News

IPPG cover blown

Published

10 years ago

March 28, 2014

Tom Sinclair

• Deputy Leader used Council I.T. for “party political purposes”
• Standards Committee to decide punishment

cover blown

CLAIMS that the ruling IPPG and its predecessor IPG are not organized as a political party lie in shreds as a hard-hitting investigation by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales lays bare the extent to which the discredited IPPG administration used Council computer facilities to co-ordinate its election campaigns.

Under its old title of the IPG, the current and former Council leadership used tax-payer funded facilities to run its campaigns and produce its election literature. In a breach of the statutory Code of Conduct governing Council members, Deputy Leader of the Council Rob Lewis has admitted using Council computers and infrastructure to both produce election literature and plan election campaigns for the elections that took place in both 2008 and 2012.

A detailed Ombudsman’s report is to be considered by the Council’s Standards Committee next Tuesday, March 18. The members of the Committee carry out a statutory function to promote and maintain high standards of conduct by Members and Co-opted Members of the County Council and Members of all Community Councils in Pembrokeshire. While the Council’s Code of Conduct permits political groups to use Council I.T. infrastructure to co-ordinate their actions for the efficient transaction of Council business, it does not allow Councillors – for obvious reasons – to use the same technology to produce their own election literature, co-ordinate election campaigns, or access Council data for party political ends.

Councillor Lewis is quoted in the report as saying that he could not justify the use of the Council’s computer system and said, “… I’m obviously wrong, I know that.”

His admission flies in the face of repeated public pronouncements by the IPPG leadership that they are genuinely independent, and do not operate as a political party. It reveals that at the last two elections – at least – the Pembrokeshire electorate have been actively deceived by those seeking their vote on the basis that they are not affiliated to a party group.

In 2008, then IPG Leader John “Cwmbetws” Davies told the local media:

“The IPG is a coalition of individuals who have established a group to allow the county council to be administered by the majority of the membership of the council. This clearly reflects the wishes of the voters of our county.”

Documents considered by the Ombudsman demonstrate that current Cabinet spokesperson for Education, Ken Rowlands, appeared on a list of IPG certainties in an IPG strategy document produced in April 2008 when the self-proclaimed “voice of Johnston” has strongly asserted elsewhere that he only chose to join the IPG AFTER the subsequent election.

The extent of the deception perpetrated by the IPG hierarchy and its camp followers is exposed by the fact that in 2012 only 14 of the 31 candidates who were already members of the IPG chose to use the word “independent” in the description box on the ballot paper, while the other 17 opted to leave it blank.

Having been caught out by the fact that the documents co-ordinating campaign strategy for the allegedly “Independent” Political Group were traced to his Council computer and log-in, Cllr Lewis seems to have tried to deflect blame and criticism. The way in which he elected to do so was by repeatedly criticising the conduct of members, who had revealed and publicised the way in which he and the IPG had deceived the Pembrokeshire electorate. The Ombudsman’s report contains a number of emails by Cllr Lewis sent to the Ombudsman apparently complaining that Cllrs Mike Stoddart and Jacob Williams were making use of what he refers to as “stolen data” to reveal on their websites the extent to which he, now-retired Councillor David Wildman, and the IPG had broken Council rules.

The Ombudsman’s investigator evidently gave short shrift to Cllr Lewis’ complaints, as no criticism of either Councillors Stoddart or Williams is made in his report. The allegations made against those Councillors appear to be more founded in their revelation of the extent of the lies told – whether actively or by omission – by the IPG and their candidates to their electors.

Mike Stoddart told The Herald:

“The simple fact is that the party of government used taxpayer-funded facilities to promote their election campaign. Put another way, they found a way to use taxpayers’ money to undermine the principle of free and fair elections which we all value.”

Notwithstanding his admission that he breached the Code of Conduct, Cllr Lewis has asserted – contrary to the findings of the Ombudsman – that he has not breached the Code of Conduct by using the Council’s I.T. to produce strategy documents. This is a potentially revealing insight into the attitude of the IPG, as Cllr Lewis appears to have confused the transaction of IPG electoral business with the permitted transaction of internal Council political business.

