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Surrendering lad gets sent down

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Held in custody: Harwood fi nds himself behind bars

ON WEDNESDAY, a man from Pembroke Dock handed himself in at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court after a warrant had been issued for his arrest the day before, due to failing to attend his court hearing. 

Brad Jack Harwood, aged 21 of Elizabeth Court pleaded guilty to the charge of possessing a kitchen knife in Meyrick Street, Pembroke Dock. Prosecutor, Vaughan Pritchard- Jones said: “At 1am on August 28, police attended at the Old Coronation School in Pembroke Dock, which is now blocks of fl ats and had warned Harwood regarding his behaviour. At 2am, police received a call from a member of the public regarding a disturbance in Meyrick Street. They came across two men, one of them was the defendant. Harwood had his hand behind his back, and when he was asked why he made no reply.

He started to walk toward the offi cer with one arm behind his back and one arm extended. The offi cer grabbed hold of the extended arm and the defendant dropped something on the fl oor. It was found the article he had dropped was a kitchen knife with a four and a half inch blade.” Mr Pritchard-Jones added: “He fully admitted possession and said he was threatened by a man named Trevor, who Harwood had punched in the face. He couldn’t remember where he got the knife from and said he was ‘p*****’.

The aggravating feature in this case is he was in court the day before this offence, and what is more concerning is there is no eye witness evidence of what happened before the police arrived.” Harwood was given a community order for two different offences of theft and possession of cannabis on August 28. Probation offi cer, Julie Norman said: “He hasn’t attended any appointments and is currently in breach.” Mr Pritchard-Jones continued: “Harwood is 21 years of age and has 31 previous convictions, seven of which are fail to surrender.

He had breached his conditional discharge on a number of occasions. He has reached the end of the road and I would suggest resentencing on the theft and drugs.” Defence solicitor, Mark Layton said: “In relation to his community order, he tells me he produced a sick note that would have excused him for a week. The last time he was in court he appeared in custody and this time he has handed himself in.

He had phoned probation because he felt better, and was told by a probation offi cer that there was a warrant for his arrest and he came in to court, so hopefully this is evidence that he acknowledged the court. Drugs have been an issue and there have been failures to engage in the past.” Judge DJ Parsons told Harwood: “Not only are we sentencing for possession of a blade, we are also sentencing for failure to answer to court bail. We are also revoking the community order and resentencing for the shoplifting and possession of cannabis. We note that you have not turned up, and that the blade was in your hand and not your pocket.

These offences also occurred the day after your court appearance and your previous convictions are aggravating. You have demonstrated you have consistently failed to comply, and you have not respected or acknowledged the court. You are very much at the end of the road and the only way the public can be protected from you is by a custodial sentence.” Harwood received a total of 23 weeks in custody for the offences.

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Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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