News

BBC Wales investigation uncovers potential new evidence in Clydach Murders case

Published

4 years ago

October 22, 2020

A BBC WALES investigation has uncovered potential new evidence casting doubt over the guilt of a man for the horrific murders of three generations of one family 21-years-ago.

In a powerful one-hour documentary made by the BBC Wales Investigates team, later tonight on BBC One Wales at 9pm and then on BBC iPlayer, reporter Wyre Davies explores whether the conviction of David Morris for one of Wales’ most shocking crimes could be a miscarriage of justice.

Mandy Power, her elderly mother and two young daughters were brutally bludgeoned to death with a metal pole coated in fibre glass at their home in Kelvin Road, Clydach, near Swansea in the summer of 1999. It led to South Wales Police’s largest ever murder inquiry.

Seven years after the murders, local labourer Morris was sentenced to four life prison terms at Newport Crown Court in 2006, later to be reduced to 32 years, after being found guilty of the mass murders.

A year earlier his conviction from a previous trial at Swansea Crown Court in 2002 had been quashed in the Court of Appeal but he was soon to be convicted again.

The brutal murders had sent shockwaves through the close-knit Welsh community in the summer of 1999 and it soon emerged 34-year-old Mandy Power had been involved in a serious love affair with former police officer Alison Lewis at the time she was killed.

Alison Lewis was married and living with her husband – South Wales Police Sergeant Stephen Lewis – when the murders occurred sometime between June 26th and the early hours of June 27th in 1999.

In a twist to the tragic events, Stephen’s twin brother Stuart, an acting inspector with the force at the time, was the most senior officer to arrive at the crime scene that morning.

All three of the Lewis’s quickly became suspects in connection with the murders and just over a year later – in July 2000 – Alison and Stephen Lewis were arrested on suspicion of murder and Stuart Lewis was arrested on the suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

They were questioned but weren’t charged as the Crown Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence. All three maintained they were innocent of any involvement.

The focus of the police investigation then sharply turned to Morris after police linked him to a gold chain left at the murder scene, which he admitted was his just weeks before his first trial. He was arrested in March 2001, questioned and charged with the horrific killings in the same month.

However, a new eyewitness account from the night questions whether South Wales Police missed investigating potentially important information during their original inquiries.

Tonight’s programme will hear from a taxi driver, Mike, who claims to have seen twin brothers Stephen and Stuart Lewis walking along Vardre Road minutes away from the crime scene in Kelvin Road after 2am.

“There were two blokes walking towards me on the pavement next to the taxi my side,” Mike said.

“And what struck me was they were very, very similar. Both dark hair, cropped. Very, very similar features.”

Mike says that after seeing their photos in local press coverage he was “100% convinced” the two men he saw were the Lewis brothers. He was working as a taxi driver for a local firm on the night of the murders. He said he contacted police twice about the sightings but says his calls and information he gave to police were never followed up.

Stephen Lewis issued a statement, saying any witnesses who suggest he was in Clydach on the night were mistaken as he was at home all night.

Stuart Lewis has said he did not see either Alison or his twin Stephen that night and was on general patrol when the killings took place; while Alison has said she was at home in bed with her husband, Stephen.

BBC Wales now understands Mike has given his statement to the police, who are investigating.

Wyre Davies also talks to another potential eyewitness in the programme.

John Allen claims to have seen a man carrying a green coloured “kit bag” under his arm near to the crime scene as he drove as a disqualified driver in country lanes in the early hours of the morning with three others.

He says he regrets not informing police at the time but has come forward now.

“I seen him perfectly. Standing there in the middle of the road. When I come round the corner I had to slam on or I would have hit him cause he was practically on my bonnet,” Mr Allen said.

Mr Allen did not report what he saw to the police at the time, and admits that he was driving while disqualified, but says he has now come forward as it’s “been on his mind” for 20 years, and he wants justice.

Another witness who actually gave evidence at David Morris’ trials, also claims to have seen a man carrying a bundle that night near to Kelvin Road.

Nicola Williams reported what she saw to police, provided an e-fit and later identified the man as Stephen Lewis at a video ID parade. At trial her evidence was disputed and it seems it didn’t cause the jury to doubt David Morris’ guilt.

Morris’ legal team believe the potential new sightings could be significant and their testimonials should be investigated by police and the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Solicitor Maslen Merchant said: “It’s very, very interesting the accounts that they’ve given.

“It’s interesting that they describe events and seeing the same individual – or possibly one of two individuals – around that area at exactly the right time.

“Potentially, new witnesses could provide Dai with a ground of appeal; new “witnesses could get these convictions quashed.

Morris, who has spent more than 19 years in prison for the crime, has always protested his innocence.

