A PRISON officer with more than two decades’ service groped a young barmaid after “fake crying” and telling her she was nicer than his wife, a court has heard.

Michael Gardner, aged 46, was working at HMP Parc in Bridgend at the time of the incident in March last year. The Category B prison houses many inmates from Pembrokeshire and across South Wales. Gardner has since lost his job.

Swansea Crown Court heard Gardner had gone to a bar in the Neath area after watching a rugby match and appeared intoxicated. Prosecutor Ashanti-Jade Walton said Gardner began chatting to the barmaid and became emotional after his wife, who entered the bar shortly after him, attempted to get him to leave.

After his wife left, Gardner told the barmaid that his partner was “horrible”, began fake crying, and tried to hug her. He went on to tell her she was “nicer” than his wife and said he was going to go home with her that night.

The court was told the barmaid alerted her manager to what was happening, and a concerned customer intervened to check if she was alright.

Later in the evening, Gardner grabbed the barmaid’s left buttock and squeezed it. The bar manager ordered him to leave, but Gardner responded by becoming abusive and aggressive, shouting at staff and customers who tried to step in.

Police were called to the scene and found Gardner heavily intoxicated. Officers noted that his eyes were glazed and he was slurring his words. Upon arrest, he was found to be in possession of the bar’s electronic card reader machine.

Gardner, of School Road, Crynant, Neath, pleaded guilty to sexual assault on the day he was due to stand trial. He had previously admitted theft of the card reader at magistrates’ court. He had no prior convictions.

The judge described Gardner’s behaviour as “nothing short of utterly disgraceful and extremely seedy,” adding that the incident must have been “humiliating and embarrassing” for the victim.

David Singh, defending, said Gardner had been a prison officer for 21 years but was on sick leave for mental health issues at the time. He told the court Gardner had since accepted he was an alcoholic and had been sober for around 200 days. He described his client as “absolutely mortified” by his actions and said that while his wife remained supportive, their relationship had been significantly damaged.

Gardner was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work, attend a rehabilitation programme, and pay £500 in compensation to the victim. He will be registered as a sex offender for 10 years.

TWO men have appeared before magistrates charged with supplying Class A cocaine from a housing estate in Neyland.

Miguel Ada and Marcel Mullings were arrested by officers at an undisclosed property in College Park, Neyland, on March 27 on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A cocaine and cannabis.

Mullings, 22, of no fixed abode, is further charged with possessing £1,740 in  cash  as a result of his alleged drug dealing.  The court was told that the cash was  found inside a pillow at the property.

“A number of people were found at the address, including the two defendants,” Crown Prosecutor Dennis Davies told Haverfordwest magistrates this week, after both defendants were brought before the Bench in custody.

“Cash was found in a pillow, while  text messages linked Marcel Mullings to the supply of drugs.  Police believe this  may be attached to county lines.”

No pleas were entered and Mullings, of no fixed abode,  was remanded in custody while Ada, of Claude Road, Roath, Cardiff,  was released on conditional bail.  The conditions are that he does not  enter Pembrokeshire and he  resides at his home address in Cardiff.

Given the seriousness of the allegations, magistrates declined jurisdiction and the matter will now be dealt with at Swansea Crown Court on May 2.

(Image: File)

A POLICE detective has praised the “immense strength” of two survivors of child sexual abuse after their attacker was finally jailed nearly four decades later.

Gary Hicks, now 64, was sentenced to 16 years behind bars at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (Mar 29) after being convicted of rape and multiple child sex offences committed in the Milford Haven area between 1987 and 1989.

At the time of the abuse, Hicks was in his late twenties. His victims, a boy and a girl, were both very young when the crimes took place.

Hicks, of Oregon Way, Luton, was found guilty of rape, two counts of indecency with a child, and three counts of indecent assault. His convictions followed two trials—one in August 2023 and another in February this year—after the jury in the first trial failed to reach a verdict on one of the rape charges.

The abuse came to light in October 2022, when the female victim reported what had happened to her. Her disclosure led to a police investigation, during which the male victim also came forward.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Emily Gmerek of Dyfed-Powys Police, who led the investigation, said:

“I would like to thank the two extremely brave victims in this case. They have shown immense strength of character, firstly in talking about the abuse, and secondly for working with us throughout the investigation, and the trials.

“This case is an important reminder that justice can be served many years after abuse has taken place. I sincerely hope the victims and their families can now try and move on with their lives, and that after almost 40 years, Hicks’ sentencing gives them some kind of closure.”

During the trial, the court heard how Hicks manipulated and threatened the female victim to keep her silent.

“He told her if she ever told anyone about the abuse, she wouldn’t be believed and she would have no friends,” said prosecuting counsel Daniel Jones. “Who is going to believe a young girl over a grown-up?”

Judge Huw Rees, in passing sentence, said: “This had the desired effect on her,” and described Hicks’ actions as “distasteful and discomforting”.

Hicks will be required to serve two-thirds of his sentence before he is eligible for release. He will also spend a further year on licence and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life. In addition, he is subject to indefinite restraining orders preventing him from contacting his victims.