Crime

Dealer ordered to repay proceeds after coercion by abusive partner

Published

2 years ago

February 10, 2024

A WOMAN who fell into the nefarious world of drug dealing under the coercion of her partner has been mandated to repay nearly £1,000. Daloni Jones, 27, residing at Bro Gwynfaen, Croes-lan, near Llandysul, admitted to charges of possession with intent to supply cocaine, alongside being implicated in the drug’s distribution. The sentencing, delivered in August, resulted in a 21-month prison term, suspended for 18 months, highlighting the gravity of her actions.

The case also involved Matthew Pritchard, 30, from Station Road, Pembroke Dock, who received a sterner sentence of three years and eight months imprisonment for identical offences. The duo’s criminal activities came to light following a police raid on their Llandysul residence on February 9 last year, where authorities confiscated upwards of 23.5 grams of cocaine. A subsequent operation on May 11 at a Penrhiw-llan property led to the seizure of an additional 11.84 grams of the substance.

Investigations into the couple’s mobile phones unveiled their involvement in cocaine supply from January 1 to May 12, with Jones’s defense acknowledging her guilt under the pretext of following Pritchard’s directives within an abusive relationship. Judge Paul Hobson, acknowledging this dynamic, noted Jones’s partial autonomy in the dealings, stating, “You acted under instruction from Mr Pritchard. However, that was not exclusively the case.”

The court, leveraging the Proceeds of Crime Act, sought to ascertain and confiscate the financial gains accrued from their illicit activities. Prosecutor Sian Cutter revealed that Jones had benefitted to the tune of £3,217.50, with an available sum of £957.50 identified for recovery. Judge Geraint Walters, presiding over the financial proceedings, sanctioned the repayment of this amount. Additionally, Jones faces a £187 surcharge, further compounding her financial penalties.

The proceedings against Pritchard for similar financial recuperations remain pending, with a follow-up hearing scheduled for February 15.

Crime

Driver sentenced for cannabis offences on Cleddau Bridge and in Wolverhampton

Published

16 hours ago

July 24, 2026

Court Reporter

A WOLVERHAMPTON motorist has been disqualified from driving after admitting two separate cannabis-driving offences, including one on the Cleddau Bridge.

Doel Lyons appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (July 23), where he pleaded guilty to both charges.

The first offence took place on December 22, 2025, when Lyons drove a Honda Civic along the A477 Cleddau Bridge at Pembroke Dock.

A blood test showed seven micrograms of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, per litre of blood.

The second offence occurred on March 30 this year, when Lyons drove the same Honda Civic along Tithe Croft in Wolverhampton with cannabis in his blood above the legal limit.

Magistrates imposed a 12-month driving disqualification for each offence and fined Lyons £233 on each charge.

He was also ordered to pay £85 in prosecution costs in relation to each conviction.

The court register does not specify whether the two periods of disqualification are to run concurrently.

Separate allegations that Lyons drove another vehicle while over the cannabis limit and without insurance in Staffordshire in September 2025 remain outstanding.

No pleas have been entered to those charges, which were adjourned for a plea hearing at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court on July 29.

Crime

Pembrokeshire teenager given referral order after shoplifting spree

Published

16 hours ago

July 24, 2026

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE teenager has been given a 12-month referral order after admitting a string of shop thefts and damaging a police vehicle.

The youth appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (July 23), where guilty pleas were entered to 11 theft offences committed between April and June.

The offences involved shops in Haverfordwest, Milford Haven and Neyland, with alcohol targeted in the majority of the incidents.

Items stolen included BuzzBall alcoholic drinks, vodka, cans of Red Bull, crisps, chewing gum and a sandwich.

The court heard that several of the thefts took place at retail parks in Haverfordwest and Milford Haven, while others occurred at stores in Neyland and Milford Haven town centre.

The individual also admitted causing £180 worth of damage to a Dyfed-Powys Police vehicle in Neyland on June 26.

Magistrates imposed a 12-month referral order, which will require the teenager to work with the Pembrokeshire Youth Offending Team and comply with a contract agreed with a youth offender panel.

Compensation totalling £336.77 was ordered in relation to the stolen property and damage to the police vehicle. The teenager’s guilty pleas were taken into account.

The court imposed reporting restrictions under the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. Nothing may be published which could identify the youth.

Crime

Murder investigation launched into death of Pembrokeshire man in 1991

Published

2 days ago

July 23, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A 67-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after new potential evidence emerged in connection with a death more than three decades ago.

Dyfed-Powys Police have launched a murder investigation into the death of 58-year-old Bentley Mathias, who died in hospital in 1991.

Mr Mathias died at Morriston Hospital on November 19, 1991, with his cause of death recorded at the time as a brain haemorrhage.

His death was not initially treated as suspicious. However, police said new potential evidence had since come to light, prompting the case to be investigated as a murder enquiry.

On Wednesday, July 22, officers arrested a 67-year-old man from the Llandewi Velfrey area of Pembrokeshire on suspicion of murder.

He has since been released on police bail while enquiries continue.

Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation.

The enquiry remains ongoing.