TWO men have appeared before magistrates charged with supplying Class A cocaine from a housing estate in Neyland.

Miguel Ada and Marcel Mullings were arrested by officers at an undisclosed property in College Park, Neyland, on March 27 on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A cocaine and cannabis.

Mullings, 22, of no fixed abode, is further charged with possessing £1,740 in  cash  as a result of his alleged drug dealing.  The court was told that the cash was  found inside a pillow at the property.

“A number of people were found at the address, including the two defendants,” Crown Prosecutor Dennis Davies told Haverfordwest magistrates this week, after both defendants were brought before the Bench in custody.

“Cash was found in a pillow, while  text messages linked Marcel Mullings to the supply of drugs.  Police believe this  may be attached to county lines.”

No pleas were entered and Mullings, of no fixed abode,  was remanded in custody while Ada, of Claude Road, Roath, Cardiff,  was released on conditional bail.  The conditions are that he does not  enter Pembrokeshire and he  resides at his home address in Cardiff.

Given the seriousness of the allegations, magistrates declined jurisdiction and the matter will now be dealt with at Swansea Crown Court on May 2.

(Image: File)

A POLICE detective has praised the “immense strength” of two survivors of child sexual abuse after their attacker was finally jailed nearly four decades later.

Gary Hicks, now 64, was sentenced to 16 years behind bars at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (Mar 29) after being convicted of rape and multiple child sex offences committed in the Milford Haven area between 1987 and 1989.

At the time of the abuse, Hicks was in his late twenties. His victims, a boy and a girl, were both very young when the crimes took place.

Hicks, of Oregon Way, Luton, was found guilty of rape, two counts of indecency with a child, and three counts of indecent assault. His convictions followed two trials—one in August 2023 and another in February this year—after the jury in the first trial failed to reach a verdict on one of the rape charges.

The abuse came to light in October 2022, when the female victim reported what had happened to her. Her disclosure led to a police investigation, during which the male victim also came forward.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Emily Gmerek of Dyfed-Powys Police, who led the investigation, said:

“I would like to thank the two extremely brave victims in this case. They have shown immense strength of character, firstly in talking about the abuse, and secondly for working with us throughout the investigation, and the trials.

“This case is an important reminder that justice can be served many years after abuse has taken place. I sincerely hope the victims and their families can now try and move on with their lives, and that after almost 40 years, Hicks’ sentencing gives them some kind of closure.”

During the trial, the court heard how Hicks manipulated and threatened the female victim to keep her silent.

“He told her if she ever told anyone about the abuse, she wouldn’t be believed and she would have no friends,” said prosecuting counsel Daniel Jones. “Who is going to believe a young girl over a grown-up?”

Judge Huw Rees, in passing sentence, said: “This had the desired effect on her,” and described Hicks’ actions as “distasteful and discomforting”.

Hicks will be required to serve two-thirds of his sentence before he is eligible for release. He will also spend a further year on licence and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life. In addition, he is subject to indefinite restraining orders preventing him from contacting his victims.

A PERSON was airlifted to hospital after being freed from a crashed car by firefighters, following a single-vehicle collision near Whitland on Saturday afternoon (March 29).

Emergency services were called to Myrtle Hill, Cwmbach, at around 12:45pm after a car left the road and landed on its passenger side. Two people were in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

One casualty managed to get out of the vehicle before crews arrived, but the second person was medically trapped and had to be rescued by firefighters using a spine board and specialist equipment.

Crews from Whitland and Crymych fire stations, Dyfed-Powys Police, the Wales Air Ambulance, and a land ambulance all attended the scene.

One casualty was taken to hospital by land ambulance, while the other was flown to hospital by air. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The road was closed between 12:45pm and 4:00pm to allow for recovery and investigation work.

A spokesperson for Wales Air Ambulance said: “Our Cardiff-based crew was tasked at 12:51pm and arrived on scene at 1:15pm. Our involvement concluded at 3:06pm.”

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson confirmed: “We received a report of a single-vehicle road traffic collision at Myrtle Hill, Whitland, at around 12:45pm. One person was taken to hospital by air ambulance with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.”

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they were alerted at 12:50pm and left the scene at 1:37pm.

“Crews responded to a road traffic collision involving one private motor vehicle that had left the roadway and come to rest on its passenger side,” said a fire service spokesperson. “One casualty was already out of the vehicle on arrival. One person was medically trapped and extricated using a spine board and small gear.”