Crime
Ex-mayor gets suspended sentence for child images offences
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A FORMER mayor of Pembroke Dock has been given a suspended jail sentence for the possession and distribution of indecent images of children.
Terry Judkins, 55, from Bush Street, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after he admitted the charges.
Judkins pleaded guilty to two offences involving Category C images and possessing a prohibited image of a child between September 2018 and August 2021.
He also admitted making and distributing Category A images of the children, Category A being the most serious classification of indecent images.
The court was informed that 11 unique images had been duplicated numerous times across two digital devices and that 10 of the images in question were of a 17-year old known to Judkins.
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Judkin’s defence barrister, David Maunder, told told the court the majority of the imagery involving the 17-year old was “enthusiastically consensual”.
It is a criminal offence to share indecent images of a person under the age of 18.
The other image involved teenage boys aged between 10 and 13 years.
Mr Maunder told the judge that the court was “not dealing with evidence of someone who is a committed pedophile”, however, Judkins had “dipped his toe into this kind of behavior, which he deeply regrets now”.
He added that the Judkins was of “positive good character” and he had subsequently suffered “shame and embarrassment” as a result of the offences.
Judge Catherine Richards informed Judkins that the nature of his case stood in “contrast with the positive reputation you gained”.
She continued that there “was no evidence” that there was large amounts of material associated with young boys other than the the Category A images of the 10-13 year old boys that Judkins possessed.
Richards said Judkins had distributed two images of a 17-year-old and stated that the law was “in place to protect young people.”
Judkins was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, deciding to give a Judkins a suspended sentence for two years for distributing indecent images.
The former mayor was also given a further six-month sentence, suspended two years, for making indecent images.
Both of the the devices used by Judkins, a computer and a mobile phone are now subject to forfeiture and destruction orders.
Judkins will also be required to attend a programme for people with convictions for downloading indecent images of children and will have his name added to the sex offenders register for 10 years.
He will return to court at a later date to confirm whether he will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.
Crime
Johnston railway station named as United Kingdom crime hotspot
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Unstaffed Pembrokeshire stop has highest crime rate per passenger
JOHNSTON train station in Pembrokeshire has been revealed as one of Britain’s most crime-ridden stations, according to new figures from British Transport Police (BTP).
Despite recording only ten crimes in 2024, Johnston’s crime rate per million passengers is the highest in the UK. The small, unstaffed station, which serves just 7,000 passengers a year—an average of 19 a day—logged a crime rate of 1,440 per million passengers.
Figures show that four of the ten recorded crimes at Johnston were violent incidents, which could include altercations, assaults, or even stabbings. The data analysis, conducted by MailOnline, placed Johnston at the top of the list due to its low footfall relative to the number of reported offences.
A spokesperson for BTP said: “Stations like Johnston appear to have a high crime rate because they have a low number of crimes recorded combined with a low footfall of passengers. With less than one crime recorded per month, it’s incorrect to suggest passengers are at greater risk of crime at these stations.”
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Crime on the railways at all-time high
The report comes as overall crime on the UK’s transport network has surged to record levels, with nearly 80,000 offences recorded by BTP in 2023/24. Violent crimes and sex offences have more than doubled over the past decade, while overall crime levels are up 55 per cent compared to ten years ago.
Johnston is not the only small station where crime rates appear disproportionately high. Redbridge station near Southampton recorded 38 crimes last year, translating to 1,180 crimes per million passengers. Similarly, Tiverton Parkway in Devon ranked fourth with a crime rate of 830 per million passengers, mainly due to theft and shoplifting incidents.
Serious incidents at major UK stations
While small stations dominate the crime rate rankings, larger stations continue to record the highest total number of crimes. London St Pancras International saw 1,616 crimes in 2024 but serves more than 38.5 million passengers annually.
High-profile violent incidents have raised concerns about safety at UK train stations. In August, 19-year-old mother Stephanie Marie was stabbed to death by her boyfriend in front of commuters at Crawley Station. Last November, 87-year-old Dorothy Chiles died after being attacked at Birmingham New Street Station.
BTP said they are increasing proactive operations to tackle crime on the railways, including stop-and-search initiatives and targeted crackdowns on county lines drug gangs. They urged passengers to report any concerns via their 61016 text service.
Despite the statistics, authorities stress that the chance of becoming a victim of crime on the railway remains low, with serious violent incidents remaining rare.
Crime
Man ‘covered in blue paint’ tasered and arrested in Milford Haven
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A MAN was tasered and arrested by police in Haven Drive, Milford Haven, on Saturday (Feb 22) after a dramatic late-night incident.
The arrest, which took place at around 11:30pm, saw four riot vans descend on the scene.
A witness, who was walking her dog, described the chaos.
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“I saw four riot vans in Haven Drive. There was a lot of shouting in the street.”
The resident told us: “I saw them taser him three times, then they cuffed him, and bound his ankles because.
“He was literally blue.
“He’d kicked a tin of paint over and was literally blue – so were the police restraining him. Seven police officers carried him to the van.”
Dyfed-Powys Police has been approached for comment.
Crime
Pembroke Dock: Investigation underway at Bush Street property
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POLICE were observed at a residential property on Bush Street, Pembroke Dock, on Saturday evening (Feb 22) where officers have been seen entering and leaving the premises throughout the evening.
A police forensics officer has also been observed arriving at the scene.
The Herald has contacted the police for further information. Sources close to the matter suggest the incident is linked to a violent altercation.
UPDATE – 23.02.2025, 1645 HRS
Police were still running an investigation at the property on Sunday afternoon.
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