% from the peak, a month on month reduction of 450, and 17,500 fewer than the same month last year.

The update also included emergency care activity, with just under 87,700 attendances recorded across all emergency departments in December, an average of 2,828 per day. That was 159 fewer attendances per day than the previous month and similar to last December.

Responding to the activity and performance statistics for November and December, Nesta Lloyd-Jones, assistant director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said it was very positive to see progress across planned care in Wales.

She said November saw the biggest monthly waiting list reduction on record, with December expected to show further cuts, and added that while not every performance area improved month to month, many measures were ahead of where they were a year ago.

Ms Lloyd-Jones also pointed to improvements in ambulance handover delays over the last year, which she said reflected a focus by the NHS and local authorities on improving patient flow, leading to faster care and better outcomes for patients.

However, she warned the NHS could not rely on unplanned targeted funding alone and said a wider shift was needed, including a stronger focus on prevention, a sustainable plan for social care and a rethink on capital investment, to ensure progress is maintained.