News

Block vote saves Bryn… for now

Published

12 years ago

October 21, 2013

AN ATTEMPT to discuss the matter of Pembrokeshire County Council’s highly controversial pension arrangement which has allowed the chief executive and another unnamed officer to avoid tax liabilities, was shouted down at yesterday’s meeting of full council.
It was the first full council meeting held since July, and t he only opportunity that was on the agenda for the topic to be raised came in the form of questions previously submitted by Cllr Paul Miller, Cllr Mike Stoddart, and Cllr Jacob Williams.
Following responses by council leader Cllr Jamie Adams to his questions on the topic, Cllr Paul Miller, the leader of the council’s Labour party, said he was “not happy” with the answers he had been given, and proposed that the council should take a vote to suspend the constitutional rule which prevents items being transacted that aren’t on the agenda. The reason Cllr Miller said he wanted to take the vote, was so that the council could discuss whether to refer the pensions arrangements saga to the Welsh Assembly, and to suspend Bryn Parry-Jones the chief executive.
A recorded vote was taken, which lost by 21 votes to 34. Of the ruling party, the IPG, only Cllr Reg Owens supported the discussion there and then, with all others voting it down. Of the opposition members, the Labour party was unanimous in its support for allowing the matter to be discussed, as was Plaid Cymru, however whilst Cllrs David Bryan and David Howlett for the Conservatives were for the proposal, their party colleague Cllr Stan Hudson was not. Of the council’s unaffiliated members, only Cllrs Mike Evans, Owen James and David Lloyd voted against, whilst all others voted for the move.
Following the loss of the vote, the agenda continued, and responses were provided by the leader, Cllr Jamie Adams, to questions that had been tabled by Cllr Jacob Williams, who wanted to know whose idea it was for the Council to introduce the pension arrangements scheme.
Cllr Williams also asked why no independent or legal advice was sought back in 2011 prior to the scheme’s introduction, which enables the highest paid officers to receive their pension contributions as a cash sum, thereby avoiding tax liabilities.
Cllr Adams responded by stating that: “HMRC made it clear that their expectations were that employers may implement alternative payment arrangements (to those that currently existed)”.
He also went on to confirm that the Authority had the appropriate powers to affect the change of remuneration packages, which also included pension arrangements, and that the reason no further advice was sought was so the scheme would not cost the authority any further expense.
Following this revelation, Cllr Williams said: “I understand there’s a full moon tomorrow evening, and we really would have to be totally barking mad to believe what Cllr Adams is telling us, that HMRC which is collecting this tax money, would notify Councils to introduce a scheme allowing senior officers to avoid tax on their pension contributions. If that was true, why did no other councils introduce it? It can be no coincidence that Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire are the only two councils to have done this.”
“So with that in mind, could the leader explain what collusion went on between the two authorities at or prior to that time?” he added.
In responding Cllr. Adams referred Cllr. Williams to information that he said was available on the HMRC website, which he said “supported the council’s view that HMRC suggested such a scheme be introduced by employers”.
In a separate supplementary question Cllr. Williams asked whether or not the council’s legal advice covered the issue over officer attendance during the controversial meeting and Cllr. Adams refused to answer the question.
Cllr. Paul Miller who had previously requested for the same matter to be discussed at an extra-ordinary meeting, told The Herald that he still intends to pursue the matter, and that the EGM will be held as there is no legal way that the Council can refuse.

Crime

Man charged with attempted murder after Carmarthen park incident

Published

6 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Tom Sinclair

57-year-old due in court following alleged knife and stalking offences

A MAN has been charged with attempted murder following a serious incident in Carmarthen town centre last week.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that James McKenna, aged 57, from Carmarthen, has been charged with attempted murder, possession of a bladed article in a public place, and stalking.

The charges relate to an incident in Carmarthen Park on Thursday (Jan 29), which prompted a significant emergency services response and caused concern among residents.

Police have not yet released full details of the circumstances, but officers were seen in and around the park area for several hours following the incident while enquiries were carried out.

McKenna is due to appear before Llanelli Magistrates Court on Thursday (Feb 5).

The Herald understands the case involves allegations of both violence and targeted behaviour towards an individual, with stalking listed among the charges.

Public concern

Carmarthen Park is a popular and busy public space used daily by families, dog walkers and joggers, and incidents of this severity are rare.

The news has prompted concern locally, particularly as the alleged offences include possession of a knife in a public place.

Residents have previously raised questions about safety in parks and open spaces across west Wales, especially during darker winter evenings.

Court proceedings

At this stage, the charges remain allegations and the case will now proceed through the courts.

Magistrates will decide whether the case is sent to Crown Court due to the seriousness of the attempted murder charge.

