Crime

Pembrokeshire livestock owner narrowly avoids jail sentence

Published

7 months ago

May 12, 2025

Warning – this article contains distressing images.

A Crown Court judge has been shown horrific video footage of the suffering caused to animals at the hands of Pembrokeshire father and daughter, Richard and Brogan Scarfe.

The video showed a pig squealing in pain after being found with its head stuck in a holding pen while a young lamb was so weak, it could barely stand. Many animals, including pigs and sheep, were severely malnourished while a pig could be seen with two severely injured ears, possibly, the court was told, as a result of cannibalistic behaviour.

“The care you showed to those animals was highly inappropriate,” commented Judge Katherine Richards as she sentenced Richard Scarfe at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (May 12).

“You refused to accept the advice and opinion of experts, and you continued to think that your knowledge was better. But this caused prolonged periods of neglect and high levels of suffering to the animals in your care.”

Last month Richard Scarfe, 44, of Park Street, Pembroke Dock and his daughter Brogan, 26, of Woodbine Terrace, Pembroke admitted causing unnecessary suffering to pigs, sheep, poultry and dogs, between January 25, 2022 and April 18, 2023.

Richard Scarfe was further charged with breaching a Court Order, which banned him from owning, keeping or participating in the keeping of goats, donkeys, cattle, sheep and pigs, or being party to any arrangement under which he was entitled to control or have influence over their care, for a period of five years.

Animal welfare officers from both Pembrokeshire County Council and the RSPCA carried out a number of visit to monitor the animals’ welfare. And on each visit, they discovered the animals’ condition was deteriorating. They also discovered that Scarfe had remained actively involved in the day-to-day husbandry of his livestock despite a five-year disqualification imposed following a previous conviction for causing unnecessary suffering to animals in 2022.

During their visits, the officers discovered:

Dead pigs left in close proximity to enclosures containing live pigs;

Animals suffering from substantial levels of pain and suffering. One pig had extensive damage to both its ears, believed to be the result of cannibalistic behaviour caused by the pigs competing for the limited food and space.

Animal malnourishment, with inadequate food and drinking water supplies;

Severely emaciated sheep, showing their ribs and spine;

Hazardous holding enclosures, often knee deep in mud.

When interviewed by the officers, the court was told that Scarfe claimed the animals were in a good state of health, claiming their underweight appearance was because they were young and still growing.

“Just like there are fat people and thin people, there are fat pigs and thin pigs,” he said.

The pigs were being kept with inadequate supplies of food and fresh drinking water.

A number of dogs were also found locked inside a makeshift kennel that was littered in faeces. Several were underweight and nervous, and despite making numerous visits, the officers never saw the dog released from their kennels.

As a result of the officers’concerns, veterinary advice was sought from the Animal and Plant Health Agency on the cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry found at Scarfe’s property. Body condition scores were carried out,which showed they were all in a substandard condition and suffering unnecessarily as a result of serious failures in their care. A certificate under Section 18 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 was subsequently issued demanding their removal to a place of safety and to prevent further suffering. A total of one cow, 26 sheep, 43 pigs, 23 poultry and five dogs were subsequently seized and removed to a place of sanctuary where they were examined by a veterinary surgeon, with many needing medical intervention.

Richard Scarfe was sentenced to 11 months in custody, suspended for 12 months.

“The fact that you so brazenly breached the disqualification means custody is the only way of punishing you,” commented Judge Richards.

Judge Richards suspended custody for 12 months as a result of Scarfe being the full-time carer of his partner as well as being jointly responsible for the home education of their young son. He was disqualified from keeping animals for life

Sentencing Brogan Scarfe, Judge Katherine Richards said the defendant had ‘acted as a means of misplaced loyalty’ to her father.

She must serve a 12-month community order and carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. She was disqualified from keeping animals for five years.

Crime

Man charged with months of coercive control and assaults

Published

3 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

Pembrokeshire defendant accused of abuse towards woman and four-year-old child

A 28-YEAR-OLD Pembrokeshire man has appeared before magistrates charged with subjecting a woman to months of controlling and coercive behaviour, as well as assaulting her and her young child.