His DNA and fingerprints were never discovered at the crime scene in Kelvin Road where he was said to have started four fires to destroy the house after brutally beating his victims to death.

The most incriminating evidence against Morris was the gold chain found at the crime scene which he lied was his until weeks before his first trial.

Winchester University lecturer Brian Thornton has been investigating the murders for more than 10 years from the Crime and Research Centre he set up at the university. He gave BBC Wales access to the original court files housed in a bunker at the university containing thousands of documents and exhibits from the case to investigate.

Professor Thornton said the potential new evidence could prove significant and hopefully provide a breakthrough in terms of getting the case reviewed and back to the Court of Appeal. They plan to include the potential new evidence in a fresh application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

“The threshold that you have to pass is you have to establish that there is fresh evidence, new evidence, essentially evidence that the jury never heard.

“And this new evidence is going to be right at the heart of the fresh application,” Brian Thornton said.

Morris’ defence team also believe the key to potentially proving his innocence could still lie in the forensics, despite their client’s DNA never being discovered at the scene.

Forensic scientist Joanne Millington has been looking at the case again with fresh eyes.

In the programme she argues there were shortcomings in the original DNA testing of the murder weapon as well as a blood-soaked sock thought to be used as a glove by the killer and both found at the crime scene. Her findings will be included in the new application to be submitted to the CCRC.

Ms Millington says it is already known that an unidentified partial male DNA trace was detected on the murder weapon that isn’t a match to an elimination sample provided by Morris.

“We have an elimination sample from him to compare directly and it doesn’t match his profile,” she said.

Wyre Davies also traces the steps of Morris on the night of the murders and examines the potential sequence of who was killed at the victims’ home in Kelvin Road.

Also appearing in the programme is barrister Simon McKay who has expertise in disclosure and high-profile cases around terrorism and security.

After looking again at disclosure details in both of Morris’s trials, he raises concerns that too many documents were withheld from the defence under the legal umbrella of Public Interest Immunity (PII). The type of documents normally held back as PII are usually only those seen as important for protecting government and public security as well as covert police intelligence.

Mr McKay said: “This case certainly has a significant volume of material which was subject to a series of public interest immunity applications and there is not an obvious reason why you would expect that to arise.

“When one looks at the entire context of the case … then it’s understandable that one walks away from this case with serious concerns that justice has been done.”

The 21-year-old murder case has been back in the spotlight following a campaign set up by Morris’s family.

An online Facebook page aimed at freeing him now has more than 22,000 members. Before lockdown, meetings were held regularly in Swansea to rally support.

Supporters who believe there has been a miscarriage of justice wear or decorate their cars or house with yellow or green garlands and bows.

Morris’ sister Debra Thomas has always protested her brother’s innocence and says she hopes the programme will convince other potential witnesses to come forward with information.

Two attempts to convince the review body to take a fresh look at the case have so far failed, the latest in 2018.

South Wales Police says it undertook an extensive investigation; Morris has twice been convicted by a jury and they await the content of the programme with interest.

The victims’ families – the Dawson and Power families – both issued statements earlier this week, saying they believe the right man was behind bars for the killings.

The Clydach Murders: Beyond Reasonable Doubt airs on BBC One Wales tonight (Thursday) at 9pm; and will be available on BBC iPlayer.

Charity

Welsh teen wins photography competition with ‘perfect puffin pic’

Published

3 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A STRIKING image of a puffin on Skomer Island in west Wales has been hailed the winner of this year’s prestigious RSPCA Young Photographer Awards – a year which saw the charity mark its historic 200th anniversary.

The winning entry was from Anwen Whitehead, 15, from Cnwch Coch in Aberystwyth, and announced at a ceremony at the Tower of London held today (Thursday 19 December) – a special and historic event which also celebrates the RSPCA’s milestone anniversary.

Every year, the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards invites young people aged 18 years and under to capture the animal kingdom on a camera or a mobile device. This supports the RSPCA’s mission of inspiring everyone to create a better world for every animal.

The judges praised the emotion and composition of Anwen’s Puffin photograph ‘Daydreaming in the Chamomiles’, marvelling at how tough it is to photograph puffins and remarking on the beautiful, diffused background.

Winner Anwen from West Wales said: “It’s very surreal and amazing to have won. I think this will really encourage me to keep going and push to make this a career. I was amazed at being shortlisted as a finalist so to win makes me determined to keep going and keep improving. I’ve won a few local competitions but nothing on this scale!”

Having only started taking photographs as a serious hobby last year, Anwen explained that the puffin photo which was snapped on a long anticipated visit to Pembrokeshire’s famous Skomer Island was one of her favourite photographs.

Anwen explained that she can quite happily spend 10 hours in a bird hide, or out in a field in camouflage gear at sunrise to get the perfect photo.

