News
“Uncover phantom firms”, urges Archbishop
THE Archbishop of Wales is urging church-goers to support a campaign against tax dodgers.
Dr Barry Morgan is supporting Christian Aid’s campaign for greater tax transparency to help uncover “phantom firms”.
The charity wants the UK government to ensure public registers are created which reveal the true owners of phantom firms. It compares such companies to Russian dolls as their core ownership is disguised enabling them to evade tax.
Dr Morgan said, “No-one likes paying taxes but they are the bedrock of a fairer and more equal society, both here in Wales and in developing countries. Tax dodging, particularly through the set-up of phantom companies, drives poverty and injustice. I urge churches across Wales to give active support to Christian Aid’s campaign.”
Christian Aid’s Senior Economic Justice Adviser Joseph Stead, said: “Phantom companies enable nameless criminals to evade tax, launder money and pay bribes safe in the knowledge that even the police will find it very difficult to trace them. This causes harm worldwide, not least in poor countries, which lose billions every year to tax evasion and corruption.’
Churches’ efforts across Wales as part of the Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign helped to push the issue of tax dodging and hunger to the top of the G8 agenda in June, but despite the positive rhetoric from David Cameron and other world leaders at the G8 in Northern Ireland, corporate tax dodging remains a growing source of public anger.
Christian Aid is calling on people to email business secretary Vince Cable to ensure public registers are created which reveal who owns what, where, and for whose benefit at christianaid.org.uk/phantomfirms.
The photo attached shows Archbishop Barry with a “Russian doll”.
Crime
Motorist manned from driving after being caught over limit
A PEMBROKE DOCK motorist has been ordered off the roads after driving through Pembroke town centre when he was over the drink-drive limit.
Just before 1am on October 31, police officers stopped a Vauxhall Zafira that was being driven along South Road by Cameron Sell, 23, who was exceeding the speed limit.
“He was acting erratically when he was speaking to the officer,” Crown Prosecutor Nia James told Haverofrdwest magistrates this week.
A roadside breath test proved positive and subsequent breath tests carried out at the police station showed Sell had 42 mcg of alcohol in his system. The legal limit is 35.
After considering the facts, magistrates fined Sell £300 and ordered him to pay a £120 court surcharge and £85 costs. He was disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Crime
Milford Haven woman caught in finger-lickin’ supermarket crime spree
A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been sentenced by magistrates after stealing three packets of chicken from The Food Warehouse.
Marion Picton, 45, was seen by store staff removing three packs, each weighing 1.7kg, from the shelves of the Milford Haven store on April 10.
“She was about to leave the store with the chicken but she was spoken to by the staff and all the items were recovered,” Crown Prosecutor Nia James told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.
“They went back for resale so there is no claim for compensation.”
Ms James described Picton as ‘no stranger to the courts’. In November 2023 she served a custodial sentence for a previous conviction of theft.
Picton, of Hawthorn Path, Mount Estate, Milford Haven pleaded guilty to theft. She was fined £40 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £16 court surcharge.
Crime
Pembroke Dock motorist gave false name to the police
A MOTORIST was in court this week for giving police officers false information concerning his identity before driving off at high speed through red traffic lights with a front seat passenger and two babies strapped in the rear of his vehicle.
Lewis Palmer, 22, was stopped by officers on March 3 as he drove his Seat Ateca along Pembroke Road, Pembroke Dock.
“In the back were two very young children,” Crown Prosecutor Nia James told Haverfordwest magistrates this week. “One was four months old and the other was 14 months. In the front was his partner.”
Magistrates were shown body-worn footage in which Palmer could be heard telling the officer on several occasions that his name was Jordan. Subsequent checks carried out by the officer revealed that the information he had given was false, but when Palmer was questioned about this, drove off at a high speed.
“By now the passenger had unbuckled herself and was tending to the two babies in the back,” said Nia James. “So when the defendant drove off, she was unstrapped
“The officer had to step away to avoid impact and the defendant screeched off at high speed. He drove towards the traffic lights on Ferry Lane, and other motor vehicles had to stop to avoid a collision.
“There was only one reason that he drove off, and that was to avoid the police.”
Ms James informed magistrates that Palmer had already been disqualified by a court sitting at Aberdeen in May of this year, after being convicted of dangerous driving.
This week Palmer pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, obstructing a police constable in the execution of her duty, driving on a public road without third party insurance and failing to stop when required to do so by an officer.
After considering the facts, magistrates requested a full probation report before sentencing. Palmer was released on unconditional bail and will reappear before magistrates on December 10.
An interim disqualification was imposed.
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