News
Man told he got the ‘punishment he deserved’
A SON who squandered £230,000 of his elderly mum’s money after being put in charge of her finances got the ‘punishment he deserved’, top judges have ruled.
Graham Westbury, 66, from Pembrokeshire, ran through his mother Joyce’s cash after she fell ill with dementia, London’s Appeal Court heard.
And his brother, Keith, who should have received a six-figure inheritance under her will, was left empty-handed when she died.
Westbury, of New Road, Hook, Haverfordwest, pleaded guilty to theft at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court last June and was jailed for three and a half years.
But today (Jan 23) Mr Justice Martin Spencer, sitting with Sir Brian Leveson and Mr Justice Jeremy Baker, heard him argue his sentence was far too long.
The judge said Westbury had been given a power of attorney over his mother’s financial affairs after her mind began to fail in 2002.
She died in a care home in 2011, leaving a will which divided her estate equally between her two sons.
There ought to have been roughly £230,000 left, after care costs, for the brothers to share.
But, after the reading of the will, Keith was shocked to discover that all his mum’s money had been spent.
It emerged that Westbury had sold his mother’s home, putting the cash into his own account in 2004, and had been gradually draining it ever since.
He used part of the money to buy a new home for himself, but claimed that his mum had approved all his spending ‘during lucid periods’.
Mr Justice Spencer dismissed that tale today as ‘patently untrue’.
Westbury’s lawyers argued that he ought to have been sentenced on the basis that he stole only £99,000.
But the judge said he should have complained about that much earlier and his grounds of appeal were ‘misconceived’.
He concluded: “The judge’s approach to sentencing was impeccable and this appeal must be dismissed.”
Health
Pembrokeshire residents suffer severe health decline ‘due to landfill gases’
A PEMBROKESHIRE couple, Mr Richard and Revd Patricia Rogers of Crud yr Awel, are experiencing severe health issues attributed to emissions from the Withyhedge Landfill, resulting in drastic lifestyle changes and severe symptoms.
Revd Rogers, who has managed asthma since childhood, reported a significant deterioration in her condition following exposure to landfill gases. Despite having controlled her asthma with minimal medication for years, she now requires intensive treatment including increased doses of Symbicort and Salbutamol Sulfate inhalers, alongside courses of steroids and antibiotics. Her symptoms have escalated to include extreme breathlessness, a hacking cough, frequent nosebleeds, continual headaches, and vertigo, culminating in a severe impact on her ability to perform daily tasks and care for her disabled daughter.
The couple’s health is closely monitored through their doctor’s surgery, and they attend the asthma clinic regularly. However, feeling powerless to directly change the situation, they have taken a stand by cancelling their council tax payments, a decision they plan to maintain until the landfill issue is resolved.
Revd Rogers has also prepared a letter to the Coroner, outlining the severity of her health issues as potentially life-threatening due to the landfill’s impact. This dramatic step underlines the gravity of their situation and their desperation for a resolution.
The Rogers’ story is not just a personal tragedy but a stark example of the broader environmental and health challenges faced by the community surrounding the Withyhedge Landfill.
They are calling for punitive measures against those responsible, including compensation for the financial impacts of their ordeal.
Their story has surfaced on the same day we reported that Natural Resources Wales is taking further enforcement action against the firm running the site.
NRW has issued site operators Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice which requires the operator to deliver a series of actions by specified deadlines to address ongoing smells from the landfill.
You can read more about the Enforcement Notice on the NRW website.
Outgoing Council Leader, Cllr David Simpson, said in a statement this week: “The smell from Withyhedge is having a major impact on residents and visitors. This situation has gone on too long and it is unacceptable.
“We now need to see RML act on the demands of the Notice and within the deadlines.
“The Council fully backs NRW’s stance that nothing is off the table in terms of further enforcement, including suspending the site’s environmental permit if appropriate, and we remain committed to working with NRW to ensure a long term solution to these issues.”
