News
Mother-of-two died ‘because ambulance didn’t get to her on time’, says family
![](https://pembrokeshire-herald.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ambulance.jpg)
A FAMILY has been left grieving after a 40-year-old woman died on New Year’s Eve despite repeated attempts by her 15-year-old daughter to call medical assistance.
Mother-of-two Charlotte Burston knew that her health was rapidly deteriorating on Christmas morning when she began experiencing severe tingling sensations in one of her arms.
But despite repeated attempts to call urgent medical assistance, Charlotte’s daughter’s requests remained unanswered.
![](https://pembrokeshire-herald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/christmas-day-1024x551.jpg)
Eventually, as Charlotte’s condition continued to deteriorate, another family member decided to drive to Charlotte’s property in Llanteg and convey her to Withybush General Hospital by car. But shortly after commencing their journey, Charlotte Burston suffered a major heart attack from which she never gained consciousness.
On New Year’s Eve, Charlotte Burston was pronounced dead.
A post mortem concluded that the cause of her death was hypoxic brain injury, which is a lack of oxygen to the brain.
“If an ambulance had got to Charlotte within 15 minutes of Ella’s first call, she’d still be with us today,”said Vincent Laye, the father of Charlotte’s daughters.
“The pain and the grief that this has left us with is beyond explanation.
“Our girls have lost a mother who they relied on and who was their best friend, and the community around Llanteg has lost a woman who was greatly loved. This was shown earlier this week when over 150 people turned out for her funeral.
“The bottom line is that the NHS has failed in providing the care that everyone pays for and that every one of us deserves.”
Charlotte began feeling unwell at around 7am on Christmas Day.
“I called 111 at 8.19am, the call lasted 53 seconds so I hung up because it was taking too long,” explained 15-year-old Ella Laye.
“I then called 999 at 8.29am and the call lasted 41 minutes. The woman I spoke to refused to tell me how long an ambulance would take, but just said that one would be arranged.”
Realising that her mother’s condition was getting worse and worse, Ella then rang her grandfather, who lives in Clynderwen.
“He managed to drive over within around 20 minutes but by now Charlotte was drifting in and out of consciousness,” continued Vincent.
“He managed to get Charlotte into his car and began driving to Withybush. But as they approached Robeston Wathen, he heard her make a gurgling sound and from then on, Charlotte never regained consciousness.”
When they reached Withybush, Charlotte was put onto a life-support system and conveyed to Morriston Hospital. Sadly, she never recovered.
“Just because all this took place on Christmas Day, does it mean that people like Charlotte should be deprived of the medical care they deserve?” continued Vince Laye.
“Our girls have lost a mother who was with them and who cared for them 24/7. Yes, their schools are doing everything they can to help them through this and we’re visiting the Sandy Bear Children’s Bereavement Charity, but absolutely no support is being shown to us by any other authority.
“All I can do is take things hour by hour because I truly believe that this awful death could have been prevented. I really do.
“I don’t know the state of affairs in the NHS across Wales last Christmas morning but if they were severely understaffed through their own mismanagement, then someone has to be held accountable for Charlotte’s death.
“We’ve since discovered that the heart attack was caused by a blood clot that had moved to Charlotte’s heart, but we were also told that the damage this caused could have been treated with medication. What took her life was the lack of oxygen to her brain…in other words, the length of time in which she was left untreated.
“Charlotte has lost her life and the girls have lost their mother. But this isn’t about the pain that we’re currently going through…this is going to continue for years.
“It’s about every other person out there who deserves to be looked after when they are most in need.
“The NHS and the local authority have failed us in a way that’s going to change our lives for ever, and I’m refusing to allow this to be brushed aside. Somebody needs to be held accountable for what’s happened, to prevent this from happening to somebody else.”
Liam Williams, Executive Director of Quality and Nursing at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “We were deeply sorry to hear about Ms Burston’s passing and would like to extend our thoughts and condolences to her family on their sad loss.
“A thorough investigation has begun, and we will be contacting Ms Burston’s family to invite them to participate in this process and share their experience, which no doubt will have been traumatic for all involved.
“On behalf of the Welsh Ambulance Service, I would once again like to extend my sympathies to Ms Burston’s family.”
Speaking about delays to patient care earlier this week, The Welsh Ambulance Service’s assistant director of operations Sonia Thompson said: “Our ambulance service is under extreme and well-documented pressure as a result of wider system pressures across the NHS.