Jake Davies, of Stokes Avenue, Haverfordwest, is accused of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour towards the woman over a period of more than five months. He is also charged with assaulting the woman by beating and with assaulting her four-year-old child.

The Crown alleges that between August 1 and December 1, Davies repeatedly prevented the woman from using social media and from contacting her friends. He is further accused of threatening to kill himself if she left the property.

Davies was arrested on December 14 after allegedly throwing the woman against a bannister inside her home.

“All he was saying, repeatedly, was that he wanted no further action taken against him,” Crown Prosecutor Ryan Colamazza told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“That was the sole thing he was talking about while he was assaulting her.”

Mr Colamazza said the relationship began to deteriorate in August.

“He’s been very controlling about who she sees and he’s very jealous of her,” he said. “His aggression then turns towards the child – on one occasion he threatened to cut off the child’s fingers.”

Davies appeared before the bench in custody, where he denied all three charges of assaulting the woman and her child, and of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour.

Despite an application by the Crown Prosecution Service to remand Davies in custody ahead of his Crown Court appearance, magistrates agreed to release him on conditional bail.

The conditions require that Davies lives and sleeps at his home address in Stokes Avenue, Haverfordwest; reports to Haverfordwest police station three times a week; does not enter Milford Haven or the surrounding area; and has no direct or indirect contact with the complainant. He must also comply with a daily electronic curfew between 7:00pm and 7:00am.

Davies is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on January 16.

Crime

Drunken rampage sparked safety fears at Home Bargains

Published

8 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

Sarah Jane Absalom

Customer admitted becoming ‘violent and unpleasant’ when drinking

A COURT has heard how staff and customers at the Haverfordwest branch of Home Bargains feared for their safety when a customer went on a drunken rampage inside the store.

Staff member Christine Campion became aware of the growing concern on the afternoon of October 23 as Christian Teeley, 22, began hurling drunken abuse at shoppers.

“She heard people shouting ‘Get him out,’ and could see Christian Teeley swearing at random members of the public,” Crown Prosecutor Ryan Colamazza told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“She asked him to leave the store, but he then started swearing at her and began walking towards her. She was concerned that he was going to be violent.”

Although Teeley did not physically assault the complainant, magistrates were told that his actions caused her to fear immediate violence. As a result, he was charged with common assault, as well as using threatening and abusive words and behaviour. He pleaded guilty to both offences.

During a subsequent police interview, Teeley admitted that he becomes “violent and unpleasant” when under the influence of alcohol.

The court was also told that the incident took place just three months after Teeley had received a conditional discharge for behaving aggressively while drunk towards staff at Withybush General Hospital. The latest offence therefore placed him in breach of that sentence.

Teeley, of Cherry Tree Close, Milford Haven, was sentenced to an 18-month Community Order, during which he must complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He was also ordered to wear an alcohol monitoring tag.

He must pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 in costs.

Crime

Teen found asleep at wheel was more than twice drink-drive limit

Published

12 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

Sarah Jane Absalom

A NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD motorist was discovered to be more than twice the legal drink-drive limit after being found asleep at the wheel of his car in Tenby.

Police were called to Tudor Way, Tenby, on the night of Saturday (Nov 30) following reports from a member of the public about the standard of Miller Phillips’ driving. His Ford Focus had been seen mounting the pavement before coming to a standstill.

“He was attempting to start the vehicle, but it wasn’t going anywhere,” Crown Prosecutor Ryan Colamazza told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

A roadside breath test proved positive, and further tests at the police station showed the 19-year-old had 80 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Defence solicitor Mike Kelleher said the consequences of the offence would stay with his client for a long time.

“The decision to drive that night is going to haunt him for a considerable length of time,” he said.

“He was asleep at the wheel when police arrived, and the vehicle had hardly moved at all. But he fully accepts that he drove it that very short distance.”

Phillips, of Hop Gardens Road, Sageston, pleaded guilty to the offence. He was disqualified from driving for 17 months, fined £400, and ordered to pay a £160 surcharge and £85 court costs.