Crime
Pembrokeshire lifeguard admits drink-driving through town centre
A PEMBROKESHIRE lifeguard has found himself before magistrates after being caught driving through Haverfordwest town centre when he was over twice the legal drink-drive limit.
Police officers observed Ben Macdougall drive his BMW 1 Series along Quay Street, Haverfordwest at around 1.30am on January 21.
“Police decided to stop him as a result of the standard of his driving,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.
“There were passengers in the vehicle and initially he didn’t stop. He was obstructive to begin with, but was then compliant.”
MS Vaughan said that when Macdougall was taken to a police custody suite, he provided breath samples which gave the lowest reading of 72 mcg of alcohol. The legal limit is 35.
Macdougall, of Ivy Park, Burton, pleaded guilty to a charge of drink-driving. He was legally represented in court by Mr Michael Kelleher who presented District Judge Mark Layton with a character reference which he described as ‘a glowing picture’ of his client.
“He’s just finished a plumbing course in Pembrokeshire college and is now looking for an apprenticeship, although he’s still working part time as a lifeguard,” he said. “But his job prospects are going to be far more difficult now, after losing his licence.
“This is the first time he’s been stopped by police and it was a terrible mistake on his part.”
After considering the mitigation, District Judge Mark Layton disqualified Macdougall from driving for 19 months. He was find £200 and ordered to pay £100 costs and a £50 court surcharge.
Crime
Driver sentenced for cannabis offences on Cleddau Bridge and in Wolverhampton
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
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
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.
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