News

Mother and son jailed for life with 11 year minimum term

Published

8 years ago

February 8, 2018

Tom Sinclair

BARRY ROGERS and Penny John have been jailed for life for the murder of Betty Guy.

Each must serve a minimum of 11 years before being allowed to apply for parole.

Mrs Guy ‘loved life’ and ‘loved a little giggle’, her daughter Lorraine Matthews has said in a victim impact statement.

The statement read by Jim Davis, for the prosecution, at Swansea Crown Court, said: “We grieved once after her death and now we have to go through a different kind of grief.”

Ms Matthews said she was ‘shocked that a member of my own family is capable of committing such a despicable act on an old lady’.

She added: “My mother was in no way ill enough to warrant a mercy (killing).

“I had spoken to her doctor some months before and was reassured of her health… I find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that her life ended before it should have naturally.”

Christopher Henley, QC, for Barry Rogers, said the ‘only way of explaining what happened is as a mercy killing’.

He said Rogers loved Mrs Guy ‘deeply and truly’.

“There’s no direct evidence of this but there appears to be a solid basis to believe that Betty Guy was a participant in discussions about what happened,” he added.

Mr Henley urged the court to act with ‘a degree of compassion’.

Sentencing Rogers and John, Mr Justice Lewis said they committed the murder ‘on a belief, a misguided belief, held by each of you that the murder was an act of mercy’.

He said: “Mrs Guy was not terminally ill.

“She did not have any form of cancer. Mrs Guy had mobility problems but she was not bed-bound.

“She was in pain and had been prescribed a painkiller but there’s no evidence at all to suggest that Mrs Guy was suffering unbearable pain.

“You did not therefore kill Mrs Guy because she had, or you believed she had, a terminal illness.

“Again this was not a case where Mrs Guy was suffering or you believed she was suffering in unbearable pain and you wanted to bring that pain to an end… you believed Mrs Guy was old and ill and wanted to die and you believed that you should end her life.

Mr Justice Lewis said Rogers and John had both agreed to end the life of Mrs Guy.

He said: “You each had your role to play.

“You, Ms John, decided that the time had come to kill your mother.

“You arranged for your son to come and carry out the killing, you gave your mother drugs, intending to sedate her.

“You, Barry Rogers, were the one to place the pillow over Mrs Guy’s face and to suffocate her.”

Mr Justice Lewis said Mrs Guy was a ‘cheerful, lively and well-liked person’.

Community

Community gathers to remember Corrina Baker

Published

2 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Lanterns and balloons released in emotional acts of remembrance

FAMILY, friends and members of the local community came together to remember Corrina Baker at a series of moving events held across west Wales this week.

Corrina’s funeral took place on Monday (Dec 15), a month after her death, with a public service held at St Mary’s Church. Mourners lined the route as her coffin was carried on its final journey in an elegant horse-drawn carriage, before a private cremation later took place at Parc Gwyn crematorium in Narberth.

Later that evening, shortly after 6:00pm, friends and relatives gathered at the Quayside in Cardigan for the first of two acts of remembrance to celebrate her life. Lanterns were lit and released into the night sky above the town as some of Corrina’s favourite songs were played.

On Tuesday afternoon (Dec 16), a second tribute was held near the location where Corrina was found. Twenty-one pink balloons — one for each year of her life — were released into a clear blue sky, each carrying personal messages in her memory.

Floral tributes continue to be laid at the Netpool, while a GoFundMe appeal set up in Corrina’s memory has raised more than £2,300. She has been described by those who knew her as “funny and bright”.

Dyfed-Powys Police have confirmed that their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ms Baker’s death is ongoing. A 29-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail while inquiries continue.

(Photos: Stuart Ladd/Herald)

Community

Six untaxed vehicles seized in Milford Haven police operation

Published

2 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SIX untaxed and abandoned vehicles were seized during a joint roads policing operation in Milford Haven on Tuesday morning.

Officers from the Milford Haven Neighbourhood Policing and Prevention Team (NPPT) worked alongside the Pembrokeshire Roads Policing Team as part of targeted enforcement across the town.

In addition to the vehicle seizures, a number of traffic offence reports were issued to drivers during the operation.

Police said the action formed part of ongoing efforts to improve road safety and tackle vehicle-related offences in the Milford Haven area.

Community

Candlelit carol service brings community together in Milford Haven

Published

3 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Tom Sinclair

ST KATHARINE and St Peter’s Church in Milford Haven hosted its annual Candlelit Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, bringing together members of the community for a traditional celebration of Christmas.

The service featured readings from the Mayor of Milford Haven, representatives of the Soroptimists, Milford Haven Amateur Operatic Society, the Headteacher and Head Prefects of Milford Haven School, Milford Haven Town Band, and NCI Wooltack Point.

Music for the evening was provided by organist Seimon Morris, Milford Haven Town Band and the Milford Haven Cluster Band, whose performances added to the atmosphere of the candlelit service.

The Friends of St Katharine and St Peter’s Church thanked all those involved and wished the community a happy Christmas.