Crime

Man who threatened to chop off teenage girl’s ears given community sentence

Published

2 weeks ago

September 4, 2024

A COURT has heard how a 17-year-old girl was left fearing for her life after a man threatened to chop off her ears and impose further injuries on her with a gun and a baseball bat.

Paul Gurney phoned the victim on the evening of February 11 when she was alone in a property in Whitland.

“The defendant and the victim had been in a relationship for a few months, and that night he called her and had a very slurred voice,” Crown Prosecutor Abigail Jackson told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“She could hear him throwing things in the background, and he accused her of being with someone else during their relationship.

“He then said he was going to come to her house and chop her ears off, and would also bring a gun and a baseball bat with him.”

Gurney rang the 17-year-old yet again that same evening, when he accused her of betraying him.

“You betrayed me, so now I’m going to betray you and your family,” he said.

Gurney, 32, of Maes Grug, Stop and Call, Goodwick, also posted a photograph of himself on Facebook which pictured him holding a knife. When officers carried out a search of his property, they discovered a BB gun and pellets.

A victim statement was read out to the magistrates, in which the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she now fears for her safety as a result of the incident.

“I was really scared, believing he was going to come to my address,” she said. “I’m genuinely scared about what he might do, because I know he’s capable of violence.”

Gurney pleaded guilty to sending communications to the woman which threatened death and serious harm.

He was legally represented in court by Mr Tom Lloyd who informed the magistrates that at the time of the offence, Gurney was heavily dependent on drugs.

“Since this incident, he has addressed his drug issues and is very remorseful for what happened,” he said. “He said some extremely foolish and unpalatable things to her, but he meant no harm.”

Mr Lloyd refuted the Prosecution’s allegation that Gurney had had a relationship with the victim.

After considering the mitigation, magistrates sentenced Gurney to a 12-month Community Order during which he must carry out 25 rehabilitation activity requirements and 150 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £120 compensation to his victim, a £114 court surcharge and £85 prosecution cost.

A restraining order was imposed preventing him from having any contact with the victim.

Crime

Disgraced former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards faces sentencing over indecent images

Published

15 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.