Crime
Pembrokeshire fisherman strangled partner’s mother in front of child

A PEMBROKESHIRE fisherman, Jake Bowman-Davies, 26, of Lighthouse Drive, Llanstadwell, has been handed a suspended prison sentence after strangling his partner’s mother in a terrifying incident witnessed by a young child, Swansea Crown Court heard on Wednesday (Jul 24).
The court was told that the incident occurred on December 17 last year. The victim had been asleep when she received a frantic phone call from her daughter around 1am. She could hear her daughter shouting and screaming, with Bowman-Davies audibly in the background. Concerned, she went to the nearby property to intervene, only to find the front door ajar and Bowman-Davies in a heated argument with her daughter inside.
Prosecution barrister Georgia Donohue described Bowman-Davies’s behaviour as “erratic and loud.” When the victim asked him to leave, he screamed in her face before grabbing her throat and restricting her ability to breathe. Miss Donohue added that the victim “felt genuine fear that he was not going to let go.”
Bowman-Davies’s partner and a young child were present during the assault. After releasing his grip, Bowman-Davies was ushered out of the house but retaliated by spraying alcohol over the victim and remained outside for another 10 minutes before police arrived and arrested him.
In a statement read in court, the victim expressed fear for her daughter and family following the incident.
Defence barrister David Singh argued that Bowman-Davies, who works at sea and tends to “binge-drink” when off work, is “a young man who clearly needs intervention.”
Judge Huw Rees addressed Bowman-Davies, emphasizing the lasting impact of such violence on children. “No child should see violence between adults of this kind. It’s seared into their subconscious and that could damage them irreparably,” he said. The judge warned Bowman-Davies of severe consequences for any future breaches of court orders.
Bowman-Davies, who pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation, received a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. He is required to complete a 25-day rehabilitation activity and 120 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, he was issued a restraining order, prohibiting contact with his victim for three years.
Crime
Health and safety consultant sentenced for pub assault and threatening behaviour

A HEALTH and safety consultant has been sentenced after assaulting two police officers and subjecting pub staff to a torrent of abuse during a night out in Haverfordwest.
Daniel Watson, 36, had been drinking at The Lost Coins on the evening of April 24 when he launched into a verbal tirade against two members of staff.
“The defendant had been drinking and became angry with the staff,” Crown Prosecutor Ann Griffiths told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.
“He continued shouting and swearing at them, and kept repeatedly hitting the table.”
Despite his behaviour, Watson proceeded to order a meal, but once it arrived, he again became verbally abusive.
“His behaviour made the staff feel unsafe in their job,” said Ms Griffiths. “Members of the public who were at the pub became stressed by his language and behaviour.”
Police were called to the scene and upon their arrival, Watson turned his aggression towards the officers. He pushed one officer in the chest and pulled another by her hands, causing her to fall to the ground. The incident was captured on body-worn video footage shown to the court. Neither officer was injured.
Watson, of Rowan Drive, Heybridge, pleaded guilty to two charges of using threatening, abusive and insulting words and behaviour towards pub staff, two charges of assaulting emergency workers, and one charge of resisting a police officer.
The court heard that Watson had arrived in Pembrokeshire earlier that day for work as a self-employed Health and Safety consultant.
Probation officer Julie Norman told the court: “He had checked into a local hotel and then went to The Lost Coins where he drank around ten pints of lager. He accepts that he has issues with binge drinking, because sometimes when he goes out, he doesn’t know when to stop.”
Watson was sentenced to an 18-month community order. He must complete ten rehabilitation activity requirement days and a 90-day alcohol abstinence monitoring programme. He was also ordered to pay £50 compensation to each police officer, £85 in prosecution costs and a £114 court surcharge.
Crime
Stalker built secret den to spy on ex-partner

Magistrates hear how man’s obsession drove woman from her home
A PEMBROKESHIRE man has admitted building a secret observation den behind his former partner’s home in a disturbing attempt to monitor her movements following the breakdown of their relationship.
Dewi Williams, 32, of Neyland Road, Steynton, selected a secluded spot at the rear of the woman’s property in Pembroke Dock and used it over a three-month period to track her day-to-day activities.
Haverfordwest magistrates heard this week that Williams also regularly drove around the area in a further attempt to observe the woman, who has since been forced to move house.
“He had a look-out at the rear of her property and when the woman was told about this, she felt unable to return to her home,” Crown Prosecutor Ann Griffiths told the court.
“She had to make significant changes to her life and went to live in another location.
“This very persistent activity has had a significant and onerous effect on her lifestyle and has caused her considerable stress.”
Williams pleaded guilty to stalking the woman between May 15 and August 28, 2024. He was legally represented in court by solicitor Tom Lloyd.
“This wasn’t done to deliberately cause her distress, but he struggled to cope when the relationship ended,” said Mr Lloyd.
“And he struggled in a way that can only be described as complete madness.
“This is a man with a previously clean character who has responded to an acrimonious break-up in entirely the wrong way. When arrested, the first thing he said was that he was sorry for what he had done.”
The court was told that since the incident, Williams has been engaging with counselling services.
Magistrates rejected a request by the Crown to send the case to Crown Court, choosing instead to retain jurisdiction. Sentencing was adjourned to June 3 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared by the probation service.
Williams was released on conditional bail, with strict conditions not to contact the victim either directly or indirectly, and not to enter Pembroke Dock except to travel to and from his place of work at the Valero Oil Refinery.
Crime
Young motorist banned after marginal drug-drive reading

A 19-YEAR-OLD motorist has been disqualified from driving after he was found to be marginally over the legal limit for cannabis.
Rudy Poole was stopped by police while driving his Ford Fiesta near the Penblewin roundabout at around 8:30am on December 28. A roadside drugs test proved positive, and subsequent analysis at the police station showed 2.4mcg of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in his system. The legal limit is 2mcg.
“This is a hard-working man and the repercussions of losing his licence are going to be life-changing for him,” said his solicitor, Tom Lloyd, after Poole pleaded guilty to drug-driving.
“He was only just over the legal limit and there was no evidence of any bad driving.”
The court heard that a character reference submitted by Poole’s employer described him as a diligent and reliable worker.
Poole, of Glebe Cottages Lane, Lamphey, was disqualified from driving for 12 months. He was fined £250 and ordered to pay a £100 court surcharge and £85 in costs.
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