News

Parc prison under fire as MP slams abusive staff culture

Published

8 months ago

April 23, 2025

Welsh Affairs Chair demands answers after Herald exclusive reveals shocking officer messages

THE CHAIR of the Welsh Affairs Committee has demanded urgent answers from the leadership of HMP Parc after a Pembrokeshire Herald exclusive revealed prison officers had shared messages joking about violence and mocking prisoners in language described as “offensive and abusive.”

In a strongly worded letter to both Will Styles, Director of HMP Parc, and Gordon Brockington, Managing Director of G4S Care and Rehabilitation Services, Ruth Jones MP said the revelations—first reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald in March—raise serious questions about the culture at the troubled Bridgend prison.

Our investigation, published on March 29, exposed a series of leaked messages exchanged by Parc staff, some of which joked about excessive force, mocked inmates in distress, and included dehumanising language. The messages painted a disturbing picture of contempt and cynicism within the ranks of prison officers—fueling concerns about systemic issues that go beyond poor management or underfunding.

📰 Read the original Herald investigation here

“A sobering reminder”

Jones, who chairs the influential Welsh Affairs Committee, said the messages were “deeply concerning” and highlighted “demeaning and offensive behaviour towards prisoners.”

“Even if many of these messages are historic, they paint an alarming picture,” she said. “That seventeen Parc inmates died last year remains a sobering reminder of the risks if prisoner safety is not made a priority.”

Her committee is now seeking detailed answers from G4S regarding its staff conduct policies, including guidance on social media use and how violations are dealt with. In her letter, Jones also criticised the Ministry of Justice for supplying a quarterly progress report on Parc that was “so lacking in detail we were unable to publish it.”

“This lack of transparency is deeply unhelpful for the confidence Parc needs to rebuild amongst the local community and the families of the men held at HMP Parc,” she added.

From leaked messages to political fallout

The Pembrokeshire Herald was the first news organisation to publish details of the leaked communications, which included jokes about suicide watch, racial slurs, and bragging about rough treatment of inmates. The story prompted widespread concern and has now formed part of the evidence base for the Committee’s intervention.

The messages came to light shortly before the publication of a damning inspection report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons, which detailed how drugs had been found nearly 900 times in 2024, violence was rife, and 17 men had died—many of them after suspected overdoses involving synthetic opioids like nitazenes.

A culture problem, not just a crisis

While new director Will Styles has been praised for halting further deaths since his arrival in mid-2024, the message scandal suggests the rot may go deeper than operational failings.

Jones said her committee would raise these concerns directly with the Ministry of Justice. “Safety at Parc prison remains a top priority,” she said. “I plan to meet with the Ministry to discuss how progress is being monitored and what oversight is in place.”

G4S remains under pressure

A spokesperson for G4S has yet to address the leaked messages specifically but previously told The Herald that the company was “working tirelessly on a comprehensive improvement plan.”

However, with the credibility of that plan now under question, and MPs demanding transparency and accountability, the pressure on G4S and the Ministry of Justice is mounting.

As Ruth Jones warned: “Local communities around Parc, and the families of men held there, must be able to trust that inmates are being treated with dignity.” The Herald will continue to hold those in charge to account—and shine a light on the failures still facing one of Britain’s most troubled prisons.

News

BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

Published

1 hour ago

December 4, 2025

Staff Writer

THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.

The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”

A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.

Business

First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead

Published

4 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines
docked at Pembroke Port yesterday afternoon last week, marking the start of physical
deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.

The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock on
shortly after 4pm on Wednesday 26th November, bringing tower sections and other heavy
components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the
existing gas terminal at Waterston.

A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, has arrived in Pembroke Port today is
due to arrive in the early hours of this morning (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.
The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-
loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through
Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.

Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the
latest movements in emails to the Herald.

“The Peak Bergen arrived last week yesterday with the first components,” she said. “We are
expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be
blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”

The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with
a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG
terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to
power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.

Port of Milford Haven shipping movements showed the Peak Bergen approaching the Haven
throughout Wednesday morning before finally tying up at the cargo berth in Pembroke Dock.

Cranes began unloading operations yesterday evening.

The Weather conditions are currently were favourable for this morning’s the arrival of
the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.

The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are
expected to begin early next year, subject to final police and highway approvals.

A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide training opportunities and energy-
bill support for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.
Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery
programme continues.

Photo: Martin Cavaney

Crime

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

Published

4 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.