She said: “That’s my happy place. It’s very relaxing to be out in nature and away from screens. It allows me to slow down a little bit. It can take a long time but it’s always worth it in the end and the buzz afterwards lasts all day or all week!

“I’ve always had a love of animals. We live in rural Wales so I’m surrounded by animals and nature. I think it’s really important to try and help protect nature through photography by showing both the magic and the fragility of nature to help make people realise how special nature really is. I see wildlife photography as a tool for conservation by helping to spread the word.”

Remarkably, a number of photos submitted by Anwen were recognised this year. As well as being overall winner, Anwen’s puffin photo also won the 12-15 category; while her red squirrel image ‘Sergeant Squirrel reporting for duty’ was commended in the same category. Another red squirrel image ‘Peckish’ was commended in the 12-15 mobile category and her swallows image placed runner-up in the City Life section. Finally, her ‘Puffin Paradise’ collection came runner-up in the Portfolio category meaning Anwen had a whopping seven images shortlisted in the final.

All entries are judged entirely anonymously, and separately from one another, which makes Anwen’s multiple successes this year even more staggering.

To mark the charity’s 200th birthday, the RSPCA added two new categories – ‘Better World’ which imagines what a better world for animals looks like, and ‘City Life’ – which highlights how animals are all around us and shows how we can live harmoniously together.

Chris Packham, TV presenter, RSPCA President and supporter of the awards since its inception over 30 years ago, said: “As ever, this is a wonderful portfolio of work. This competition always attracts very strong entries and my special congratulations goes to all the winners and of course, especially, to the overall winner.”

Chris, who couldn’t attend the ceremony in person but recorded a special video message for the winners, added: “Photography is a great way of communicating your love for, your passion for, your fascination for, and your concern for animals. I think it’s really important that we use that as a tool at this particular time when a lot of animals are in trouble. Being able to use your imagination, creativity and ingenuity to come up with something personally unique and powerful is a very important tool.”

This year’s awards were judged by a panel of photography experts, including wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby; former competition winner-turned-professional photographer Catriona Parfitt; professional wildlife photographer and photographic guide Ellie Rothnie; and RSPCA photographers Andrew Forsyth and Emma Jacobs. And for the first time this year – Fabian Rivers, known as the ‘Dready Vet’, an exotic animal and wildlife vet and RSPCA ambassador who appears on CBBC’s The Pets Factor.

Fabian said: “It’s a great honour to be involved in the inspiring RSPCA Young Photographer Awards this year. The calibre of entries has been staggering. Anwen’s puffin image is technically great, it’s sharp and evokes such lovely emotions. There’s a real story behind it and it was a clear winner for me.”

Other prize winners included last year’s talented overall winner Jamie Smart, aged nine, from Powys, Mid Wales, who won Pet Portraits with an image of her cat titled ‘Not Impressed’, and ‘Ready for Bed’ which features an owl won the Better World category, followed by her kingfisher image ‘City Fisher’ which won City Life. She also secured the top spot in the Under 12s category with ‘Rise of the Gannet’, and placed runner-up or commended with a further four images.

Other winners included;

Austin Lake, 13, from Devon, won Pet Personalities with his black and white photo of his cat,
Chris Wardell, 18, from Wiltshire, won Small World with his silhouetted spider, and the Portfolio category with a selection of back-lit fox photos,
Arlo Rautenbach, age 10 from Cornwall, won the Under 12 category with his photo of a slow worm,
Nathaniel Gingell, age 14 from Hampshire, won the 12-15 mobile category with a photo of a group of dogs,
Daisy Pipe, age 16 from Dorset, won the 16-18 mobile category with her tomato wasp image,
Anton Poon, 17, from Buckinghamshire, won the 16-18 category with an image of a robin

Sponsors of the competition are Natures Images (wildlife photography holidays) and Camtraptions (camera traps for wildlife photography). Winners in each category were awarded trophies and a selection of prizes at the Tower of London ceremony and as the Overall Winner, Anwen Whitehead received a weekend photography break with Natures Images. This fabulous prize- the Deer Rut Special – includes two nights’ accommodation for the winner and a parent/guardian.

The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2025 opens for entries on 6 May.

The full gallery of all the winning images can be viewed here.

Community

Castle Ward Pupils Lead Anti-Social Behaviour Art Mural Project

Published

3 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

HAVERFORDWEST HIGH VC SCHOOL welcomed a visit from County Councillor Thomas Tudor, who expressed his full support for the pupils’ efforts in tackling anti-social behaviour through an innovative Art Mural Project.

Councillor Tudor, representing the Castle Ward, highlighted the significance of the project, noting the area’s past struggles with anti-social behaviour in central commercial zones. “Engaging with pupils to address this issue through art is an extremely exciting venture,” he said.

