News

Stephen Crabb: PM’s comments ‘ill-judged and not befitting of a Prime Minister.’

Published

2 years ago

February 3, 2022

PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb says Boris Johnson must withdraw an attempted smear of Kier Starmer.

The PM made the slur in the debate on Sue Gray’s report into lockdown-busting parties hosted at Government offices and the PM’s 10 Downing Street residence.

Although constrained by the belated and ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation into the parties, Sue Gray provided severe criticism of the conduct of those who attended the parties.

Cornered and desperate to save his skin, Mr Johnson lashed out at Sir Kier over his period as Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Johnson repeated a far-right social media lie, saying: “[He] spent most of his time prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile.”

The PM knew what he said was a lie and said it anyway.

Subsequent reports revealed he planned the smear, was warned against it and went ahead with it anyway.

Even when the lie is obvious and the liar’s motive clear, a liar cannot be called a liar in the House of Commons.
Boris Johnson lied.

THE TRUTH

Kier Starmer was Director of Public Prosecutions when Surrey Police investigated allegations against Savile.
During that investigation, Savile was interviewed under caution by the police.

As the PM is aware, being interviewed under caution is not proof of guilt. If it were, he would already have resigned.
When Surrey Police sent their report for review, Kier Starmer did not oversee the case. Instead, a senior crown prosecution lawyer reviewed their evidence.

Police claimed victims were “unprepared to support any police action”, for example testifying in court.
However, after Savile’s death, Kier Starmer ordered an Independent Inquiry into the case’s handling.

Alison Levitt QC headed the investigation.

She reviewed the Surrey force’s investigation and the decision not to prosecute.

She said the police treated the victims and the accounts they gave “with a degree of caution which was neither justified nor required”.

Three of the victims told her that if they had received more information from the police at the time of the investigation—and particularly if each had been told she was not the only woman who had complained—they would “probably have been prepared to give evidence.”

She criticised the reviewing lawyer for not pushing the police harder said she had “reservations” about the prosecutor’s decision not to press charges.

She said: “On the face of it, the allegations made were both serious and credible; the prosecutor should have recognised this and sought to “build” a prosecution.”

Lawyers who represented Savile’s victims condemned the PM’s comments as untrue.

Richard Scorer, head of abuse and public inquiries at law firm Slater and Gordon, said his clients were “appalled and disgusted” at the PM’s conduct in “weaponising their suffering for political gain.”

LOCAL MPs RESPOND

We asked three local MPs to comment on Sue Gray’s report and the PM’s lie about the opposition leader.

Stephen Crabb did not hang around with his answers to our questions.

Regarding the Sue Gray report, he said: “I am pleased that the Met Police are investigating. I await the outcome of their investigations. I called for this, hoping that we can somehow get to the bottom of this whole episode rather than just rely on allegations and media reports.

“As I have said before, these are very serious matters and an apology from the Prime Minister may not be a sufficient response once we get to the inquiries.”

On the Savile slur, Mr Crabb was to the point: “I thought the Jimmy Saville smear used by Boris Johnson towards Keir Starmer was ill-judged and not befitting of a Prime Minister. He should withdraw it.”

Jonathan Edwards MP said: “Politics is in a very dangerous place at the moment. I fear people’s trust in the democratic process is being quickly eroded.

“The Gray interim report clearly confirms either the Prime Minister didn’t understand his own policy or thought it didn’t apply to him. I think, however, the issue is far deeper in terms of detoxifying politics, and I can’t see how someone who excels at promoting culture war politics can possibly restore the values needed to sustain a healthy democracy.

“Much of the political strategies employed in Westminster surround misinformation, misrepresentation, and deliberate polarisation. Social media is the perfect conduit for such strategies, and they have proven to be extremely successful for Mr Johnson.

“I fear that unless there is a deliberate attempt across the political divide for a systemic change in our approach to politics, especially engagement on social media, darker forces could easily come to the ascendancy.”

We put the same issues to Simon Hart MP.

Mr Hart’s office told us he would make a statement on his Facebook page, Simon Hart MP, on Wednesday afternoon (February 2).

No comment has been made by Simon Hart at the time of the publication of this article on Thursday, February 3. Should Mr. Hart make a comment on the issues we raised with him, we will add them to this story.

Community

Public reminded to stay away from Ward’s Yard and Criterion Quay

Published

17 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE PORT of Milford Haven is reminding members of the public to stay away from Ward’s Yard in Milford Haven and Criterion Quay (sometimes known as the offshore jetty) in Pembroke Dock due to concerns over public safety. 

Despite significant security measures, people continue to access the sites illegally, ignoring and sometimes damaging the onsite signage and fences.

Niall Yeomans, Head of Health, Safety and Security at the Port of Milford Haven said: “Safety is our key priority. Members of the public are continuously putting themselves and members of our team at risk of serious harm by trespassing in these areas.”

“Both Ward’s Yard and Criterion Quay are unsafe for public access. They are isolated areas next to deep water and are susceptible to slips, trips and falls.”

Both sites are owned by the Port of Milford Haven and are private property. Anyone found onsite without consent is trespassing, and any criminal damage could result in prosecution.  

Anyone who sees any suspicious activity at Ward’s Yard or Criterion Quay is asked to contact Dyfed Powys Police on 101 urgently.

Crime

‘Sophisticated’ organised crime gang trafficked cocaine and cannabis to Aberystwyth

Published

19 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

FIVE people have been found guilty or admitted to conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis as Dyfed-Powys Police continues its efforts to dismantle organised crime gangs.

Officers seized cocaine with a street value of more than £400,000 from gang members, who continually changed tactics to avoid arrest.