Entertainment
Fishguard Festival of Music launches at the Senedd in Cardiff
- Paul Davies MS for Preseli Pembrokeshire hosts event to promote major programme of summer concerts.
THIS year’s Fishguard Festival of Music/Gwyl Gerdd Abergwaun was officially launched at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay this week (Wednesday) in an event hosted by Paul Davies MS Preseli Pembrokeshire. Guests attending heard from the festival’s artistic director Gillian Green MBE about the 18 events extending over three weeks that will be staged at venues across Pembrokeshire from 18 to 31 July, including a concert by the Welsh National Opera Orchestra at St David’s Cathedral.
Paul Davies MS, said: “I’m truly honoured once again to sponsor the launch of the Fishguard Festival of Music. Over the summer, Fishguard will host world-famous musicians like harpist Catrin Finch and fiddle player Aoife Ní Bhriain, and the festival also includes performances from the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, the National Youth Choir of Wales and the Welsh National Opera Orchestra – so there really is something for everyone! Tickets to these performances sell out quickly and so make sure to head over to the Festival’s website and secure your tickets before it’s too late.”
Gillian Green MBE, Artistic Director of the Fishguard Festival of Music, added: “The Fishguard Festival plays a significant role on the cultural map of Wales and our mission to bring world-class music to Pembrokeshire is as strong as ever. This year we will have a real feast of music awaiting audiences in West Wales. The local community’s work in producing this fantastic festival is nothing short of a small miracle.”
Artists performing at this year’s festival include Peter Donohoe, Catrin Finch and the Marmen String Quartet. The full programme is available to view on the festival’s website www.fishguardmusicfestival.com
Climate
NRW to reduce mowing in May to help pollinators
NATURAL Resources Wales (NRW) will reduce mowing as much as possible on the land in its care during May to help tackle the nature emergency and in support of Plantlife’s ‘No Mow May’ campaign.
The scale and rate of biodiversity loss across Wales is accelerating. Every third mouthful of food we eat has been created by pollination, and without pollinators our food supply would collapse.
Half of the UK’s 27 bumblebee species are in decline, and of the 43 species of butterfly seen in Wales, 10 are in severe decline and 17 are declining.
There are several reasons for the decline in pollinators, such as climate change, pollution and pesticides, and change in how land is managed.
Throughout the growing season, NRW cuts grass and vegetation in areas such as forests, nature reserves, river banks, flood defences and reservoir embankments.
Reducing mowing in May will help biodiversity by allowing spring plants to set seed and grow to provide nectar and pollen for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies.
NRW will reduce its mowing activities in May as much as possible, but essential grass cutting will continue in some areas across Wales.
There are several reasons for this, for example:
- to manage access to forests and nature reserves to make sure people are safe when they visit.
- to easily inspect flood defences and repair them if needed, helping to reduce flood risk to communities.
- for nature conservation, for example to manage an invasive species or to benefit species in a certain area by cutting the vegetation.
David Letellier, NRW’s Head of Operations South Wales Central, said: “We’re committed to tackling the climate and nature emergencies and helping nature and people thrive together.
“We will reduce our mowing activities in May as much as possible to support pollinators, but we want people to understand that we may carry out essential grass cutting to benefit certain communities or species.
“For example, we may continue mowing flood defences to make sure they are in good working order, or if mowing some sites in May would leave wildflowers to recover and bloom throughout the late summer to benefit certain pollinators.
“We need to act now to protect our pollinators. This is why we manage all of our sites to make them as pollinator friendly as possible and to provide food and shelter for other species.
“There are things we can all do to make it easier for pollinators to survive. These can be relatively simple, such as managing grass verges in a more sensitive way, or leaving wild areas around our offices, homes and public buildings.
“We can all help by making our gardens pollinator-friendly by not using pesticides, not mowing the lawn as often, and growing pollinator-friendly plants.”
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