Such is the overwhelming nature of the evidence against Cllr Lewis that the disputed documents read in context underline the extent of his wrongdoing and that of the IPG as a whole. Furthermore, as the breaches do not require guilty intent to be proved, it remains to be seen what the Standards Committee make of Cllr Lewis’ unrepentant stand on this subject and what finding of fact they make in relation to it.

In January, Council Vice-Chairman Tom Richards – a member of the IPPG – recused himself from sitting in judgement on the basis he was identified as a candidate in some of the documents. Cllr Stanley Hudson also recused himself on the basis of his close personal association with the original complainant to the Ombudsman, Cllr David Bryan. The members of the Committee making a decision next week will therefore be lay members Messrs Ian Williams, David Morgan and Andre Morgan and Community Councillor and Haverfordwest solicitor, Mr George Allingham.

While the part of January’s meeting dealing with Councillor Lewis was held in private, the publication of the Ombudsman’s report and detailed documents should militate against the public being excluded on Tuesday.

The members have the power to censure a member, or suspend or partially suspend a member for a period not exceeding 6 months. The maximum penalty available to the Adjudication Panel for Wales is five years’ disqualification from office.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will carry a detailed report of the Committee proceedings next week.

Community

Public reminded to stay away from Ward’s Yard and Criterion Quay

Published

13 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE PORT of Milford Haven is reminding members of the public to stay away from Ward’s Yard in Milford Haven and Criterion Quay (sometimes known as the offshore jetty) in Pembroke Dock due to concerns over public safety. 

Despite significant security measures, people continue to access the sites illegally, ignoring and sometimes damaging the onsite signage and fences.

Niall Yeomans, Head of Health, Safety and Security at the Port of Milford Haven said: “Safety is our key priority. Members of the public are continuously putting themselves and members of our team at risk of serious harm by trespassing in these areas.”

“Both Ward’s Yard and Criterion Quay are unsafe for public access. They are isolated areas next to deep water and are susceptible to slips, trips and falls.”

Both sites are owned by the Port of Milford Haven and are private property. Anyone found onsite without consent is trespassing, and any criminal damage could result in prosecution.  

Anyone who sees any suspicious activity at Ward’s Yard or Criterion Quay is asked to contact Dyfed Powys Police on 101 urgently.

Crime

‘Sophisticated’ organised crime gang trafficked cocaine and cannabis to Aberystwyth

Published

15 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

FIVE people have been found guilty or admitted to conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis as Dyfed-Powys Police continues its efforts to dismantle organised crime gangs.

Officers seized cocaine with a street value of more than £400,000 from gang members, who continually changed tactics to avoid arrest.

Six defendants have appeared in court in the latest phase of Dyfed-Powys Police’s Operation Burleigh, which sought to disrupt the trafficking and onward supply of class A and B drugs into Aberystwyth, with all but one admitting their charges or being found guilty by a jury.

This brings the total number of people awaiting sentence under the operation to 15.

The court heard that officers from Dyfed-Powys Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Team and Ceredigion Priority Policing Team led the investigation into the OCG, which was described as ‘sophisticated, well-organised and evolving’.

Detective Sergeant Steven Jones said: “This conspiracy operated on a County Lines model, where controlled drugs are trafficked into a smaller rural town from a larger city, and the operation is controlled by one or more ‘drugs lines’.

“In this case there were a total of four lines controlling the supply of cocaine and cannabis within Aberystwyth.

“The conspirators frequently evolved their actions to frustrate the authorities and evade capture.”

The OCG embedded members were mainly asylum seekers brought to Aberystwyth by Toana Ahmad and another man who remains outstanding, with the sole purpose of dealing drugs. The drug lines were initially based in Swansea, and later in areas of Birmingham.

Three properties – on Terrace Road, Alexander Road and Parc Graig Glas – were identified early in the investigation as being used to house the OCG members embedded in Aberystwyth. Substantial amounts of cash, controlled drugs and weapons were recovered from these properties, and from the people found inside.

When arrests were made, the gang changed its tactics. Drugs began to be supplied from vehicles, and OCG members stayed in guest houses to avoid detection.

DS Jones added: “Trusted couriers were employed to transport drugs to Aberystwyth and cash back to Birmingham or Swansea. A number of vehicles, including taxis, were used as the gang attempted to avoid detection along the route, while trains were also taken when courier cars were stopped by officers.”

