News

Pembrokeshire man’s death-defying journey across Africa

Published

11 months ago

March 17, 2025

Speaking with Patrick Nash, it soon becomes clear that this is a man with an honesty and a profound understanding of how his life was turbulently restructured following a mind-blowing decision way back in 1980.

Fresh out of Bristol University with an economics degree under his belt, Nash decided to shy away from the predicted career ascent that was being favoured by so many of his peers and instead, set out on a death-defying trek which would cover the entire width of Africa.

During his journey he was shot at by border patrol guards, he fell into unconsciousness at the side of the road after contracting malaria and, perhaps most terrifyingly of all, he was jailed on suspicion of carrying illegal drugs, which carried a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

“I was a very naive 22-year-old who hadn’t really thought in any great depth about what I was doing,” Patrick told The Pembrokeshire Herald from his home in Solva.

“I was ridiculously unprepared for the journey, and all I had with me was a map of Africa, two UK passports and £250 in my pocket. If I’d thought too much about what could have happened to me, I probably wouldn’t have gone, but obviously in those days it was very difficult to find out about things.”

Following five weeks spent working on a farm in Israel, Patrick became one of the first backpackers to cross the Sinai border into Africa. His journey would subsequently take him across 14,000 miles, covering 11 African countries, many of which would be impossible for a solo traveller to attempt today. These included Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria and then back across the Sahara Desert to reach Britain.

Throughout his journey, Patrick chose to travel like a local, which meant he either walked on foot or cadged a lift on the lorries and pick-up trucks that were filled to the brim with miscellaneous items.

“People would be hanging on to those lorries for dear life, but it was a great way to meet the locals, chat to them and find out about their way of life,” continues Patrick.

“They were fascinated to see this white person choosing to travel like them, either on foot or hanging on to the top of those bumpy lorries. And sometimes they’d invite me back to stay in their homes or invite me to stay in a mosquito tent in their garden. And in many ways, this is the overwhelming memory that I have of those six months in Africa. People helped me, and this taught me how important it is to reach out to people and ask for help, wherever we are in the world.”

It was Patrick’s faith in the African culture that helped save his life when he began suffering from acute malaria for the second time during his journey.

“It was bad,” he recalls. “I was staggering around and eventually collapsed at the side of the road. But some guys picked me up, took me to the nearest town and one of them invited me to stay with him. They took me to the clinic where I was able to get treated, and I ended up spending a week with them, until I was well enough to start walking again.”

Patrick also forged a very strong relationship with the locals as he journeyed through the Congolian rainforests.

“People started hearing about me – about this white man who was walking through the forest – and almost every night people would come and find me, invite me back to their villages and ask if I would like to stay with them. They also used to ask me to talk to the young people, most of them young men who wanted to go to Europe, and once again this helped me to see how supportive and caring all these people were.”

But things took a dangerous turn when Patrick, together with another traveller who he met on his journey, attempted to cross the border between Zaire and the Central African Republic.

“The border guards were trying to get us to give them a bribe which we didn’t have, so we got in a boat and despite the fact that they started shooting at us, managed to get across to the other side.”

Shortly afterwards, Patrick was arrested and thrown into prison when a guard mistakenly assumed his malaria pills were illegal drugs.

“This was possibly one of the most frightening experiences, as I knew that the jail sentence for possessing illegal drugs would have been between 15 and 20 years,” he said. “Amazingly a police investigator turned up, realised what was going on, and released me.

“But throughout those six months, no one tried to rob me, even though this has happened a few times in Europe, and I never felt threatened by the local people who I met along the way. I was struck by their goodwill.”

The Foreign Office, however, has since placed red and orange warnings relating to their danger, on many of the places visited by Patrick during his 1980 journey.

After returning to the UK, Patrick became a social entrepreneur, setting up a workers’ cooperative selling vegetarian food, which became one of the UK’s largest cooperative businesses. he then helped set up an eco village in Scotland and in his late 30’s he returned to London where he worked for the Dalai Lama, with responsibility for running his UK charities. In 2006 he moved to Wales where he set up a charity helpline, its workforce expanding from 10 to its current figure of 450.

On March 27 Patrick will be publishing his memoir ‘Shots Across the Water’ which describes that incredible journey carried out in 1980.

“When I made that journey as a 22 year old, I made a diary of the things had happened to me, so reading those accounts all these years later has helped to stimulate my memory of what took place.

“I hadn’t had the happiest of childhoods, and things hadn’t always been easy, but it was that trip that opened my eyes to the values in life and which gave me confidence to move forward with my own self belief.

“If my daughters announced that they would like to make that same journey in 2025, I would do my best to dissuade them.

“But there’s no doubt that that journey formed me and has made me who I am today. It helped me realise that if I was able to complete that journey, then I could do anything.”

‘Shots Across the Water’ is available via Amazon, price £9.99 for a paperback and £7.99 for a kindle edition.

Crime

Man charged with attempted murder after Carmarthen park incident

Published

6 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Tom Sinclair

57-year-old due in court following alleged knife and stalking offences

A MAN has been charged with attempted murder following a serious incident in Carmarthen town centre last week.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that James McKenna, aged 57, from Carmarthen, has been charged with attempted murder, possession of a bladed article in a public place, and stalking.

The charges relate to an incident in Carmarthen Park on Thursday (Jan 29), which prompted a significant emergency services response and caused concern among residents.

Police have not yet released full details of the circumstances, but officers were seen in and around the park area for several hours following the incident while enquiries were carried out.

