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News

Pembroke Dock child rapist Stephen Bladen died whilst serving prison sentence

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A PEMBROKE DOCK paedophile, jailed for 21 years for child rape and sexual assault, died last year whilst serving his sentence, it has been confirmed.

An inquest which concluded on January 6 at Stourport Coroners Court heard that the dangerous child sex offender had died while an inmate of Category A prison Long Lartin in Worcestershire.

Stephen Bladen, aged 55 at the time of his arrest, had claimed the accusations against him had been made up.

But a jury at Swansea crown court took just four hours to find him guilty of all 30 charges against him. He was jailed back in 2015.

Bladan’s offending began in the mid 1980s and continued until this year.

He raped an eight year old girl after threatening to kill her favourite bunny rabbit to get her not to struggle.

Bladen, a self employed painter and decorator, raped another girl after promising to give her sweets—and, afterwards, didn’t even bother.

One of his victims was just four or five when he stripped her naked and masturbated over her.

The offending came to light when one of his victims decided she could not remain quiet any longer. She contacted other females—by then grown women—and told them that she was about to contact the police and told them what had happened to her.

Four other victims came forward with similar accounts of abuse at the hands of Bladen.

One of them told police she had seen “weird” pornography on Bladen’s computer, featuring people being chased and having their private parts cut off.

Despite Bladen’s denials an investigation led by DC Oliver James, stationed at Tenby, uncovered pornographic images of children on a computer and a hard drive.

Bladen continued to deny doing anything wrong, and tried to frame a friend for downloading the images from the internet.

But more police work showed that Bladen had used the computer to make calls via the Skype system to his wife both before and after the images had been downloaded, proving that the machine had been in his possession at the relevant time.

The inquest heard that Bladen had been diagnosed with diabetes in January last year.

He signed a formal Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment, a legally binding document that communicates a decision to refuse a specific type of treatment at some time in the future.

“This was respected by staff at the prison as he had capacity to make that decision,” said the coroner.

The inquest heard that, over the following weeks, Bladen’s condition deteriorated and on February 16, 2021, he was transferred to Pershore Community Hospital for end of life care, where he died the following day.

Crime

Goodwick man jailed for stealing prescription tablets from partner

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A 47-year-old man from Goodwick has been sentenced to jail after admitting to stealing his partner’s prescription medication.

Andrew Gibbs, of Allt Y Carne, appeared at Swansea Crown Court where he admitted taking four Pregabalin tablets from his long-term girlfriend on February 14.

Prosecuting, Alycia Carpanini told the court that Gibbs had taken the tablets while drinking in the living room earlier that day. He was arrested later that evening on unrelated matters, and officers found the medication in his possession.

During his arrest, Gibbs admitted aloud to police that he had stolen the tablets. He later confirmed the theft in a prepared statement during interview.

The court heard that Gibbs has a lengthy criminal history, with 35 previous convictions covering 68 offences. He had previously faced a series of serious allegations, including actual bodily harm and intentional strangulation against his partner, as well as two further assaults. However, those charges were dropped after the complainants chose not to support the prosecution.

In mitigation, defence barrister Dan Griffiths said his client had been cooperative with police from the outset and had already spent time in custody since his arrest.

Judge Paul Thomas KC imposed a 14-day custodial sentence for the theft, acknowledging the time Gibbs had already spent on remand. He will be released shortly under supervision.

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Community

PCSOs and pupils join forces for Pembroke Dock litter pick

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DYFED-POWYS POLICE Community Support Officers (PCSOs) 8042 and 8020 joined staff at McDonald’s and Year 5 and 6 pupils from Cosheston VC School for a community litter pick around Pembroke Dock.

As part of the school’s ongoing environmental project, the pupils helped collect seven bags of rubbish while keeping a detailed log of the types of litter found.

PCSOs are uniformed civilian members of police staff who work to support regular police officers and engage with the community. Their involvement helped promote positive relationships between local police and young people.

The event aimed to raise awareness about the importance of looking after the local environment and encouraged children to take pride in their community.

Members of the public are reminded to dispose of their waste responsibly and use the bins provided.

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Community

Joyce Watson meets apprentices at Haverfordwest transport hub

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A VISIT to the site of the new Haverfordwest public transport interchange has highlighted the role of apprentices and skilled workers in delivering the major infrastructure project.

Joyce Watson MS, who represents Mid and West Wales in the Senedd, toured the construction site on Friday (Mar 21), meeting with workers and hearing how the scheme is creating opportunities for local people.

Mrs Watson, who chairs the Senedd cross-party group on construction and co-chairs the cross-party group on apprenticeships, was briefed on progress by Kier Construction’s project manager Dean Williams and Sheila Holmes, engagement adviser for the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

Speaking following the visit, Mrs Watson said: “The Haverfordwest public transport interchange will transform the town’s transportation infrastructure and boost the local economy.
“With around a year’s work still to go, it’s already offering high-quality job opportunities, and I was delighted to meet the talented apprentices working on-site.”

Among those she met was Matthew Thomas, a local trainee working on the project.
Mrs Watson added: “It was a pleasure to meet Matthew, and I believe he has a great future ahead of him.”

Dean Williams, from Kier Construction, said: “It was great to welcome Joyce Watson MS for a tour of our Haverfordwest public transport interchange project. This scheme for Pembrokeshire County Council will deliver a modern transport hub for the local community, improving connectivity and accessibility for residents and visitors alike.”

CITB’s Sheila Holmes added: “We are pleased to be supporting Kier Construction in developing their supply chain for this infrastructure scheme. By doing so, we can invest in local skills, which are vital to the sector and to the regional economy. Projects like this help ensure we meet future skills demands.”

The interchange is part of the Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro programme and has so far received nearly £17 million from the Welsh Government’s Local Transport Fund.

Once completed, the new facility will include improved pedestrian and cycle access, a more efficient bus station with seven bays and upgraded passenger facilities, and a modern multi-storey car park.

The scheme is commissioned by Pembrokeshire County Council as part of its town centre regeneration strategy.

The visit was organised as part of Open Doors, a national initiative by Build UK that takes visitors behind the scenes at live construction sites to showcase the range of careers in the industry.

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