Crime

Haverfordwest woman sentenced for Eddies assault and theft of tobacco

Published

1 month ago

August 8, 2024

AT Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week, Sarah Lewis-Moane, a 34-year-old resident of Three Meadows, was handed down multiple sentences following a series of offences.

Lewis-Moane was charged with three separate offences, including assault by beating, theft from a person, and common assault. All incidents occurred on the July 11, 2024

The court heard that on the night in question, Lewis-Moane assaulted Maria Smith at Eddie’s Rocks on Quay Street, Haverfordwest. The unprovoked attack led to Lewis-Moane changing her plea to guilty on the July 23. District Judge Layton, presiding over the case, described the assault as of a “serious nature.”

Consequently, Lewis-Moane was sentenced to four weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

The court ordered her to pay £50 in compensation to Smith, taking into account her guilty plea.

Later that same evening, at the Greyhound Hotel on Mariners Square, Lewis-Moane stole a pouch of tobacco valued at £20-£25 from Bethan Bailey.

For this offence, she was ordered to pay £20 in compensation to Bailey.

Following the theft, Lewis-Moane threatened to assault Bailey at the Greyhound Inn, escalating the situation to a charge of common assault under section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. This offence, coupled with the theft, resulted in an additional four weeks of imprisonment, also suspended for 12 months. Lewis-Moane was required to pay £50 in compensation and £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

In total, Lewis-Moane faced an eight-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, with the court emphasising the “realistic prospect of rehabilitation” and acknowledging her recent bereavement. Judge Layton noted that the offences were severe enough to warrant custodial sentences, but the suspension was granted based on Lewis-Moane’s commitment to rehabilitation and her assurance of compliance with court orders.

Defence solicitor Tom Lloyd highlighted Lewis-Moane’s challenging personal circumstances, including the recent loss of her mother. The court’s decision to suspend the custodial sentence was partly influenced by the need for the defendant to attend her mother’s funeral, which took place on August 7.

Prosecutor Linda Baker stressed the unprovoked nature of the assaults.

Crime

Disgraced former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards faces sentencing over indecent images

Published

16 hours ago

September 15, 2024

Tom Sinclair

Huw Edwards, the disgraced former BBC newsreader, is set to appear in court on Monday (Sept 16), to learn his fate after admitting to possessing sexual images of children. This marks his first return to court since his admission earlier this year.

Edwards, 63 and from Carmarthenshire, was a prominent figure at the BBC, earning a salary of over £470,000. He was a regular presenter of News at Ten and the face of major national events, including the announcement of Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022. His fall from grace began in April when he resigned from his BBC role, and three months later, he pleaded guilty to having indecent images of children on his phone, sent to him by another man via WhatsApp.

On July 31, Edwards appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where he was surrounded by a crowd of journalists and photographers. During the hearing, he admitted to possessing 41 indecent images of children. Among these were seven category A images, the most serious type, showing abuse, including penetrative sexual activity. Disturbingly, two of these images depicted a child aged between seven and nine.

The scandal involving Edwards emerged in the summer of 2023 when he was identified as the well-known BBC presenter at the centre of allegations involving payments of over £35,000 to a teenager in return for images. However, the police clarified that the indecent images for which Edwards was charged were not connected to this teenager. The investigation into Edwards began after officers seized a phone during an unrelated probe, which revealed his participation in a WhatsApp conversation where he received the illegal images.

Edwards admitted to three counts of making indecent images of children. The court heard that he received these images from Alex Williams, who was convicted earlier this year of possessing prohibited images of children. The exchanges took place on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021, during which Edwards received a total of 377 sexual images, including the 41 indecent images of children.

In a conversation on 2nd February 2021, Williams asked Edwards whether the images he was sending featured individuals who were too young. Edwards responded by instructing him not to send any underage images. Nonetheless, he continued to receive illegal content, including seven category A images, 12 category B, and 22 category C.

The BBC faced criticism for continuing to pay Edwards a large salary while the criminal investigation was ongoing. The corporation defended its actions, stating that Edwards had not been charged while he was still employed but off air. A BBC spokesperson said, “If at any point during the period Mr Edwards was employed by the BBC he had been charged, the BBC had determined it would act immediately to dismiss him. In the end, at the point of charge, he was no longer an employee of the BBC.”

Edwards is now awaiting sentencing as he returns to Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

Crime

Shoplifter stole beer and assaulted woman, court hears

Published

2 days ago

September 14, 2024

Court Reporter

JOHN ASHBY, 37, of Laws Street in Pembroke Dock, has admitted to stealing crates of Stella Artois and assaulting a woman, Llanelli Magistrates’ Court heard.

Ashby faced four charges, including stealing five crates of Stella Artois worth £60 from Tesco Express in Tenby and two more boxes worth £25 from Iceland in Haverfordwest on August 19.

After being released on bail on August 19, he failed to surrender to bail on September 3. He was also charged with assault by beating, accused of attacking a woman in Pembroke Dock on September 4.

Ashby pleaded guilty to all charges on September 6. The case has been adjourned for a pre-sentence report, and he has been granted bail until his sentencing at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on September 24.