A COURT has heard how a Johnston man became ‘overwhelmed’ when four police officers arrived at his house to question him about an unrelated matter.

The officers were called to Richard Atwell’s property in Maes yr Ysgol, Johnston, in the early hours of November 1.

“A female was standing outside who was very upset,” Crown Prosecutor Nia James told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“Officers took brief details from her and went to speak to the defendant and when he came to the top window, he was shouting.”

The defendant, Richard Atwell, 31, was told to be quiet, and then proceeded to open the back door of the property and allowed the officers inside.

But Crown Prosecutor Nia James described his behaviour as ‘obstructive’.

Police video footage was shown to the court, where Atwell could be heard telling officers that he had been assaulted by the female who was outside his property.

“I chucked her out because I’d had enough of her,” he was heard saying. “I locked her out and I’ve been sitting in my bedroom ever since. I never hit her nor assaulted her. It was she who hit me.”

When the officers told him that he was going to be arrested, he resisted.

“No I’m not,” he said. “I’m in my own house and I’ve done nothing wrong.”

As tension between Atwell and the officers continued to mount, the defendant was seen walking into the hallway and was surrounded by the four officers. He pushed out at one of them, causing her to fall backwards. Magistrates were told that no physical harm was caused to the officer.

Atwell pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker by beating and was legally represented by Michael Kelleher.

“The defendant was overwhelmed and confused about what happened,” he said. “Police came into his property, and he didn’t know why. They went to arrest him, and he should have simply gone along with them, but he was completely at a loss and resisted the arrest. There were four police officers there in total and maybe in the course of the movement, he pushed one of them. But whatever happened, it was unintentional.”

Atwell was fined £200 and ordered to pay £85 costs and an £80 court surcharge. No compensation order was made to the police officer.

A PEMBROKE DOCK motorist has been ordered off the roads after driving through Pembroke town centre when he was over the drink-drive limit.

Just before 1am on October 31, police officers stopped a Vauxhall Zafira that was being driven along South Road by Cameron Sell, 23, who was exceeding the speed limit.

“He was acting erratically when he was speaking to the officer,” Crown Prosecutor Nia James told Haverofrdwest magistrates this week.

A roadside breath test proved positive and subsequent breath tests carried out at the police station showed Sell had 42 mcg of alcohol in his system. The legal limit is 35.

After considering the facts, magistrates fined Sell £300 and ordered him to pay a £120 court surcharge and £85 costs. He was disqualified from driving for 12 months.

A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been sentenced by magistrates after stealing three packets of chicken from The Food Warehouse.

Marion Picton, 45, was seen by store staff removing three packs, each weighing 1.7kg, from the shelves of the Milford Haven store on April 10.

“She was about to leave the store with the chicken but she was spoken to by the staff and all the items were recovered,” Crown Prosecutor Nia James told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“They went back for resale so there is no claim for compensation.”

Ms James described Picton as ‘no stranger to the courts’. In November 2023 she served a custodial sentence for a previous conviction of theft.

Picton, of Hawthorn Path, Mount Estate, Milford Haven pleaded guilty to theft. She was fined £40 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £16 court surcharge.