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Mother and son guilty: Barry Rogers and Penny John convicted of murder

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BARRY ROGERS and his mother Penny John were convicted this afternoon of murdering 84 year Betty Guy at her home in Johnston.

They were told immediately that at the sentencing hearing on Thursday morning they will receive life sentences.
 
The only question to be decided, said the judge, was the minimum number of years they must spend in jail before being allowed to apply for parole.
 
Rogers, aged 33, held his head in his hands and wept after the jury forewoman announced the unanimous verdicts.
 
John, aged 50, sat stoney faced and showed no emotion.
 
John was remanded in custody until the sentencing hearing. Rogers has been in custody throughout the trial at Swansea crown court.
 
The judge, Mr Justice Lewis, praised the jury for carrying out their duty “magnificently” and described the case as having been emotional and complex.
 
He said he would study sentences passed by other judges for mercy killings before deciding on the minimum terms.
 
He will also listen to pleas of mitigation by the couple’s barristers.
 
Rogers and John killed Mrs Guy–his grandmother and her mother–because she was too old and suffered from ill health.
 
John mixed sedatives–including her own sleeping tablets–with whiskey and gave the mixture to her mother in the early hours of November 7, 2011.
 
That failed to kill her and Rogers, a former soldier, “finished her off” by placing a pillow over her face.
 
At first her death was believed to have been from natural causes and Mrs Guy’s body was cremated at Narberth just four days later.
 
But Rogers could not keep his mouth shut and over the coming years told various women, including his one time wife, that he and his mother had killed her.
 
After they had been arrested detectives devised a clever plan to trap them.
 
Although they were living at different addresses police agreed to grant them bail as long as they both stayed at John’s home in Maes Dre, Union Terrace, St Dogmaels.
 
Officers drove them to the address to make sure they abided by the bail conditions.
 
By then a listening device had been placed in the property–and as soon as they walked through the door they began talking about what they had done.
 
It was five years after they had killed Mrs Guy and neither could remember if they had swapped mobile telephone text messages that the police might be able to retrieve.
 
Rogers became worried his mother was “starting to crack” and urged her to stick to their story that Mrs Guy had died from old age.
 
But the jury saw through it.

Crime

Police arrest suspects following vehicle interferences in Haverfordwest

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HAVERFORDWEST police responded swiftly after reports of multiple vehicle interferences in the Tasker Way area on Sunday night/early Monday morning (Nov 4).

Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPPT) conducted extensive house-to-house enquiries, gathering evidence and reassuring the community. These efforts led to the identification of two suspects.

Both NPPT and Response teams acted promptly, locating and arresting the suspects, who are now in police custody.

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Ancient Welsh hymns brought into 21st century with unique collaboration between Lleuwen Steffan and National Eisteddfod

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Some of Wales’ long-forgotten hymn tunes are being brought vividly back to life this month, thanks to award-winning singer, songwriter and composer Lleuwen Steffan and her unique collaboration with the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Performing as ‘Tafod Arian’ (Silver Tongue), the collaboration pays homage to the lost voices of the past, and infuses these timeless melodies with some highly contemporary electronic arrangements.

The project originated in 2012 when Lleuwen was working on a music project at St Fagan’s National History Museum where she came across some long-forgotten recordings of hymns which had been left in the sound archives.  None of these hymns could be found in the official hymn books nor the older hymnal editions, possibly as the result of their informal, conversational lyrics, or because they often delved into the world of addiction, mental illness and the darker side of the psyche.

But now these unpublished and unknown hymns will be heard for the first time in over a hundred years when Tabernacl Chapel, Maenclochog, will be one of 50 Welsh chapels to be visited by Tafod Arian.

With translations and insights, the tour breathes new life into archive recordings, ensuring these cherished sacred songs rightfully claim their place in today’s spotlight. Lleuwen masterfully combines electronic and acoustic instrumentation, seamlessly blending the past with the present, and takes the stage alongside a dynamic quintet of international musicians including Sioned Webb and Gethin Elis from Wales, and Nolwenn Korbell and Brieg Guerveno from Brittany.

Despite the hymns’ long-distant past, the music is firmly in the present as Lleuwen uses various instruments to provide angular electronic accompaniment as well as her soulful vocals and guitar.  She provides translations and explanations as she proudly puts the archive recordings of the lost |Welsh hymns on centre stage.  As a result, these sacred songs are being passed on orally rather than via the hymn book which is precisely how Welsh folk music was conveyed.

The long-forgotten hymns will be heard once again in all their glory at Tabernacle Chapel, Maenclochog on Sunday, November 17 at 6.30pm.

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Crime

Suspended sentence for Goodwick man who sent sexual messages to young girl

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THE FATHER of a young girl sent sexual messages to an individual he believed to be a 12-year-old girl online, Swansea Crown Court heard this week.

An undercover police officer posed as a 12-year-old girl on the website RandoChat, with the decoy’s profile stating they were 18.

James Roberts messaged the decoy on 9 August, stating he was “looking for a naughty girl”.

The decoy promptly informed him that she was 12 years old; however, the defendant continued to send messages referencing sexual acts and self-gratification.

Roberts added the decoy on Snapchat, claiming to be 19 and living in England.

He again sent sexualised messages and, referring to the decoy’s age, said they were “never too young to start sending pictures”.

The defendant also told the decoy that he was having similar sexual conversations with a 14-year-old, Mr Dickens said.

Police attended Roberts’ home in Goodwick on 17 August, and he was arrested. He denied having a mobile phone, claiming he “had sent it off to Samsung to be fixed” but was “extremely vague” when asked for further details. Mr Dickens said no phone was ever recovered by police.

The 28-year-old Roberts pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child. The court heard that he had no previous convictions.

Hannah George, in mitigation, said the defendant showed “some degree of remorse” and that there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

“In the 13 months since he was interviewed there have been no further offences,” she said.

Ms George said Roberts had suffered “significant” shame and embarrassment as a result of the offences, and it had led to him losing his job.

He had previously been diagnosed with PTSD and suffered “deep periods of depression”, Ms George said.

She added that his contact with his young daughter “has been diminished” following these offences.

“You were in contact online with who you firmly believed to be a 12-year-old girl,” said Judge Paul Thomas KC, addressing Roberts.

“You have a two-year-old daughter. Just think how you would feel if a man in his thirties tried to have that sort of conversation with her in 10 years’ time.”

Roberts was sentenced to 30 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. He must complete 35 days of an accredited programme and 25 rehabilitation activity requirement programme days.

He must also register as a sex offender for 10 years and was made the subject of a three-year sexual harm prevention order.

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