News

Doctor ‘100% sure’ he did not see alleged murder victim

Published

8 years ago

February 1, 2018

A RETIRED GP told a murder jury today (Jan 31) he was 100% sure that Penny John had been wrong about a consultation she said he had with her mother Betty Guy just two days before she died.

John had told a jury at Swansea Crown Court that on November 4, 2011, she was at the St Thomas surgery in Rifleman Lane, Haverfordwest, when Dr Roger Burns told her 84 year old mother, “Sorry, we have been giving you the wrong medicine for years. You don’t have long left.”

Dr Burns told the jury today, in a written statement, that he was 100% sure that the consultation had never taken place.

Dr Burns said he could not find a record of it but he was certain that if it had happened he would had made an entry on Mrs Guy’s patient notes.

He said he had been congratulated by colleagues on his record keeping.

“I don’t recall telling her that and if that had been the case I am sure I would have recorded it because of its importance.”

Dr Burns said he had been asked if he could have made an entry but later deleted it, or if the surgery’s computer system could have been down on that day.

Dr Burns said he never deleted entries. If one was entered by mistake he would add a correct one but without deleting the original entry.

He added that he had asked for checks to be made about the system itself.

The practice manager, Jane Stewart-Daters, said in a statement that the system had been operating normally on November 4, 2011.

She said that if an entry had been deleted there would have been an audit trail and there was no record of any deletions being made that day.

Nor was there a record of Betty Guy requesting an appointment on that day.

Dr Burns then made a second statement saying he was 100% sure the consultation described by John had not taken place and he had not made the statement she claimed he had.

“There is no possibility I saw her on that day,” he added.

Dr Burns said he also disputed John’s claim that after Mrs Guy’s death they had met at the undertakers and had a conversation, in which John had said to him, “You saw her just two days before her death.”

“But I did not,” said Dr Burns.

John, aged 50, of Maes Dre, Union Terrace, St Dogmaels, and her son Barry Rogers, aged 33, of High Street, Fishguard, deny murdering Mrs Guy in the early hours of November 7, 2011, at her home in Hillcroft, Johnston.

The prosecution claim that John fed her a cocktail of drugs and whiskey and that Rogers “finished her off” by placing a pillow over her face.

The trial is entering the closing stages and the jury is expected to retire on Friday.

Entertainment

Free screening to focus on climate and nature crisis

Published

1 hour ago

May 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PUBLIC INVITED TO LETTERSTON EVENT HOSTED BY TRANSITION BRO GWAUN

A FREE public screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing is to be held at Letterston Memorial Hall on Friday, May 29.

The event, hosted by Transition Bro Gwaun, starts at 7:00pm, with doors opening at 6:30pm.

The screening will be introduced by Dr Sarah Beynon, of The Bug Farm, St Davids, and will be followed by a structured discussion on climate and nature risks and what they may mean for local communities.

The 50-minute film has been adapted from the National Emergency Briefing, held at Westminster Central Hall in November 2025, where more than 1,200 MPs, peers, business leaders, cultural figures, faith representatives, sports figures and media leaders gathered to hear from experts on climate and nature risks.

The briefing, introduced by Chris Packham CBE, examines the potential impact of climate and nature breakdown on food security, public health, infrastructure, the economy and national security.

Dr Beynon said: “We are in a biodiversity and climate emergency. We have destroyed over half of our wildlife. In my late father’s lifetime, we have destroyed 97% of our wildflower meadows.

“Over 80% of our habitats are in poor condition. Over 60% of our rivers are not in good health and one in five species is at risk of extinction.

“How do we want to leave this planet for future generations? Then ask yourself if you are prepared to act. If you are, the first step is to understand the issues facing us, and this film is a vital part of understanding the situation we are in so we can all step up and do something together.”

The People’s Emergency Briefing was launched nationwide in April and is now being screened in communities across the UK. Organisers say more than 300 showings have already taken place, with around 1,000 scheduled over the summer.

Further local screenings are also planned for Solva and Cardigan in June.

Transition Bro Gwaun said the Letterston event comes at a time when communities in Pembrokeshire are facing increasing pressure from severe weather, flooding, dry spells and wildfire risks.

November and December 2025 saw flooding affect many areas, with the Met Office confirming rainfall was more than 50% above average during that period.

The group said the event was not intended to be “doom and gloom”, but would also focus on practical and hopeful responses.

Henry Tufnell MP, Pembrokeshire county councillors and town and community councillors have been invited to attend.

Tom Latter, trustee at Transition Bro Gwaun, said: “TBG welcomes the opportunity to host one of many Emergency Briefing events around the UK, addressing the climate and nature crisis.

“Co-ordinated restorative action is urgently needed, and understanding of the urgency for honest commitment to resilience planning from all branches of society.”

Free tickets are available through Transition Bro Gwaun, and refreshments will be provided.

Climate

Free screening to focus on climate and nature crisis

Published

1 hour ago

May 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair