News

Essex man sentenced for courier fraud targeting Pembrokeshire pensioners

Published

3 years ago

March 7, 2023

A CRIMINAL from Essex who picked up cash and gold from three households in Pembrokeshire that had been conned out of tens of thousands of pounds has been sentenced at Basildon Crown Court.

Arnaldo Katalay, aged 24, of Gascoigne Way, Billericay, travelled to West Wales to carrying out a number of pick-ups from people he had helped con into thinking were helping the police and banks uncover corruption.

But what his con had done is trick them into buying gold so the scammers could line their own pockets.

His first victim, a pensioner, received a number of calls between 2 and 18 November 2021 from a man claiming to be DCI Paul Stewart from Paddington Police Station.

The fake officer said that a female had been arrested trying to use the victim’s bank card to purchase a Hotpoint washing machine in Argos.

As the calls continued the victim was persuaded to assist an investigation into ‘bad apples’ working at NatWest Bank in Canary Wharf.

This led to them placing two orders for gold bullion from an online retailer, where they spent £27,363.78. The gold was delivered to then on three separate days 9th, 10th and 16th November 2021.

The victim told “DCI Stewart” when each delivery was being made and he arranged for ‘a courier’ to collect them from their home address.

On 9th November at approximately 5.15pm, whilst she was on the phone to “DCI Stewart”, a male called at her home address to collect the gold, which had been delivered from earlier that day.

She handed the package, containing gold worth £10,000, to him and the male left.

On 10th November, following the delivery of the second amount of gold, a courier arrived and collected it. The value of the gold collected that day was £7,913.72.

On 16th November, following the delivery of gold earlier that day, a ‘courier’ arrived at their home to collect this third package. The total value of the gold collected on 16th November was £9,450.06.

Thereafter contact with “DCI Stewart” ceased and on 22nd November the victim had a sudden realisation they had been the victim of a fraud and reported it to Dyfed-Powys Police.

They lost their life savings in the con, however, they have since been reimbursed by the bank.

The second victims, married pensioners, received a number of calls between 2 and 26 November 2021.

The unknown caller purported to be DC Robert Lawrence, from a serious fraud squad at Charing Cross Police Station.

He persuaded them to withdraw £7,500 from their bank account on 9 November and that it would be collected by a courier in order to progress their investigation.

Following the collection of the cash “DC Lawrence” continued to maintain regular telephone contact with his victims until they were eventually persuaded to purchase £18,769.42 worth of gold online from a company on 15th November.

There were however delays in the gold being delivered and while “DC Lawrence” continued to maintain telephone contact with the couple the fraud failed.

Officers carrying out house-to-house enquiries from the first offence identified the couple had also been victims.

The gold was delivered, but because police had intervened, it wasn’t handed to a courier and was instead returned for a refund.

The third victim, an elderly person living alone in Pembrokeshire, was targeted between 26 November and 1 December 2021, this time from someone claiming to be DC Thomas Daniel from Paddington Police Station.

He told her the NatWest Bank were engaged in fraud and then handed her to his Sergeant, called Goodwood, who continued to tell her she needed to take action to assist them in her enquiries.

Following numerous telephone calls the victim went to her bank on Friday 26th November, having been told to withdraw £3,000 by the scammer.

The bank declined the full amount but let her withdraw £1,250 in cash.

When they told the ‘officer’ on the phone they had only been allowed to withdraw that amount the male became angry with her.

On Monday 29th November, following further phone calls from the suspect who demanded that she withdrew more money, the victim went to Carmarthen where they took out Euros 1,770 at a travel agent.

At about 6pm on Monday 29th November Mrs Phillips was told to meet a male outside her house. They handed both the sterling taken out on the 26th, and the Euros to the male.

They later realised she had been the victim of a scam and reported it to police on 1st December 2021.

Significant efforts by various teams across Dyfed-Powys Police, from the neighbourhood policing teams, the Economic Crime Team and detectives in CID was able to evidence that Katalay had been the man who collected the gold and cash from the victims.

Officers used phone records, and the fact that Katalay paid for a taxi he used to go to one of the victim’s homes by bank transfer to track him down and ultimately convict him.

The evidence they secured was shared with colleagues from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, which is based in the east of England, who convicted Katalay through the courts there.

DCI Cameron Ritchie said Katalay’s crimes had a profound effect on his victims.

“We’re pleased to have secured the evidence to convict Katalay and to have supported the victims who have come forward,” he said.

“We’re talking about people who have been tricked into handing over life savings, so their confidence has taken a huge hit.

“It is cruel and completely unfair but I hope they can get over this. They have had some or all of their money back but the damage done to their confidence in immeasurable.

“During this time period we received more than 80 calls reporting unsuccessful claims, so we know they were pushing hard in the Pembrokeshire area at that time.

“It is unfortunate that these people were conned but these scammers are very cunning, careful and clever criminals who have worked to exploit three people that we know about.

“This conviction is the result of the efforts of our investigators in CID working with the economic crime team and Ersou to get the evidence needed to prove Katalay had been involved in tricking people into handing over £88,000 in just a month in Pembrokeshire.

“Police would never ask any members of the public to purchase gold or other valuables nor ask for cash to be handed to a courier. If you have any concerns please contact police on 101, online or in an emergency 999.”

