News

Pembrokeshire opticians to remain open to help take strain off NHS

Published

5 years ago

April 27, 2020

TWO SPECSAVERS stores in Pembrokeshire have been nominated by the Hywel Dda University Health Board to stay open as eye care hubs to help take pressure off the NHS.

Specsavers in Haverfordwest and Pembroke Dock will remain open for urgent care only, as directed by the Welsh Government, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Eye care hubs are being set up across all the different health boards in Wales where optometrists will manage patients without having to refer them to a GP or hospital for many conditions.

Andy Britton, director of the Haverfordwest store, says: ‘These are testing times for everyone so it’s more important than ever to help ease the pressure off our amazing NHS and support our local community. This is a fantastic initiative set up by the Welsh Government and the health boards, which will, no doubt, save a great number of visits to a GP or the hospital.’

All Specsavers’ teams are classed as key workers to provide urgent and essential eye care to those who need it. This includes supporting other key workers who otherwise couldn’t work or function without their help, and people who would come to harm without care, especially where the usual hospital services and NHS facilities are being prioritised for the fight against COVID-19.

Mr Britton continues: ‘We’re prioritising key workers and people with urgent and emergency eye care needs and the team has been going above and beyond for our customers.

‘We want the local community to know that, while we are closed for routine appointments at the present time, we are still very much here to support people with their essential eye care needs – so please give us a call if you need us.’

The team has already supported a number of locals, including a vulnerable customer, who called the store after noticing a shadow in his left eye. He was found to have a retinal detachment, a condition which, left untreated, can lead to blindness, and had sight-saving surgery the next day at Glangwilli Hospital.

Optometrists in the store have also been conducting some examinations such as red eye over a video calling, saving the customer from leaving the house completely.

Mr Britton adds: ‘Eye health really matters, and this shows just how much urgent access to an optician can make a difference.’

Customers must call the stores if they need urgent support with a visual problem, or if they have issues with their sight, glasses or contact lenses. If anyone is required to attend the store, they will be asked to do so. Any face-to-face contact will be minimal, and will be handled in line with current government guidelines.

News

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

Published

5 seconds ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

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.

News

Milford Haven man caught with indecent images of children spared jail

Published

19 mins ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

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.

Crime

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

Published

26 mins ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

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.