Crime

Ministers urged to act over school violence ‘epidemic’

Published

7 months ago

May 2, 2025

SENEDD Members demanded urgent action to address an “epidemic” of violence after a 14-year-old became the first person convicted of attempted murder in a Welsh school.

Natasha Asghar led a debate in the aftermath of a schoolgirl being sentenced to 15 years’ detention on Monday for stabbing two teachers and a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.

The Conservatives’ shadow education secretary expressed concerns about record levels of physical assaults on teachers and a tripling of fixed-term exclusions from 2015 to 2023.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said, warning of chronic under-reporting of violence.

Ms Asghar pointed to “extremely concerning” statistics which showed the exclusion rate for pupils for additional learning needs more than doubled to almost 12%.

She told the Senedd: “Something is clearly seriously wrong when over 50% of pupils with ADHD have indeed been excluded during a school year.”

Ms Asghar said a union’s survey found nearly three in five teachers believe social media negatively impacts pupil behaviour, leading to increasing misogyny and sexism.

She quoted Sharron Daly, a teacher from Bridgend, as saying: “An awful lot of young people come to us… without boundaries… at home and then that comes into the classroom.”

Plaid Cymru’s Cefin Campbell – whose brother, a teacher at the Carmarthenshire school, was hailed a hero after trying to restrain the girl – spoke of his deep personal regret.

Mr Campbell, who himself attended the school, said: “It’s a regret that’s echoed in the tight-knit, friendly community of Ammanford, amid horror that this kind of wholly intentional attack was perpetrated by a young woman with a knife in her hand. “

The former lecturer had no doubt the “pervasive” nature of social media has exacerbated issues such as bullying, misogyny and racism.

He added: “It is crucial, therefore, that we recognise the significant impact of social media on student behaviour and develop clear policies for schools to manage its negative influence.”

Addressing education secretary Lynne Neagle, he said: “A year has now passed since the events at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman and no solutions have been proposed by the government on safety in schools. We cannot… wait for another similar attack before you respond.”

Labour’s Carolyn Thomas stressed that worrying trends following the pandemic around children and young people’s behaviour in school are not unique to Wales.

“Similar evidence is shown throughout the UK and even internationally,” she said.

Adam Price, who represents Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, told the Senedd: “The attack… has sent a tremor through every staff room and every kitchen table in the country.

“It is the lightning bolt that shows the storm already overhead; violence, once exceptional, is edging towards routine – an ugly new normal.”

Mr Price added: “The tragedy in Ammanford was not unforeseeable. No-one shouted louder than deputy head Ceri Myers: between January and the morning of the attack, he emailed the Welsh Government seven times pleading for guidance on challenging behaviour.

“In an interview with ITV, he said he was palmed off.

“The girl who stabbed Fiona Elias, Liz Hopkin and another pupil had already brought a knife into school the year before. The signs were there – the system didn’t see them.”

Responding to the debate on April 30, Lynne Neagle said Estyn will publish a thematic review on school behaviour on May 8 – the same day as a summit on the subject.

The education secretary told the Senedd: “I am deeply concerned about this, about the impact that poor behaviour has on our children’s ability to learn and succeed… on our education workforce… and about the impact that it has on the image of the profession.”

She refuted the notion that the then-deputy head was “palmed off”, saying: “Ceri Myers never wrote to [the] Welsh Government about anything to do with knives nor violence. He raised concerns about behaviour and in particular about things like vapes.

“He had a full response on a number of occasions and also met officials.”

Mr Price responded: “Here was a senior leader in Ysgol Dyffryn Aman setting out the truth and, well, the cabinet secretary was saying, ‘I refute that, I listen but if I don’t like what teachers are telling me then I’m going to ignore it.’ That’s unacceptable.”

Senedd Members voted 35-13 against the Tory motion, with Plaid Cymru’s amendment also falling before the Welsh Government’s amendment was agreed – 25-13 with ten abstaining.

Crime

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

Published

5 hours 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

6 hours 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

10 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.