Katalay pleaded guilty to all charges in January 2023 and on Thursday, 2nd March, he was sentenced to seven months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

Local Government

Essential bridge maintenance and repairs planned for January

Published

4 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Works on Westfield Pill Bridge to affect A477 traffic

ESSENTIAL maintenance and repair work is set to begin on Westfield Pill Bridge, with traffic management in place on the A477 between Neyland and Pembroke Dock.

The programme of works is due to start on Monday (Jan 19) following a Principal Inspection carried out in 2022, which identified a number of necessary repairs to maintain the long-term durability and safety of the structure.

Westfield Pill Bridge is a key route linking communities in south Pembrokeshire and carries a high volume of daily traffic. While major works were last undertaken in 1998 — which required a full closure of the bridge — the upcoming refurbishment has been designed to avoid shutting the crossing entirely.

Instead, the works, scheduled to take place in early 2026, will be managed through traffic control measures to keep the bridge open throughout the project.

The planned refurbishment will include the replacement of both eastbound and westbound bridge parapets, the renewal of expansion joints, and full resurfacing of the bridge deck.

The work is expected to take no longer than three months and will involve weekend and night-time working to help minimise disruption. All construction activity will be carried out from the bridge deck and has been scheduled to avoid clashes with other planned trunk road works, as well as periods of higher traffic demand.

Two-way traffic signals will be in place for the duration of the works. These will be manually controlled during peak periods, with particular efforts made to reduce delays affecting school transport.

Motorists are advised that there may be delays to local bus services during the works, including the 349 (Haverfordwest–Pembroke Dock–Tenby) and 356 (Milford Haven–Monkton) routes.

Drivers are encouraged to allow extra time for journeys and to follow on-site signage while the works are underway.

Crime

Breakthrough in 1993 Tooze murders: 86-year-old man arrested after cold case review

Published

8 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

POLICE investigating one of Wales’ most disturbing unsolved double murders have arrested an 86-year-old man on suspicion of killing elderly couple Harry and Megan Tooze more than three decades ago.

South Wales Police confirmed the arrest on Tuesday (Dec 17), following a forensic cold case review into the 1993 killings, which shocked the rural community of Llanharry and cast a long shadow over the South Wales justice system.

Harry Tooze, aged 64, and his wife Megan, 67, were found shot dead with a shotgun at their isolated Ty Ar y Waun farmhouse on July 26, 1993. Their bodies were discovered inside a cowshed on the property, concealed beneath carpet and hay bales, having been shot in the head at close range.

The brutality of the killings and the remoteness of the scene prompted one of the most high-profile murder investigations in Wales at the time.

Conviction later quashed

In 1995, Cheryl Tooze’s then-boyfriend, Jonathan Jones, was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. The prosecution case rested heavily on a partial fingerprint found on a teacup at the farmhouse.

However, the conviction unravelled just a year later. In 1996, the Court of Appeal quashed the verdict, ruling it unsafe and highlighting serious concerns about the reliability of the fingerprint evidence. The decision was widely regarded as a significant miscarriage of justice.

Jones, who consistently maintained his innocence, was supported throughout the ordeal by Cheryl Tooze, whom he later married. The couple have since spoken publicly about the devastating impact of the case on their lives.

Despite renewed appeals and periodic reviews, no one else was charged and the murders remained unresolved for nearly 30 years.

Operation Vega and forensic advances

In 2023, marking the 30th anniversary of the killings, South Wales Police launched a full cold case review under Operation Vega. The review was led by forensic scientist Professor Angela Gallop, one of the UK’s most respected figures in forensic investigation.

Detectives re-examined preserved exhibits from the original crime scene using modern forensic and DNA techniques that were not available in the early 1990s. Police have not disclosed which items were re-analysed or what evidence led to the latest arrest.

On December 17, officers arrested an 86-year-old man on suspicion of murdering Harry and Megan Tooze. He remains in police custody while enquiries continue. No further details about the suspect have been released at this stage.

Police appeal for information

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Mark Lewis described the arrest as a significant moment, but stressed that the investigation is ongoing.

He said: “While this arrest is clearly a significant development in the investigation, our enquiries are very much ongoing. This case has affected many people over the years and our aim is to find answers to the unanswered questions which remain about their deaths over 30 years on.

“Even with the passage of time, I would urge anyone who has information about the murders, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward and speak to police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact South Wales Police, quoting occurrence number 2300016841.

Crime

Former police officer accused of making sexual remarks to women while on duty

Published

33 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Court Reporter

Court hears allegations of inappropriate behaviour during official police visits

A FORMER police officer has appeared in court accused of making sexually inappropriate remarks to women he encountered while on duty.

Luke Silver, aged 34, is alleged to have abused his position as a police officer by making unwanted and explicit comments to two women during the course of official police business.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Silver attended one woman’s home following an incident involving her partner and took an initial statement. However, the woman told the court that Silver later returned to her address on several further occasions, during which the conversation allegedly became personal and sexual in nature.

She said the officer asked intrusive questions about her sex life and made comments about her appearance, which she found unsettling. In messages sent to a friend at the time, the woman described his behaviour as “inappropriate”, “strange” and “creepy”.

The court was told she later said she felt uncomfortable during the visits, claiming Silver behaved in an overly relaxed manner while speaking to her and made remarks that were entirely unrelated to the police matter he had attended for.

A second woman has also made allegations that Silver asked her sexually explicit questions and made comments about her body while acting in his capacity as a police officer.

Silver, formerly of Gwent Police and now living in Lamphey, Pembrokeshire, denies three counts of improper use of police powers or privileges. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021.

The trial is continuing at Cardiff Crown Court.

(Image: WNS)