News

Debates continue about paedophile hunters following local conviction

Published

8 years ago

April 11, 2018

Simon Fleet: Arrested by police at Pembroke Dock train station

THE DEBATE rages on as to whether the police are relying too heavily on so-called paedophile hunters in investigations regarding child grooming.

In Wales, from 2015 to 2017 there were 31 cases where the police began proceedings against grooming suspects, in 19 of which, police used evidence gathered by vigilante groups.

Despite an investigation by the BBC finding that police in England and Wales used such evidence at least 150 times in 2017 – a seven-fold rise in two years, Dyfed-Powys Police have denied using evidence gathered from vigilante groups. Over the past three years, Dyfed-Powys Police recorded 82 cases, and took proceedings forward against just one person, but have not used the evidence gathered in any cases.

This comes after a man from Pembroke Dock was caught by paedophile hunter vigilante group Silent Justice, and jailed for 28 months in February. Simon Fleet, aged 43, had turned up at the town’s railway station with the aim of meeting an underage girl for sex, but instead he was met by police officers who arrested him. Fleet, of Water Street, admitted attempting to engage in sexual activity with an underage girl.

Swansea Crown Court had heard how Fleet had swapped messages with the ‘girl’ via the internet and thought he had talked her into meeting him. In fact he was exchanging messages with a group posing as children and waiting to be contacted by adults. They then try to identify those that are attempting to groom children, tracking them down and confronting them before police are called.

Judge T Mervyn Hughes warned Fleet that if the girl had existed he would have received a far longer sentence. Fleet was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and told to register with the police as a sex offender, both for the next 10 years.

Silent Justice are so-called ‘Child Protection Enforcers’ with a Facebook page liked by over 5,000 people, with members acting as ‘decoys’ posing as children online. They are not without controversy, removing a post from its Facebook page following the suicide of an alleged offender in Northern Ireland in August 2017.

Last year, a Cardiff judge was critical of such groups, and accused them of giving misleading evidence after the collapse of an alleged sex offender’s trial.

Judge Thomas Crowther QC had said: “This case underlines why criminal investigations should be conducted carefully, meticulously and by those who are trained and qualified to do so.”

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has spoken out on the issue, saying that: “While we have every sympathy for people concerned about suspected abusers, we believe that identifying offenders and investigating crimes is best left to the police.

“When members of the public take the law into their own hands it can run the risk of driving offenders underground, endanger on-going police work and the legal process or result in innocent people being targeted – all of which may put more children at risk of harm.

“If someone has concerns about a child’s safety the best way they can help is to alert the police. By speaking out they may be able to help investigations and contribute vital evidence.”

The debate about paedophile hunters has recently been the focus of a Channel 4 documentary, in which filmmakers followed around a group of the vigilantes.

Crime

Rape trial set for May as Saundersfoot teenager denies charge

Published

33 minutes ago

January 19, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

AN 18-YEAR OLD youth accused of rape in Saundersfoot has pleaded not guilty and is due to stand trial at Swansea Crown Court in May.

Josh Probert, aged eighteen, appeared before Judge Geraint Walters on Monday (Jan 19) for a pre-trial preparation hearing.

The court heard the case is progressing under the custody time limit, meaning it is being managed to a strict timetable while the defendant remains in custody.

Mr Probert entered not guilty pleas. The hearing dealt with case management issues and set dates for pre-trial stages leading up to the trial.

A four-day trial is listed to begin on Tuesday (May 26), with a certificate of trial readiness due on Tuesday (Apr 28).

In relation to bail His Honour said that these were serious allegations and that the defendant would remain in custody, despite his age and being of clean character hitherto.

Ministry of Defence

‘Houses shake’ as C-17 Globemaster tracked flying low over Haverfordwest

Published

1 hour ago

January 19, 2026

Tom Sinclair

RAF heavy transport aircraft JDW828 carried out training sortie over Pembrokeshire and the south-west

Residents in Haverfordwest reported a large military aircraft flying low over the town at around 11:00am on Monday (Jan 19).

Flight tracking information identified the aircraft as JDW828, a Royal Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, operating from RAF Brize Norton.

The recorded track showed the aircraft conducting a wide training circuit across the south-west, including repeated manoeuvres over parts of Pembrokeshire and Cornwall, before routing back east.

The C-17 is a heavy-lift transport used by the RAF to move troops, equipment and humanitarian aid, and is regularly seen on training flights across the UK.

One resident said: “It was a awesome sight, so low it was almost at the chimney tops – the house was shaking!”

“Brilliant!”

A request for comment has been sent to the Ministry of Defence.

***Flightpath of the aircraft according to Flightradar’s website***

(Images: Gavin Young/Herald)

Community

Jenkins & Davies investigating alleged racist remarks after video circulates online

Published

2 hours ago

January 19, 2026

Tom Sinclair

AN ENGINEERING firm has launched an internal investigation after a video circulated online over the weekend which is said to show a senior member of staff at the Pembroke Dock firm making comments described as racist.

The video was uploaded to YouTube and TikTok by DJ Clips UK. In the footage, a member of staff is heard saying he was concerned about a drone being flown in the area because of travellers nearby.

He is quoted as saying: “There are gypsies down the corner, and we just don’t want stuff going missing.”

In response, members of the traveller community have erected a banner outside the company’s gates accusing the firm of “racial abuse”.

Jenkins & Davies Engineering has since issued a public statement acknowledging the video and apologising to those affected.

The company said it was “aware of a video circulating online involving comments made by a senior member of our team” and added: “The message stated was inappropriate and does not reflect our values or the views of the company.”

It continued: “We recognise the hurt and offence this has caused to members of the community, and we would like to sincerely apologise to anyone affected by these unwarranted comments.”

The firm said it takes discrimination “extremely seriously” and confirmed the employee involved had been removed from all duties while a full investigation is carried out.

Charlie Price, described as a prominent voice within the local traveller community, said he believed the remarks were racist and that the response so far had not gone far enough.

He said: “What was said was not acceptable in 2026. We are not happy at all and we see they put an apology on Facebook with the help of their fancy £300 an hour solicitors in Cardiff, but we wants them to come out and give us an apology in person.”

The company statement was signed by managing director R Barnard.