News

Ten hour ambulance wait forces Goodwick family to improvise

Published

4 years ago

March 17, 2022

A 65-year-old Goodwick grandfather’s ten-hour wait for an ambulance forced family members to improvise in order to get him to Withybush Hospital.

Martin Hall, who made a miraculous recovery from a brain stem stroke he had a decade ago, suffered a fall at his home near Goodwick at around 8am on Tuesday, March 8, and fractured his femur.

A 999 call for an Ambulance was logged at 8.17am and the family were told then that there were delays and, because of that, patients were being prioritised by severity of injury.

Because of these delays, Mr. Hall remained on his bathroom floor in agony for a further 10 hours despite two more 999 calls being made by family members.

His son, Rory, said: “At 6pm we received a call from the Welsh Ambulance Service apologising for the delay. They still couldn’t advise us of an arrival time,”.

The ten-hour wait meant that Rory’s sister, Dr. Katy Kumar, herself a senior lead A&E doctor in Morriston, had enough time to drive to Pembrokeshire from Swansea to be with her father.

With the situation getting desperate, members of the family decided to get Mr. Hall to hospital on their own and cancelled the Ambulance.

Rory said: ““We cancelled the ambulance….we would take Dad to Withybush ourselves.”

The family were able to borrow a stretcher from Fishguard & Goodwick Rugby Club which they used to put Mr. Hall into the back of a sprinter van owned by their company.

Rory said: “The A&E department in Withybush was stunned when we arrived at 7pm,”

“They did a double take when they saw my father lying on a mattress and stretcher in the back of our works van with my sister and family friend for safety.”

Mr. Hall was eventually admitted, receiving an X-ray at around 1.30 am the next morning which confirmed the fracture to his femur.

It wasn’t until about 5.30am that Mr. Hall was finally transferred to a ward. Just over 21 hours after the fall took place.

The Welsh Ambulance Service’s director of operations, Sonia Thompson, apologised for Mr. Hall’s ordeal, describing the events as an ‘upsetting experience’ before going on to say that “As an ambulance service, we will always respond first to those whose life is in immediate danger,”.

Rory said: “I cannot emphasize how disappointed I am in the NHS,”

“It is 2022, I have no words.”

Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

Published

8 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include:

Intentional strangulation, contrary to section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015
Common assault
Assault by beating

No further details of the alleged incident were opened in court, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Sudbury was remanded on conditional bail, with the case listed to return to magistrates later this month.

Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

Published

9 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
A second count of assault
Criminal damage
An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

Published

9 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
Intentional non-fatal strangulation
Common assault on a woman
Criminal damage in a domestic context
Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.