In June 2023, two vehicles travelling from the West Midlands towards Aberystwyth were stopped by police on consecutive days. A black sock was uncovered in the engine of the first car, which was found to contain 82g of high purity cocaine divided into 169 grip seal plastic bags.

Davinder Singh, who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs, was the driver of the second vehicle, which was a taxi. A blue plastic bag was seen falling out of his shorts, which contained over 81g of high purity cocaine divided into 167 grip seal bags.

DS Jones said: “On the basis that the amounts of cocaine transported over the 37 couriers over the course of the conspiracy period were similar, over 3kg of cocaine would have been conveyed to Aberystwyth from Birmingham.

“This equates to class A drugs with a potential street value of over £308,950. In addition to this, class A drugs were seized from individuals and addresses with a potential street value of £103,445, along with cash totalling £11,687.

“A number of teams and departments across Dyfed-Powys Police, from analysts, CCTV operators and priority policing teams, to CAB, the Technical Support Unit, Economic Crime Team and Force Intelligence Bureau all assisted in dismantling the OCG from top to bottom.

“Their dedication and relentless efforts have assisted in making Aberystwyth a safer place to live without the threat and harm of drugs being made easily available on the street.”

After a seven-week trial at Swansea Crown Court earlier this year, the following three defendants were found guilty for their parts in the conspiracy:

Toana Ahmad, aged 33, of Lee Gardens in Smethwich, West Midlands
Barzan Sarhan, aged 31, of no fixed address
Ahmed Piro, aged 26, of no fixed address

The jury failed to reach a verdict on two defendants during the earlier trial. They have been subject to a retrial starting on July 1, with the following outcomes:

Hawre Ahmed, aged 35, of Pinderfields Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was found guilty by the jury of conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.
Diar Yousef Zeabari, aged 35, of Flat 5, 41 Bryn Road, Swansea, was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.

Karwan Karim, aged 39 of 125 Griffith John Street, Swansea, also stood trial, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs on day three.

In addition to the OCG members found guilty during the most recent trials, the following have previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs under Operation Burleigh:

Davinder Singh, aged 36, of Huntingdon Road, West Bromwich
Daban Khalil, aged 23, of Streetly Road, Birmingham
Kastro Omar, aged 30, of Junction Road, Northampton
Karwan Jabari, aged 26, of Weedon Close, Northampton
Walid Younis Abdal, aged 34, of St Anne’s Road, Doncaster
Saman Aziz, aged 41, of Kirk Road, Merseyside
Adel Mustafa, aged 39, of Hubert Road, Newport
Charlotte Roberts, aged 21, of Sutton Hill, Telford

The following have previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs:

Akasha Smith, aged 24, of Third Avenue, Aberystwyth
Luqman Jarjis, aged 21, of Wake Green Road, Birmingham

News

Community asked for views on allocation of new St Davids homes

Published

15 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST phase of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Glasfryn housing development in St Davids is progressing well with the second phase also underway.

The development being built by GRD Homes Ltd, began in November 2023, with a first phase completion date of Winter 2024 looking hopeful, ahead of the scheduled plans.

The first phase consists of seven properties, including a mixture of one and two bedroom bungalows

As completion draws closer the properties will be advertised via Pembrokeshire Choice Homes.

Ahead of this, the Council’s housing team will be holding community engagement on the 13th August 2024 at the Ty’r Pererin Centres, Quickwell Hill, St Davids, SA62 6PD, 5pm-7pm.

This will be a chance for officers to liaise with the local community about the allocation process for these properties.

Glasfryn’s second phase is well underway, with the initial groundwork already completed. This phase includes a further 11 two bedroom bungalows, with a completion date in late 2025.

These bungalows will meet the latest Welsh Government’s Development Quality Requirement, and will be energy efficient, built to EPC A specification and include solar panels to help tenants with running costs.

The Glasfryn development is funded in partnership with Welsh Government.

Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr Michelle Bateman said: “We are really keen to work with the community on a local lettings policy for these new properties, as we have done for our developments in other parts of the County.”

If you have any queries please email the Customer Liaison Team on [email protected], phone them on 01437 764551, or visit Housing’s Facebook page.