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Neyland: Paedophile sentenced to 28 years in prison

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NEYLAND paedophile John Smith has received a 28 year extended sentence for a string of child sex offences.
Smith, once known as Mathew Griffiths, had been found guilty of all the 28 child sex offences against him.
Smith, aged 47, of High Street, was told the sentence would be made up of a 21-year custodial element, of which he must serve 14 years before being allowed to even apply for parole.
Judge Paul Thomas, sitting at Swansea Crown Court, said Smith would be under stringent licence conditions until 2046 irrespective of when he is released.
Smith was found guilty of buggery, indecent assault, indecency with a child, sexual assault and vaginal intercourse with a girl aged under 13
He was also convicted of possessing indecent images of children, making such images, and the possession of extreme pornography depicting women having sex with dogs and horses.
The child assault charges involved three girls and a boy, all of whom are now adults.
Smith had denied all the charges but was convicted after a trial at Swansea Crown Court.
The court heard victim impact statements from each of his victims in which they told how their lives had been blighted by the sex abuse.
Judge Thomas told Smith he had a sexual appetite for young girls and boys, and thought only of his ‘wicked, paedophile end’.
Those he had abused, he added, had been devastated but Smith had shown ‘not a shred of remorse’.
“You called them liars and that contributed to their distress. You tried only to save your own skin,” said the judge.
Judge Thomas said he believed Mathew Griffiths had changed his name to John Smith – ‘showing a certain lack of imagination’ – to try and stop his past catching up with him.
Judge Thomas said he was confident that the steps he had taken would ensure that Smith would never again have access to young children.
After Smith had been led away he praised the victims for their courage in going to the police and the dignity they had displayed during the judicial process.

The officer in charge of the case, DC Lisa Roberts, dedicated eight months to this investigation wanting to secure a conviction for the victims.

DC Roberts said: “I have dedicated a huge amount of time and effort in this investigation. However, this is nothing compared to what the victims went through and worth every second because it wasn’t me that got him to court.

“The resilience, strength and courage of the victims was outstanding and without them and their commitment through some very demanding and stressful times we simply wouldn’t have had the result we had.

“I personally would like to thank the brave victims for coming forward and pursuing this case after what has been a long and complex investigation.”

Detective Inspector Cameron Ritchie said: “I commend the efforts of the officers involved in securing the conviction and sentence of this offender.

“Smith’s actions will have a lifelong effect on our four victims and their bravery is commendable. It is so important that survivors have the confidence to come forward and report these crimes no matter how much time has passed.

“I hope anyone else who has experienced similar abuse at any stage of their life can find courage from this case to see that all reports will be taken seriously by Dyfed-Powys Police and fully investigated.”

If you have been a victim of non-recent child sexual abuse, or abuse that is happening now, report it to Dyfed-Powys Police by calling 101 and ask to speak to an officer in confidence. You will be listened to and you will be taken seriously. An initial report can also be made online via their website: https://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/en/contact-us/report-an-incident/.

Regardless of whether you choose to report the crime, Goleudy Victim and Witness Service can provide you with further support and assistance. Call 0300 1232996 or email [email protected]

Victims of child sexual abuse are also encouraged to think about sharing their experience with The Truth Project, which is part of the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse cases (IICSA). It was set up in 2015 to investigate organisations and institutions that have failed to protect children from sexual abuse. By sharing their experiences, victims and survivors make an important contribution to the work of the Inquiry and their experiences will feed into and influence the findings and recommendations. Visit www.truthproject.org.uk for more information.

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Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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