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Cragen calling for clean seas during Pembrokeshire visit

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THE MYTHICAL Cragen is set to visit the shores of Pembrokeshire with a message to clean the seas.

Visitors to Tenby, Stackpole and Goodwick will have a chance to catch a glimpse of Small World Theatre’s new mythological monster, which will appear along Wales’ epic coastline throughout the summer during the Year of the Sea.

Last Friday (Jul 20) Aberporth witnessed the first sighting of the Cragen off the Ceredigion coast, as hundreds participated in a beach clean, before the 20 metre long sea monster emerged with the message to keep the waters clean.

Cardigan-based Small World Theatre created the giant sea-faring puppet. The theatre company, established in 1996, is excited about touring its latest giant in Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Isle of Anglesey and Conwy, encouraging people to explore Visit Wales’ newly launched ‘The Wales Way’.

The Wales Way is a new family of three national routes that will lead visitors into the heart of real Wales. The Coastal Way travels the west coast around Cardigan Bay, a 180-mile road-trip between the sea and mountains. The Cambrian Way crosses the spine of Wales for 185 miles between Llandudno and Cardiff. The North Wales Way leads 75 miles into the island of Anglesey.

There are many accounts of sea monsters during ‘The Age of Exploration’ when European explorers sailed into uncharted waters. Their appearances were often thought to be prophetic, the harbingers of doom and disaster, or portents of great change.

Cragen is inspired by Swiss naturalist Conrad Gesner’s illustrated book published more than 460 years ago, and held at the Roderic Bowen Research Centre, University Wales Trinity Saint David.

Members of the public are invited to visit Cragen performances between July – December and participate in activities and events alongside the Wales-wide tour, including The Wildlife Trusts ‘Sea Wales 7D’ Augmented Reality Roadshow (where you can learn about some of the incredible marine wildlife that calls Wales home), beach cleans organised by Keep Wales Tidy and National Trust Wales and family activities galore organised by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and others.

Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Lord-Elis Thomas said: “The Year of the Sea gives us an excellent opportunity to show our fantastic coastline to the world. From our 50 islands, our 230 beaches with more Blue Flags per mile than anywhere else in Britain – to our world-first 870mile long Wales Coast Path.

“However, it also gives us a platform to raise awareness of the need to care for our environment – and the impact our activities can have on our seas and coastline. The Welsh Government is committed to reducing the use of single use plastics, and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to support this innovative project by the Small World Theatre. Cragen will help raise awareness of the impact of single use plastics and the backdrop of our amazing coastline will be a reminder of the beauty that needs to be kept for future generations.”

The project received funding via the Tourism Product Innovation Fund (TPIF) and is supported through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government; the Fund aims to encourage new innovative product ideas working in partnership which will have a greater impact and attract more visitors.

The Cragen will be at Tenby North Beach on July 27, Stackpole Quay on August 3 and The Parrog in Goodwick on August 17.

Follow Cragen’s travels online cleanseascragen.wales and share your ‘sighting’ on social media using the hashtags #cleanseascragen #findyourepic #cleanseas.

News

Welsh teenager jailed for creating 3D-printed gun at home

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A TEENAGER who assembled parts for a viable semi-automatic firearm using a 3D printer has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison.

Owain Roberts, 19, purchased nuts, bolts, steel barrels, and metal rods online, constructing components of an FGC-9 gun with the aid of a 3D printer.

Detectives said that this case marks the first of its kind in Gwent, where Roberts admitted to manufacturing a firearm component. He appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday (Nov 14).

In April, firearms officers executed warrants at two Newport addresses connected to Roberts. Seized items included a 3D printer, two laptops, six plastic reels, and parts for an FGC-9 firearm.

PC Tom Meazey, from Gwent Police’s East Serious Organised Crime team, stated: “Illegally-held firearms can lead to tragic consequences and devastate innocent people’s lives. To own a firearm, including a printable one, is illegal in the UK without a valid firearms certificate. Roberts’s reckless actions in buying items capable of manufacturing a firearm placed people at direct risk.”

This rare and complex investigation involved support from the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Roberts received a prison sentence of four years and nine months.

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Milford Haven man caught with indecent images of children spared jail

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A MILFORD HAVEN man, Gareth MacDonald, 23, has been sentenced after pleading guilty to downloading over 1,000 indecent images of children.

MacDonald, of Meyler Crescent, was arrested in March 2023 following a police search of his home. Acting on intelligence, officers seized multiple electronic devices, and MacDonald admitted to downloading the illegal images.

Swansea Crown Court heard that MacDonald accessed material spanning all severity categories, including images depicting the rape of pre-teen children.

He reportedly told police he had “become bored with legal pornography” roughly a year prior to his arrest.

Judge Geraint Walters sentenced MacDonald to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. As part of the sentence, MacDonald must:

  • Complete 20 rehabilitation activity days
  • Participate in the Horizon programme
  • Register as a sex offender for 10 years
  • Comply with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order

Judge Walters remarked that MacDonald had been accessing illegal content “for some considerable period of time” despite knowing it was wrong.

However, MacDonald, who has health problems, dodged being sent to jail and was able to leave the court a free man.

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Crime

Ceredigion man sentenced for selling £150,000 in illegal DVDs

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A CEREDIGION man has been sentenced for selling counterfeit DVDs worth £150,000 under major brand names without authorization.

David Robert Thomas, 47, from Sarnau, ran a sophisticated online operation, producing and selling fake DVDs labeled with brands like Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Sony, and Universal City Studios LLC. Thomas used seven different websites and managed multiple bank and PayPal accounts, including those of family members, to carry out his business.

Councillor Matthew Vaux, Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: “Counterfeiting is often thought of as a victimless crime, but it harms the local economy by undermining legitimate businesses that pay taxes and create real jobs. This result sends a clear message that counterfeit sales will not be tolerated, and we will act against offenders.”

Thomas pleaded guilty at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (Nov 11) and was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. His sentence includes a four-month curfew and fifteen Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.

Under the Crime Act 2002, forfeiture proceedings will follow to reclaim the financial benefits from Thomas’s criminal activities. Judge Richards took into account the market value of equivalent genuine goods, the sophisticated setup of Thomas’s business, and his previously clean record in reaching the sentencing decision.

The case was brought forward successfully by Ceredigion County Council’s Trading Standards Service.

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