News
Llangolman: Cooper and a string of coincidences

IT’S December in Pembrokeshire – the run up to Christmas – and the bodies of two wealthy siblings are found in their fire-damaged rural home.
Both suffered horrific injuries before their deaths. But, because of the fire, little evidence is found.
We could be talking about Richard and Helen Thomas’ deaths at John Cooper’s hands in their Scoveston Manor home.
But we’re not.
We’re talking about a mysterious double murder that took place almost a decade earlier, in the Pembrokeshire village of Llangolman.
John Cooper kept trophies and keys from his criminal career. Police found hundreds when they searched his home.
Cooper was charged and convicted of 2 double murders, rape and sexual assault in 2011.
Before then, Cooper was convicted of robbing over 30 properties in a crime spree stretching back to him stealing a car, assaulting a police officer and ABH between 1961-65.
Brother and sister Griff and Patti Thomas lived in the small village of Llangolman, near Clunderwen, for over 70 years. Neither married so they kept each other company in their small rural farmhouse, Ffynnon Samson, in the picturesque Preseli Hills.
Their lives passed relatively uneventfully until sometime before 8:25 am on Saturday, December 11, 1976.
While on his rounds that day, a local postman, Nigel Rossiter, stumbled across a horrendous scene at Ffynnon Samson.
Mr Rossiter collected what he thought was the outgoing post from the Thomases home. But it was the post he’d placed there two days before. When the postman noticed this, he knocked at Ffynnon Samson’s door to check on Griff and Patti.
There was no reply.
Worried about the elderly pair’s welfare, he let himself in.
The scene which greeted him was horrendous.
“Going into the house, I had to go into a good bit of the room because there was a big chair or something in the way. I could see this charred body in a nest of cushions, and a made-out thing, like, as if it was a nest,” Mr Rossiter told the inquest into the siblings’ deaths.
What Nigel Rossiter saw were the badly charred remains of Griff Thomas on a settle. Mr Thomas’ body was so severely burned that only his feet could be made out.
Nigel, understandably shocked, ran to a neighbour’s house to raise the alarm.
It wasn’t until Mr Rossiter returned to the scene with the Police that they found Patti.
Patti Thomas’ body was found slumped over a table on a magazine rack in the parlour. She had been brutally beaten to death with a heavy dining room chair which was found covered in blood.
When the Police arrived on the scene, they collected 174 items of evidence. House-to-house enquiries began with over 150 statements taken. Forensic experts descended on Ffynnon Samson with 430 fingerprints taken from the house.
The local constabulary, headed by Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Molloy, proved Griff and Patti Thomas were both killed sometime between Griff’s last visit to the local shop for his daily paper and some shopping at 4 pm on Tuesday, December 7 and the discovery of their bodies on Saturday.
Griff didn’t make his daily call to the local shop for his newspaper on Wednesday, December 8. It’s, therefore, reasonable to suppose he didn’t because he and Patti were already dead.
Griff’s watch was found to have stopped ticking at 8:20. Dyfed-Powys Police believe that the Thomases met their demise on Tuesday evening.
Of the 430 fingerprints taken from Fynnon Samson, 2 couldn’t be traced.
Locals widely accepted someone else had been in the house that night. Police found Griff’s blood AND one of the unidentified fingerprints on a sewing machine that had had its cover placed back onto it by persons unknown.
They were left-hand fingerprints, but Griff’s left arm was so severely burned that his fingerprints couldn’t be taken.
Although a thorough search didn’t find a murder weapon, it did find £2,700 in Patti’s purse.
That discovery derailed the murder investigation.
Dyfed-Powys Police began treating what happened to the Thomases as a murder-suicide.
When an inquest into the unexplained deaths was opened in Haverfordwest in February 1977, officers stuck to that explanation.
The ’77 inquest heard how it was believed that Griff Thomas had rowed with his sister over ‘pocket money’ she gave to him.
The inquest also heard it was believed that the severely arthritic Griff had beaten his sister to death with a chair before committing the ghastliest of suicides.
How Griff sustained a fractured skull wasn’t explained; nor was how a person of calm temperament suddenly snapped into a murderous rage. Griff’s severe rheumatism wasn’t mentioned.
The inquest’s summary reads: “Something must have happened between the old couple, and it could have been that Miss Thomas provoked her brother by either hitting him or pulling his hair and he then retaliated.
“It was possible that Mr Thomas had provoked his sister by starting a fire. Though seriously injured, he carried his sister from the house’s kitchen into the living room where she was found sitting on a magazine rack. He could have headed back to the house’s kitchen, collapsing in a doorway where his blood was found before getting to his feet and then either falling back into the fire or throwing himself on it.”
On February 17, 1977, an inquest jury deliberated and returned the verdict that Patti Thomas’ death was manslaughter at her brother’s hands. Griff’s death was, however, left open.

