News

BADGER GETS CUTTING

Published

12 years ago

October 21, 2013

SCRATCHING his grizzled head deep within his sett, Badger was troubled. The Welsh Government had announced a 3.8% cut to funding to Pembrokeshire County Council.
When Cllr Adams and his band of brigands cast their eyes about Pembrokeshire where – oh where! – would they espy the opportunity for more service cuts to be made? Where would Adams’ axe fall next? Library projects had been shelved; rubbish collection services binned; the lowest paid, toiling in Bryn’s salt mine, had their wages slashed; public toilets had been shut; street lamps turned off.
Let’s eliminate where savings won’t be made. Pembrokeshire County Council will continue to pay over the odds for those unable to find work in the private sector. In order to get the cream of local government mediocrity, Pembrokeshire will pay its senior officers eye-watering salaries based on a fundamentally flawed wage-fixing system. In order to sweeten the devastating shock of having to relocate to Pembrokeshire (the perils of the mean streets of St Florence, Tavernspite and Tufton are particularly troublesome in this regard), there will be relocation allowances and the chance to avoid tax on a blue chip pension.
And that’s all right.
Now the other way to address less money coming in from outside is to raise more internal revenue. That means raising money from you and from me.
Pembrokeshire’s council tax figure – trumpeted as the lowest in Wales – will almost certainly have to rise, simply to tread water and keep services where they are now. In addition, the Council might look at raising the tax it charges for people to shop in Pembrokeshire’s town centres. That means a hike in car parking charges. Hard-pressed small business will probably be squeezed for more money. Capital assets will be disposed of to meet revenue shortfalls: or as it’s commonly called – the economics of the madhouse.
And that’s all right.
The Council relies upon the great gravy train of European money continuing. Large dollops of euro-money to grease the wheels of commerce and investment.
That money will be misspent on funding big ticket vanity projects to attract visitors to a place where ordinary working people cannot earn a living wage. Property developers will be invited to build hotels in public spaces to attract those looking less to experience Pembrokeshire than to have “the Pembrokeshire Experience”. Perhaps instead of boutique hotels, we will have boutique towns awash with genuine “Olde Craft Shoppes” and tea rooms with doilies and hand-crafted pilchard sandwiches. Or perhaps it will be spent on putting metal benches in town centres, so despairing drunks will have somewhere to vomit after a night on the sauce.
And that’s all right.
A good source of savings is to tackle inefficiency and waste.
The Council will ask people for ideas on how the Council can save money and then ignore the ones they don’t like. You know, the ones involving cutting Councillors’ allowances or senior officers’ pay. Schools, community centres and arts schemes which are the hubs of their local communities will be subject to fake consultations about their future when decisions to close them have already been secretly made. There will exciting online surveys and lots of information about how YOU can help the Council be leaner and more efficient by not asking it to do the things for which you have paid Council Tax.
And that’s all right.
Badger was troubled. He sat scratching his head deep within his sett. From where could the money be raised?
Perhaps some of the Councillors themselves could be asked to help out. Badger does not doubt that literally tens of people could be counted upon to back IPPG Cabinet members to take part in a sponsored silence. The IPPG are used to keeping things quiet. A nod, a wink, a handshake: no need to disturb the natives. Keep calm, carry on, look the other way. That’s the Pembrokeshire County Council tradition.
And that’s not at all right.

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

7 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

13 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.