“The service is looking at solutions as the current situation is untenable for patients and staff across health and social care.
“As an ambulance service, we’re thinking very differently about the way we deliver services in future, and we are already testing some new ways of working across Wales to understand how we can relieve some of the pressure,” she added.
The Welsh Government has said recently that despite budget pressures, it was investing in same-day emergency care, extra community beds and social care services to improve patient flow through hospitals.
![](https://pembrokeshire-herald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IMG_20240207_131307-768x1024.jpg)
Community
Public reminded to stay away from Ward’s Yard and Criterion Quay
![](https://pembrokeshire-herald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/port.jpg)
THE PORT of Milford Haven is reminding members of the public to stay away from Ward’s Yard in Milford Haven and Criterion Quay (sometimes known as the offshore jetty) in Pembroke Dock due to concerns over public safety.
Despite significant security measures, people continue to access the sites illegally, ignoring and sometimes damaging the onsite signage and fences.
Niall Yeomans, Head of Health, Safety and Security at the Port of Milford Haven said: “Safety is our key priority. Members of the public are continuously putting themselves and members of our team at risk of serious harm by trespassing in these areas.”
“Both Ward’s Yard and Criterion Quay are unsafe for public access. They are isolated areas next to deep water and are susceptible to slips, trips and falls.”
Both sites are owned by the Port of Milford Haven and are private property. Anyone found onsite without consent is trespassing, and any criminal damage could result in prosecution.
Anyone who sees any suspicious activity at Ward’s Yard or Criterion Quay is asked to contact Dyfed Powys Police on 101 urgently.
Crime
‘Sophisticated’ organised crime gang trafficked cocaine and cannabis to Aberystwyth
![](https://pembrokeshire-herald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/aber.jpg)
FIVE people have been found guilty or admitted to conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis as Dyfed-Powys Police continues its efforts to dismantle organised crime gangs.
Officers seized cocaine with a street value of more than £400,000 from gang members, who continually changed tactics to avoid arrest.
Six defendants have appeared in court in the latest phase of Dyfed-Powys Police’s Operation Burleigh, which sought to disrupt the trafficking and onward supply of class A and B drugs into Aberystwyth, with all but one admitting their charges or being found guilty by a jury.
This brings the total number of people awaiting sentence under the operation to 15.
The court heard that officers from Dyfed-Powys Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Team and Ceredigion Priority Policing Team led the investigation into the OCG, which was described as ‘sophisticated, well-organised and evolving’.
Detective Sergeant Steven Jones said: “This conspiracy operated on a County Lines model, where controlled drugs are trafficked into a smaller rural town from a larger city, and the operation is controlled by one or more ‘drugs lines’.
“In this case there were a total of four lines controlling the supply of cocaine and cannabis within Aberystwyth.
“The conspirators frequently evolved their actions to frustrate the authorities and evade capture.”
The OCG embedded members were mainly asylum seekers brought to Aberystwyth by Toana Ahmad and another man who remains outstanding, with the sole purpose of dealing drugs. The drug lines were initially based in Swansea, and later in areas of Birmingham.
Three properties – on Terrace Road, Alexander Road and Parc Graig Glas – were identified early in the investigation as being used to house the OCG members embedded in Aberystwyth. Substantial amounts of cash, controlled drugs and weapons were recovered from these properties, and from the people found inside.
When arrests were made, the gang changed its tactics. Drugs began to be supplied from vehicles, and OCG members stayed in guest houses to avoid detection.
DS Jones added: “Trusted couriers were employed to transport drugs to Aberystwyth and cash back to Birmingham or Swansea. A number of vehicles, including taxis, were used as the gang attempted to avoid detection along the route, while trains were also taken when courier cars were stopped by officers.”
In June 2023, two vehicles travelling from the West Midlands towards Aberystwyth were stopped by police on consecutive days. A black sock was uncovered in the engine of the first car, which was found to contain 82g of high purity cocaine divided into 169 grip seal plastic bags.
Davinder Singh, who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs, was the driver of the second vehicle, which was a taxi. A blue plastic bag was seen falling out of his shorts, which contained over 81g of high purity cocaine divided into 167 grip seal bags.
DS Jones said: “On the basis that the amounts of cocaine transported over the 37 couriers over the course of the conspiracy period were similar, over 3kg of cocaine would have been conveyed to Aberystwyth from Birmingham.