Six defendants have appeared in court in the latest phase of Dyfed-Powys Police’s Operation Burleigh, which sought to disrupt the trafficking and onward supply of class A and B drugs into Aberystwyth, with all but one admitting their charges or being found guilty by a jury.

This brings the total number of people awaiting sentence under the operation to 15.

The court heard that officers from Dyfed-Powys Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Team and Ceredigion Priority Policing Team led the investigation into the OCG, which was described as ‘sophisticated, well-organised and evolving’.

Detective Sergeant Steven Jones said: “This conspiracy operated on a County Lines model, where controlled drugs are trafficked into a smaller rural town from a larger city, and the operation is controlled by one or more ‘drugs lines’.

“In this case there were a total of four lines controlling the supply of cocaine and cannabis within Aberystwyth.

“The conspirators frequently evolved their actions to frustrate the authorities and evade capture.”

The OCG embedded members were mainly asylum seekers brought to Aberystwyth by Toana Ahmad and another man who remains outstanding, with the sole purpose of dealing drugs. The drug lines were initially based in Swansea, and later in areas of Birmingham.

Three properties – on Terrace Road, Alexander Road and Parc Graig Glas – were identified early in the investigation as being used to house the OCG members embedded in Aberystwyth. Substantial amounts of cash, controlled drugs and weapons were recovered from these properties, and from the people found inside.

When arrests were made, the gang changed its tactics. Drugs began to be supplied from vehicles, and OCG members stayed in guest houses to avoid detection.

DS Jones added: “Trusted couriers were employed to transport drugs to Aberystwyth and cash back to Birmingham or Swansea. A number of vehicles, including taxis, were used as the gang attempted to avoid detection along the route, while trains were also taken when courier cars were stopped by officers.”

In June 2023, two vehicles travelling from the West Midlands towards Aberystwyth were stopped by police on consecutive days. A black sock was uncovered in the engine of the first car, which was found to contain 82g of high purity cocaine divided into 169 grip seal plastic bags.

Davinder Singh, who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs, was the driver of the second vehicle, which was a taxi. A blue plastic bag was seen falling out of his shorts, which contained over 81g of high purity cocaine divided into 167 grip seal bags.

DS Jones said: “On the basis that the amounts of cocaine transported over the 37 couriers over the course of the conspiracy period were similar, over 3kg of cocaine would have been conveyed to Aberystwyth from Birmingham.

“This equates to class A drugs with a potential street value of over £308,950. In addition to this, class A drugs were seized from individuals and addresses with a potential street value of £103,445, along with cash totalling £11,687.

“A number of teams and departments across Dyfed-Powys Police, from analysts, CCTV operators and priority policing teams, to CAB, the Technical Support Unit, Economic Crime Team and Force Intelligence Bureau all assisted in dismantling the OCG from top to bottom.

“Their dedication and relentless efforts have assisted in making Aberystwyth a safer place to live without the threat and harm of drugs being made easily available on the street.”

After a seven-week trial at Swansea Crown Court earlier this year, the following three defendants were found guilty for their parts in the conspiracy:

Toana Ahmad, aged 33, of Lee Gardens in Smethwich, West Midlands
Barzan Sarhan, aged 31, of no fixed address
Ahmed Piro, aged 26, of no fixed address

The jury failed to reach a verdict on two defendants during the earlier trial. They have been subject to a retrial starting on July 1, with the following outcomes:

Hawre Ahmed, aged 35, of Pinderfields Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was found guilty by the jury of conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.
Diar Yousef Zeabari, aged 35, of Flat 5, 41 Bryn Road, Swansea, was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.

Karwan Karim, aged 39 of 125 Griffith John Street, Swansea, also stood trial, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs on day three.

In addition to the OCG members found guilty during the most recent trials, the following have previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs under Operation Burleigh:

Davinder Singh, aged 36, of Huntingdon Road, West Bromwich
Daban Khalil, aged 23, of Streetly Road, Birmingham
Kastro Omar, aged 30, of Junction Road, Northampton
Karwan Jabari, aged 26, of Weedon Close, Northampton
Walid Younis Abdal, aged 34, of St Anne’s Road, Doncaster
Saman Aziz, aged 41, of Kirk Road, Merseyside
Adel Mustafa, aged 39, of Hubert Road, Newport
Charlotte Roberts, aged 21, of Sutton Hill, Telford

The following have previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs:

Akasha Smith, aged 24, of Third Avenue, Aberystwyth
Luqman Jarjis, aged 21, of Wake Green Road, Birmingham

News

Community asked for views on allocation of new St Davids homes

Published

19 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST phase of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Glasfryn housing development in St Davids is progressing well with the second phase also underway.

The development being built by GRD Homes Ltd, began in November 2023, with a first phase completion date of Winter 2024 looking hopeful, ahead of the scheduled plans.

The first phase consists of seven properties, including a mixture of one and two bedroom bungalows

As completion draws closer the properties will be advertised via Pembrokeshire Choice Homes.

Ahead of this, the Council’s housing team will be holding community engagement on the 13th August 2024 at the Ty’r Pererin Centres, Quickwell Hill, St Davids, SA62 6PD, 5pm-7pm.

This will be a chance for officers to liaise with the local community about the allocation process for these properties.

Glasfryn’s second phase is well underway, with the initial groundwork already completed. This phase includes a further 11 two bedroom bungalows, with a completion date in late 2025.

These bungalows will meet the latest Welsh Government’s Development Quality Requirement, and will be energy efficient, built to EPC A specification and include solar panels to help tenants with running costs.

The Glasfryn development is funded in partnership with Welsh Government.

Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr Michelle Bateman said: “We are really keen to work with the community on a local lettings policy for these new properties, as we have done for our developments in other parts of the County.”

If you have any queries please email the Customer Liaison Team on [email protected], phone them on 01437 764551, or visit Housing’s Facebook page.