Rhydwilym Baptist Chapel in 1976
The Thomases were interred at Rhydwilym Baptist Chapel where both siblings were dedicated members of the congregation attending church the Sunday of both their deaths.
Due to the inquest’s verdict, Griff was, for many years, denied a headstone as it was believed he had killed his sister in a moment of insanity. He now shares a headstone with Patti though.
44 years later and many locals still believe someone else was there that night.
Whatever you might think, it’s believed John Cooper was in the Llangolman area at the time doing fencing work.
We also know for sure that the key for Griff and Patti’s locked bureau was never found.
The similarities between the two pairs of siblings’ deaths at Llangolman and Scoveston are striking.
We asked whether the Police explored possible ties between the Llangolman deaths and Cooper.
A Police spokesperson didn’t deny Cooper was a person of interest in Griff and Patti Thomas’s deaths.
They said: “Dyfed-Powys Police will examine any specific new information containing detailed knowledge or evidence, and any further decisions would be based on the results of the examination of that new material.
“There is no intention to re-investigate any incidents on speculation alone.”
The day after Cooper’s conviction in May 2011, Dyfed-Powys Police were understood to have been planning to “review the circumstances” of the 1976 deaths.
It seems that review yielded no new information in the decade since. Dyfed-Powys Police must be happy with the way their 1970’s predecessors investigated the deaths at the time.
It’s a shame the evidence taken from Ffynnon Samson won’t be scrutinised with modern DNA testing techniques and the same thirst for justice which saw John Cooper convicted of two double murders some 21 years later despite police not finding any new evidence they didn’t already possess as part of Operation: Huntsman.
As of going to press, Griff and Patti Thomas are no closer to the justice they deserve than they were in February 1977.
When this article initially ran, we printed the picture and named Llangolman Church as being the place of burial for the Thomases and that Griff didn’t have a headstone today. We later found these details to be incorrect, so we have rectified this for the online version of the story.
Business
Beggars Reach Hotel sold to local business family for £950,000

A WELL KNOWN countryside hotel and event venue has been sold to local operators in a deal brokered by specialist business property adviser Christie & Co.
Beggars Reach Hotel, located in the village of Burton and set within seven acres of landscaped gardens, has been acquired by a local business family with a strong track record in hospitality and retail. The family also owns an established fish and chip restaurant in the seaside town of Tenby, as well as other commercial property interests in the region.
The popular hotel features 30 en-suite bedrooms, a restaurant, bistro-style breakfast room, and several function and event spaces – including a light-filled Orangery. With its sweeping views of the surrounding South West Wales countryside, Beggars Reach has become a sought-after venue for weddings, leisure breaks, and corporate events.
The property also holds planning permission for twenty additional guest rooms and a spa facility, offering the new owners scope for further development.
The transaction was supported by Christie Finance, who secured funding for the buyers within weeks of the sale being agreed.
Sam Roberts, Senior Broker at Christie & Co, said: “After the previous owner acquired the business through us early last year, unforeseen personal circumstances led to the need for a resale. We launched a full marketing campaign, which attracted strong interest, and we were able to secure a suitable buyer quickly. It has been a pleasure to assist with the sale of Beggars Reach for a second time, and we wish the new owners every success in taking the hotel forward.”
Tamara Ryan, Finance Consultant at Christie Finance, added: “It was an absolute pleasure to support our client with this acquisition. As an experienced and ambitious local business partnership, they have exciting plans for the hotel. We secured highly competitive funding within a few weeks of the offer being accepted, reflecting the strong appetite in the market for hotel investment.”
The hotel was sold off an asking price of £950,000.
Crime
Man avoids jail despite possessing child abuse images

A PEMBROKE DOCK man has been spared immediate custody after police found almost 70 indecent images of children on his mobile phone — including one image of a child aged around three whose hands and ankles were bound.
Andrew Davies, aged 36, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday (Apr 1), having earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent photographs of children.
The court heard that officers from Dyfed-Powys Police executed a search warrant at Davies’ home on Brewery Street in November 2022. Davies was present at the property and handed over a mobile phone along with the PIN code to unlock it.
Upon examination of the device, officers discovered 67 illegal images. These included nine category A images — the most serious classification — 14 category B images, and 44 category C images. The images had been downloaded and stored in a password-protected application.
Prosecuting, Sian Cutter said one of the images showed a child estimated to be three years old with their limbs restrained. She told the court that all of the material was accessible on the device and had been intentionally downloaded.
In mitigation, defence barrister Ryan Bowen said Davies was “under no illusion as to the seriousness of his offending”. He said the offences dated back to 2019, and that the matter had been hanging over Davies for several years.
Mr Bowen added: “He has no previous convictions and is of otherwise good character. He accepts responsibility for his actions and has shown insight and a willingness to address his behaviour. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”
Sentencing, Her Honour Judge Catherine Richards told Davies: “The possession and viewing of child sexual abuse images causes direct harm to real children. It is a very serious aggravating factor that some of the images involve children as young as three.”
Davies was handed three prison terms of eight, four and two months, to run concurrently, making a total of eight months. The sentence was suspended for two years.
He must complete 200 hours of unpaid work and attend 25 rehabilitation activity days. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.
Business
Valero refinery escapes Trump’s new tariffs