“This equates to class A drugs with a potential street value of over £308,950. In addition to this, class A drugs were seized from individuals and addresses with a potential street value of £103,445, along with cash totalling £11,687.
“A number of teams and departments across Dyfed-Powys Police, from analysts, CCTV operators and priority policing teams, to CAB, the Technical Support Unit, Economic Crime Team and Force Intelligence Bureau all assisted in dismantling the OCG from top to bottom.
“Their dedication and relentless efforts have assisted in making Aberystwyth a safer place to live without the threat and harm of drugs being made easily available on the street.”
After a seven-week trial at Swansea Crown Court earlier this year, the following three defendants were found guilty for their parts in the conspiracy:
- Toana Ahmad, aged 33, of Lee Gardens in Smethwich, West Midlands
- Barzan Sarhan, aged 31, of no fixed address
- Ahmed Piro, aged 26, of no fixed address
The jury failed to reach a verdict on two defendants during the earlier trial. They have been subject to a retrial starting on July 1, with the following outcomes:
- Hawre Ahmed, aged 35, of Pinderfields Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was found guilty by the jury of conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.
- Diar Yousef Zeabari, aged 35, of Flat 5, 41 Bryn Road, Swansea, was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.
Karwan Karim, aged 39 of 125 Griffith John Street, Swansea, also stood trial, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs on day three.
In addition to the OCG members found guilty during the most recent trials, the following have previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs under Operation Burleigh:
- Davinder Singh, aged 36, of Huntingdon Road, West Bromwich
- Daban Khalil, aged 23, of Streetly Road, Birmingham
- Kastro Omar, aged 30, of Junction Road, Northampton
- Karwan Jabari, aged 26, of Weedon Close, Northampton
- Walid Younis Abdal, aged 34, of St Anne’s Road, Doncaster
- Saman Aziz, aged 41, of Kirk Road, Merseyside
- Adel Mustafa, aged 39, of Hubert Road, Newport
- Charlotte Roberts, aged 21, of Sutton Hill, Telford
The following have previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs:
- Akasha Smith, aged 24, of Third Avenue, Aberystwyth
- Luqman Jarjis, aged 21, of Wake Green Road, Birmingham
News
Community asked for views on allocation of new St Davids homes
![](https://pembrokeshire-herald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Glasfryn3-scaled-e1721980963591.jpg)
THE FIRST phase of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Glasfryn housing development in St Davids is progressing well with the second phase also underway.
The development being built by GRD Homes Ltd, began in November 2023, with a first phase completion date of Winter 2024 looking hopeful, ahead of the scheduled plans.
The first phase consists of seven properties, including a mixture of one and two bedroom bungalows
As completion draws closer the properties will be advertised via Pembrokeshire Choice Homes.
Ahead of this, the Council’s housing team will be holding community engagement on the 13th August 2024 at the Ty’r Pererin Centres, Quickwell Hill, St Davids, SA62 6PD, 5pm-7pm.
This will be a chance for officers to liaise with the local community about the allocation process for these properties.
Glasfryn’s second phase is well underway, with the initial groundwork already completed. This phase includes a further 11 two bedroom bungalows, with a completion date in late 2025.
These bungalows will meet the latest Welsh Government’s Development Quality Requirement, and will be energy efficient, built to EPC A specification and include solar panels to help tenants with running costs.
The Glasfryn development is funded in partnership with Welsh Government.
Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr Michelle Bateman said: “We are really keen to work with the community on a local lettings policy for these new properties, as we have done for our developments in other parts of the County.”
If you have any queries please email the Customer Liaison Team on [email protected], phone them on 01437 764551, or visit Housing’s Facebook page.
-
Education5 days ago
Milford Tesco worker achieves Oxford dream and lands top legal job
-
Crime4 days ago
Haverfordwest man admits having nearly 1000 child and animal images
-
Crime4 days ago
Youth set to appear in court over serious sexual offences
-
Crime4 days ago
Police investigating after man injured during altercation in cemetery
-
Education4 days ago
Pupils delight in ice cream treat from Pembrokeshire’s number one van
-
Crime4 days ago
Town centre ‘stinking of skunk’ as police strip cannabis farm
-
Crime3 days ago
Fag-butt police court summonses spark debate in Pembrokeshire
-
News6 days ago
Proposal to give firefighters a council tax discount to go to Cabinet