The project has received a boost with £750 in funding secured from the Youth Bank initiative. Councillor Tudor commended the Youth Workers for their successful funding application, describing it as “a great achievement.”

The mural, spearheaded by pupils from the Youth Room and Haverfordwest High VC School, aims to inspire and engage the community while addressing a vital issue. “This exciting and innovative project will undoubtedly capture the imagination of those involved and reach out to all concerned,” Councillor Tudor added.

The initiative is set to bring a creative approach to community engagement and highlight the power of art in fostering positive change.

Photo caption: Castle Ward inspiration: Councillor Thomas Tudor supports the Art Mural Project (Pic: Suppled)

Education

Home Education: Delays and missed opportunities risk further tragedy

Published

3 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Jon Coles

THE TOPIC of Home Education has again hit the headlines.

The brutal murder of Sara Sharif in London exposes the glaring gaps in child protection for home-educated children over those in mainstream education, says the Independent Group on Pembrokeshire County Council in a detailed proposal on tackling safeguarding concerns and a call for the Welsh Government to act.

The Group’s statement is below.

No one denies that parents have the choice of home education. However, this shouldn’t be allowed if the risk to children is increased by a lack of a register by Local Authorities that confirms how many children are receiving home education, where they are receiving it, and from whom. The rights of the child should always be a priority, but the legislation surrounding home education is not strong enough to support this.

Pleas to the Welsh Government from local authorities across Wales to create and maintain a register of home-schooled children have fallen on deaf ears.

COUNCILLORS HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL SAFEGUARDING DUTY

Pembrokeshire has had its share of tragic outcomes regarding home education, and Councillors and employees of the authority have continually raised concerns about the matter. However, a time has now arrived when we as a society must demand action, as failure to do so will almost certainly see such tragedies reoccur. Society needs to accept that this is not Big Brother but our fundamental duty to protect its most vulnerable, namely our Children.

Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said it was “madness” that the law currently allows parents to take a child out of school, even if concerns had already been raised”.

She added, “Being in school is a safeguard; they are safer under the eyes of teachers.”

We must act. The Prime Minister himself has said that his government will deliver “stronger safeguards” for those educated at home, and the need to act is immediate. And act they have done, making it clear they intend to bring forward legislation (for England) a “landmark” bill where home-schooled children will have to be registered with their local authority.

Wales has procrastinated for far too long and must follow suit and do so without delay.

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNCILLORS’ CONCERNS IGNORED

In Pembrokeshire, the lack of a formal register has been raised on numerous occasions over many years, including on a number of occasions since the last County Council elections in 2022. The Social Care O&S Committee under the Chair of Councillor Dave Bryan on November 10, 2022, heard The Head of Children Services comment that the Council was then “into their third administration of WG where concerns of EHE has not been acted upon following Kirsty Williams’s announcement to shelve the plans.”

A letter sent by Councillor Bryan on this matter drew a negative response from the Welsh Government.

Cllr Phil Kidney and Cllr Huw Murphy raised the matter at Full Council on December 12. The latter commented that action is needed on this matter, as words alone will not suffice, and that he would be failing in his role as Safeguarding Champion if he did not speak out. Politics is about doing right, not being popular.

INCREASED HOME EDUCATION INCREASES RISK

In 2020, there were 210 children in EHE in Pembrokeshire. By early 2023, that number was 325. By Sept 2024, it stood at 463.

Increased numbers equate to increased risk.

Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Carmarthenshire have the highest rates of children in EHE across Wales. The Education Act 1996 does not have the framework to allow local authorities to speak to home-schooled children or even see them if parents refuse. Home education works well in most cases, but sadly, not always. The invisibility of these children causes so much concern, as by the time they are seen, it is too late for some.

A CHANGE IN THE LAW

The UK is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 2 of the Convention directs that “the state shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinion or beliefs of the child’s parents.”

Article 28 (b) stipulates that governments must make “primary education compulsory & available free for all”, and 28 (e) says governments must “take measures to encourage attendance at schools and the reduction of drop-out rates.”

It could be argued that for Wales and the UK to be more compliant with the UNCRC, the Education Act, 1996 should be amended to confirm the rights of parents to home-educate their children but within a legal setting where every local authority holds a register of every child receiving home education, that every child is seen and spoken to every term and a sample of their work is seen to evidence that they are being educated to a level that will provide them with the necessary tools and skills to succeed on attaining adulthood.

Society gets only one chance to get things right for every child born into it. For too long, the issue of not setting up a formal register for home-educated children has been, at best, overlooked and, at worst, ignored when the majority support the measure. By doing so, PCC concerns for Child safety will be identified earlier, and tragic outcomes will be reduced.