McKenna is due to appear before Llanelli Magistrates Court on Thursday (Feb 5).

The Herald understands the case involves allegations of both violence and targeted behaviour towards an individual, with stalking listed among the charges.

Public concern

Carmarthen Park is a popular and busy public space used daily by families, dog walkers and joggers, and incidents of this severity are rare.

The news has prompted concern locally, particularly as the alleged offences include possession of a knife in a public place.

Residents have previously raised questions about safety in parks and open spaces across west Wales, especially during darker winter evenings.

Court proceedings

At this stage, the charges remain allegations and the case will now proceed through the courts.

Magistrates will decide whether the case is sent to Crown Court due to the seriousness of the attempted murder charge.

Further details are expected to emerge during Thursday’s hearing.

The Herald will be attending court and will provide updates as they become available.

Crime

Sex offender jailed after living off grid in Pembrokeshire and refusing to register

Published

7 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Court Reporter

Man walked into police station after months avoiding authorities

A CONVICTED sex offender who told police he intended to live “off grid” rather than comply with legal monitoring rules has been jailed after handing himself in at a Pembrokeshire police station.

Christopher Spelman, aged 66, of no fixed address, appeared for sentence at Swansea Crown Court after admitting breaching the notification requirements of the sex offenders register.

The court heard Spelman was released from prison in Dorset on July 4 last year but immediately refused to provide police with an address, despite being legally required to do so within three days.

Instead, he indicated he planned to buy a tent and live outdoors.

Prosecutor Brian Simpson said officers subsequently launched a nationwide search when Spelman failed to make contact with police. Public appeals were issued and his case featured on the television programme Crimewatch.

Detectives believed he had been travelling around the UK using public transport and staying at campsites. He was known to have links to several areas including Merseyside, Manchester, Devon, Cornwall and Hampshire.

His whereabouts remained unknown until January 3 this year, when he walked into Haverfordwest police station and was arrested. It is unclear how long he had been in Pembrokeshire.

Spelman previously served seven years in prison after being convicted in 2014 of 12 counts of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 14. He was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The court heard this was not the first time he had failed to comply with the rules. After an earlier release in 2016, he again failed to register his address and avoided police for around five years before being caught.

He has 11 previous convictions for 29 offences.

Defence barrister Andrew Evans described the case as unusual and said his client had long disputed his original conviction and had expressed a wish to live “outside society”.

However, he said Spelman had gradually accepted that he remained subject to court orders and now wanted more stable accommodation and a chance to rebuild his life. The defendant asked the court to impose a custodial sentence so arrangements could be made for his future release.

Judge Geraint Walters noted there were signs Spelman wished to change but warned that any further breaches would result in longer prison terms.

With credit for his guilty plea, Spelman was sentenced to 10 months in prison. He will serve up to half in custody before being released on licence.

Crime

Former Wales rugby star admits Christmas Day drink-driving offence

Published

12 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Sarah-Jane Absalom

Ex-Ospreys captain was almost twice over limit in Pembroke town centre

Former Wales back row Jonathan Thomas has admitted driving through Pembroke town centre on Christmas Day when he was almost twice over the drink-drive limit.

This week Haverfordwest magistrates heard that Thomas, 43, was stopped by officers as he drove his Mercedes CLA 220 along The Green, Pembroke, at around 5pm on Christmas Day.

“The officers were very concerned at the manner of his driving, as the car was being driven erratically and was swerving to the other side of the road,” said Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan.

“When Jonathan Thomas got out of the car, the officers could see that he was having difficulty standing and was unsteady on his feet.”

Subsequent breathalyser tests showed Thomas had 62 mcg of alcohol in his system, the legal limit being 35.

Thomas, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to the drink-drive charge and was represented in court by solicitor Jess Hill.

“He has family in the area and had travelled to spend time with them on Christmas Day,” she told the magistrates. “He’s very remorseful for his actions and hugely regrets his decision that day.”

Jess Hill concluded by saying that Thomas is currently “between jobs and living off his savings”.

Thomas, who gave his address as Main Road, Bredon, was disqualified from driving for a total of 18 months.

“The length of your disqualification reflects the fact that you were more than a little bit over the limit,” commented the presiding magistrates when imposing sentence.

He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £48 court surcharge.

The former Wales back row left his role as Swansea RFC head coach at the beginning of December 2025 as a result of ongoing health concerns. He was forced to retire from playing in 2015 on medical advice after being diagnosed with epilepsy and is one of the 390 former rugby union players currently taking part in a concussion lawsuit against the sport’s authorities.

“Long-standing issues linked to the head trauma have caused me some concern recently and it has been impossible for me to give the role everything it needs,” he said in a previous interview with the BBC.

His rugby career started out with Pembroke RFC juniors before moving to Swansea RFC, which he captained when he was 19. He then joined the Ospreys where, over a ten-year period, he won four league titles and an Anglo-Welsh Cup. He was the youngest player to captain the Ospreys and, at the time of leaving, was the joint highest appearance holder, together with Andrew Bishop, on 188 appearances.

His international career saw him play for Wales at Under-16, Youth, Under-19, Under-21 and Sevens levels. He made his senior international debut against Australia in 2003, featured at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was part of two Six Nations Grand Slam-winning sides in 2005 and 2008. Between 2004 and 2011, Thomas was included in every Wales Six Nations squad. In his appearances for Wales, he scored seven tries.