Crime

Pregnant offenders in Wales may avoid jail under new sentencing guidance

Published

9 months ago

March 9, 2025

PREGNANT women in Wales should only be jailed if it is “unavoidable,” according to new sentencing guidance introduced by the Sentencing Council.

The changes, which come into effect on 1 April, also apply to mothers in England and those of children under one year old. The council’s move has been welcomed by campaigners who have long argued that prison is an unsafe and inappropriate environment for pregnant women and new mothers.

Official figures reveal that between April 2023 and March 2024, there were 215 pregnant women in prisons. During the same period, 53 babies were born to mothers in custody, with all but one of these births occurring in hospitals.

The new guidelines urge courts to “avoid the possibility of an offender navigating the risks associated with pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period in custody unless the imposition of a custodial sentence is unavoidable.” Pregnancy is now also listed as a factor that could justify suspending a sentence.

The Sentencing Council said the guidance includes “significant new areas,” including specific sections on sentencing young adult offenders, female offenders, mothers, and pregnant or postnatal offenders. Even for offences that usually carry a mandatory prison term, courts now have greater discretion to impose alternative sentences if the offender is pregnant or has a young baby.

Janey Starling, from the campaign group Level Up, described the changes as a “huge milestone” in the effort to stop pregnant women and mothers of infants being jailed. “This guidance is a landmark step forward in our campaign and paves the way for future sentencing reforms,” she said.

Concerns over the treatment of pregnant women in prison have grown following high-profile cases where babies have died in custody. Rianna Cleary and Louise Powell both gave birth without medical assistance at HMP Bronzefield in 2019 and HMP Styal in 2020, respectively. The Royal College of Midwives has previously stated that “prison is no place for pregnant women” and was among several organisations that called for a review of sentencing practices.

A number of countries, including Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, already have laws preventing the imprisonment of pregnant women.

Anna, a co-founder of the Level Up campaign who was pregnant while in prison, welcomed the new guidelines. “As someone who has lived through this experience, it gives me great hope that fewer women will have to go through what I did. This is a step in the right direction,” she said.

Campaign group No Births Behind Bars also hailed the guidelines as “a seismic change,” acknowledging the “deadly impact of prison on pregnant women and their babies.”

The Ministry of Justice has distanced itself from the independent Sentencing Council’s decision, but sources said the recently established Women’s Justice Board is working to reduce the number of vulnerable women being sent to prison.

However, another aspect of the new guidance has sparked controversy, with Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said to be “incandescent” over recommendations that judges should consider an offender’s ethnic background before sentencing. Magistrates and judges are now advised to seek a pre-sentence report for those from ethnic, cultural, or faith minorities.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick slammed the move, calling it “completely outrageous” and claiming it introduces a “two-tier approach to sentencing.”

Mahmood has written to the Sentencing Council urging it to reconsider. “As someone from an ethnic minority background myself, I do not stand for any differential treatment before the law. There will never be a two-tier sentencing approach under my watch,” she said.

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

Published

27 seconds ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
Violence against staff up 109%
Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.

Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

Published

28 minutes ago

December 4, 2025

Court Reporter

A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.

Crime

Banned for 40 months after driving with cocaine breakdown product in blood

Published

5 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been handed a lengthy driving ban after admitting driving with a controlled drug in her system more than ten times over the legal limit.

SENTENCED AT HAVERFORDWEST

Sally Allen, 43, of Wentworth Close, Hubberston, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Dec 4) for sentencing, having pleaded guilty on November 25 to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the prescribed limit.

The court heard that Allen was stopped on August 25 on the Old Hakin Road at Tiers Cross while driving an Audi A3. Blood analysis showed 509µg/l of Benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine. The legal limit is 50µg/l.

COMMUNITY ORDER AND REHABILITATION

Magistrates imposed a 40-month driving ban, backdated to her interim disqualification which began on November 25.

Allen was also handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as directed by the Probation Service.

She was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge. Her financial penalties will be paid in £25 monthly instalments from January 1, 2026.

The bench—Mrs H Roberts, Mr M Shankland and Mrs J Morris—said her guilty plea had been taken into account when passing sentence.