Further details are expected to emerge during Thursday’s hearing.

The Herald will be attending court and will provide updates as they become available.

Crime

Sex offender jailed after living off grid in Pembrokeshire and refusing to register

Published

6 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Court Reporter

Man walked into police station after months avoiding authorities

A CONVICTED sex offender who told police he intended to live “off grid” rather than comply with legal monitoring rules has been jailed after handing himself in at a Pembrokeshire police station.

Christopher Spelman, aged 66, of no fixed address, appeared for sentence at Swansea Crown Court after admitting breaching the notification requirements of the sex offenders register.

The court heard Spelman was released from prison in Dorset on July 4 last year but immediately refused to provide police with an address, despite being legally required to do so within three days.

Instead, he indicated he planned to buy a tent and live outdoors.

Prosecutor Brian Simpson said officers subsequently launched a nationwide search when Spelman failed to make contact with police. Public appeals were issued and his case featured on the television programme Crimewatch.

Detectives believed he had been travelling around the UK using public transport and staying at campsites. He was known to have links to several areas including Merseyside, Manchester, Devon, Cornwall and Hampshire.

His whereabouts remained unknown until January 3 this year, when he walked into Haverfordwest police station and was arrested. It is unclear how long he had been in Pembrokeshire.

Spelman previously served seven years in prison after being convicted in 2014 of 12 counts of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 14. He was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The court heard this was not the first time he had failed to comply with the rules. After an earlier release in 2016, he again failed to register his address and avoided police for around five years before being caught.

He has 11 previous convictions for 29 offences.

Defence barrister Andrew Evans described the case as unusual and said his client had long disputed his original conviction and had expressed a wish to live “outside society”.

However, he said Spelman had gradually accepted that he remained subject to court orders and now wanted more stable accommodation and a chance to rebuild his life. The defendant asked the court to impose a custodial sentence so arrangements could be made for his future release.

Judge Geraint Walters noted there were signs Spelman wished to change but warned that any further breaches would result in longer prison terms.

With credit for his guilty plea, Spelman was sentenced to 10 months in prison. He will serve up to half in custody before being released on licence.

Crime

Former Wales rugby star admits Christmas Day drink-driving offence

Published

12 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Sarah-Jane Absalom

Ex-Ospreys captain was almost twice over limit in Pembroke town centre

Former Wales back row Jonathan Thomas has admitted driving through Pembroke town centre on Christmas Day when he was almost twice over the drink-drive limit.

This week Haverfordwest magistrates heard that Thomas, 43, was stopped by officers as he drove his Mercedes CLA 220 along The Green, Pembroke, at around 5pm on Christmas Day.

“The officers were very concerned at the manner of his driving, as the car was being driven erratically and was swerving to the other side of the road,” said Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan.

“When Jonathan Thomas got out of the car, the officers could see that he was having difficulty standing and was unsteady on his feet.”

Subsequent breathalyser tests showed Thomas had 62 mcg of alcohol in his system, the legal limit being 35.

Thomas, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to the drink-drive charge and was represented in court by solicitor Jess Hill.

“He has family in the area and had travelled to spend time with them on Christmas Day,” she told the magistrates. “He’s very remorseful for his actions and hugely regrets his decision that day.”

Jess Hill concluded by saying that Thomas is currently “between jobs and living off his savings”.

Thomas, who gave his address as Main Road, Bredon, was disqualified from driving for a total of 18 months.

“The length of your disqualification reflects the fact that you were more than a little bit over the limit,” commented the presiding magistrates when imposing sentence.

He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £48 court surcharge.

The former Wales back row left his role as Swansea RFC head coach at the beginning of December 2025 as a result of ongoing health concerns. He was forced to retire from playing in 2015 on medical advice after being diagnosed with epilepsy and is one of the 390 former rugby union players currently taking part in a concussion lawsuit against the sport’s authorities.

“Long-standing issues linked to the head trauma have caused me some concern recently and it has been impossible for me to give the role everything it needs,” he said in a previous interview with the BBC.

His rugby career started out with Pembroke RFC juniors before moving to Swansea RFC, which he captained when he was 19. He then joined the Ospreys where, over a ten-year period, he won four league titles and an Anglo-Welsh Cup. He was the youngest player to captain the Ospreys and, at the time of leaving, was the joint highest appearance holder, together with Andrew Bishop, on 188 appearances.

His international career saw him play for Wales at Under-16, Youth, Under-19, Under-21 and Sevens levels. He made his senior international debut against Australia in 2003, featured at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was part of two Six Nations Grand Slam-winning sides in 2005 and 2008. Between 2004 and 2011, Thomas was included in every Wales Six Nations squad. In his appearances for Wales, he scored seven tries.