Fuel imports spared as US tries to avoid price hikes
THE VALERO oil refinery in Pembroke has escaped the impact of Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs on UK and EU goods, following confirmation from the White House that all oil, gas and refined fuel imports will be exempt from the new trade restrictions.

On Wednesday (Apr 2), Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on all imports into the United States, with higher duties targeting key trading partners including Britain and the European Union. The move has sparked fears of a deepening global trade war, with UK manufacturers, farmers, and exporters among those facing fresh barriers to the American market.
However, a White House official told Reuters that energy imports would be excluded entirely from the tariff measures. The exemption, which applies to crude oil, natural gas, petrol, diesel and jet fuel, is designed to prevent supply disruptions and price spikes in the United States, particularly on the East Coast, where fuel imports from Europe play a vital role.
Relief for Pembrokeshire
The announcement is a major relief for Pembrokeshire, where the Valero refinery at Rhoscrowther remains one of the area’s largest employers. Hundreds of local jobs depend directly on the refinery, with many more supported through contractors, hauliers, suppliers and businesses tied to the energy sector.
A local business owner in Pembroke Dock said: “This is brilliant news for the area. Valero keeps a lot of people in work around here, and the last thing we needed was more uncertainty from across the Atlantic.”
While other Welsh exports—including lamb, steel and whisky—face an uphill battle under the new tariffs, Pembroke’s key fuel production facility has been spared thanks to a combination of its strategic importance and ownership.
American-owned, Atlantic-focused
Valero Energy Corporation, which owns the Pembroke site, is a US-based multinational headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The company is one of the largest independent refiners in the world, and acquired the Pembroke refinery in 2011 from Chevron for $730 million.
The deal also included a vast logistics and retail network across the UK and Ireland, including four product pipelines, 11 fuel terminals, a 14,000-barrel-per-day aviation fuels business, and more than 1,000 Texaco-branded forecourts—making it the largest branded dealer network in the UK.
At the time of the acquisition, Valero’s Chairman and CEO Bill Klesse said the move would allow the company to supply the US East Coast market more competitively, particularly after exiting US East Coast refining operations in 2010. “The Pembroke refinery remained profitable even during the depths of the economic downturn,” Klesse said. “We expect that it will be immediately accretive to earnings per share.”
Fuel to flow when economics align
The Pembroke refinery has a processing capacity of 270,000 barrels per day, making it one of the most complex and flexible in Europe. It produces around 3.6 million gallons of petrol and 2.2 million gallons of diesel daily and can process more than 60 different types of crude oil.
While exact export volumes to the United States are not publicly disclosed, the site is considered a key part of Valero’s Atlantic Basin margin optimisation strategy—designed to move fuel between Europe and the US when market conditions are favourable. Europe remains a major supplier of refined fuel to the US East Coast, where refining capacity has declined.
An energy analyst told The Herald: “Even if Pembroke isn’t exporting to the US every day, it’s a crucial part of Valero’s strategy. When the economics make sense, diesel or jet fuel from Wales can and does flow to the US. That’s why the White House exemption matters—it keeps those channels open.”
Wider Welsh economy still exposed
While Valero and the Pembroke refinery are protected under the exemption, other Welsh sectors are now facing harsh realities. Exports such as Welsh lamb, whisky, steel and car components are now subject to tariffs that could reduce competitiveness in one of Wales’ most important markets.
Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick said: “Donald Trump has launched a destructive trade war that threatens the jobs and living standards of people right across Wales. This needs to be brought to an end quickly, and the Prime Minister should be forming a coalition of allies—Canada, Australia, the EU—to stand against this. If the Government gives in to Trump’s threats, it will only encourage more bullying tactics in future.”
Looking ahead: volatile politics, stable demand
Although energy has been exempted for now, industry insiders warn that volatility remains high.
“The US exemption is about fuel supply and domestic prices,” the analyst added. “If demand or political calculations shift, exemptions could change too. Wales can’t afford to be complacent.”
One refinery worker put it more bluntly: “We’ve dodged this bullet, but with Trump, the safety’s always off.”

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