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Press gagging order granted in James Oulton case by Crown Court judge

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THE CROWN COURT judge presiding over the James Oulton trial has issued a reporting restriction to the press, which local media says is a “draconian” measure which will hamper the reporting of the child abuse case.

In total, 11 ex-pupils, who were under 13, have accused Oulton, 34, of sexually assaulting them.

He denies 30 charges at Swansea Crown Court, relating to his time at a primary school in Haverfordwest, between 2012 and 2018.

Her Honour Judge C Richards sitting at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (Apr 19) granted an application for a media gagging order made by Oulton’s defence barrister Christopher Clee QC.

The BBC and The Pembrokeshire Herald opposed the order in court, with the Herald saying it will try to overturn the order at the Court of Appeal.

Judge C Richards said that whilst the Pembrokeshire Herald “rightfully and properly reported on the case”, public comments, which have now been restricted, had “been of concern”.

The application was to restrict the reporting of the names of eight adult defence witnesses, or any matter likely to lead members of the public to identify who the witnesses are.

However, the ‘likely to lead’ phrase means, because of possible jigsaw identification of witnesses, likely none of the defence evidence in the case could be reported by the press without publishers running the risk of breaching the order.

Judge C Richards first read legal submissions from the legal team at the BBC.

Barrister for Herald News (UK) Ltd, Matthew Graham Paul, made submissions orally on behalf of this newspaper.

He told the court: “The imposing of reporting restrictions under S.46 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 should be approached with caution.

“The order sought by my learned friend would not merely postpone the reporting of this case, it would, in effect, prohibit any significant reporting of the majority of the defence case altogether.

“The freedom of the press is an absolute fundamental part of court proceedings, and Article 10 rights, necessary in a democratic society.

“The court should exhaust every other remedy before making an order effectively harming the reporting of the case.”

Matthew Paul explained that whilst he understood that there were concerns over Facebook comments written by members of the public on news reports on the Pembrokeshire Herald’s Facebook page, this matter had been resolved by banning commenting all together – something which Facebook has started to allow on specific posts since April 1, 2021.

Matthew Paul explained to the court that Press restriction orders under Section (4)2 The Contempt of Court Act 1981 were rare, “and required a high level of evidence before they were granted”.

“This is not the case for orders made under S.46 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999” he said, but argued that applications under both pieces of legislation “should be treated in the same way.”

He said: “The court has an enormous arsenal of sanctions to deploy against anyone violating the Contempt of Court Act”

Calling the application by the defence “draconian”, he added “the court has got several ways of putting witnesses at ease, aside from reporting restrictions.

“Prohibiting a free press on a trial which is of significant interest in my submission is wrong. It is improper for the court to make this s.46 order.”

The judge noted that there had been, in her opinion, an increase in reluctance for witnesses to give evidence since the case had attracted so much publicity.

Judge C Richards said: “I have not read them myself, but I was made aware of public comments on the Herald Facebook page, and that they had caused a bit of a stir in Pembrokeshire.

“It was not anything that I needed to concern the jury about, and I noted that the comment section was promptly restricted.”

When making her order, the judge said: “Continued reporting could mean the quality of evidence given by witnesses could be diminished.

“I am satisfied that a reporting direction is necessary under section 46 and am satisfied that this is in the interests of justice.”

It was also stressed that the reporting restriction does not only cover the press, but also covers members of the public, who could now be breaking the law if they name defence witnesses on social media platforms.

Testimony from the 11 child witnesses for the prosecution can still be reported, but the alleged victims cannot be named.

Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

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A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.

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BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

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THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.

The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”

A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old. 

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Business

First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead

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THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port last week, marking the start of physical deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.

The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock on Wednesday 26th November, bringing tower sections and other heavy components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the existing gas terminal at Waterston.

A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, has arrived in Pembroke Port today  (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.

The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.

Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the latest movements in emails to the Herald.

“The Peak Bergen arrived last week with the first components,” she said. “We are expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”

The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.

The Weather conditions were favourable for the arrival of the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.

The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are expected to begin early next year, subject to final police and highway approvals.

A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.

Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery programme continues.

Photo: Martin Cavaney

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