Crime

Pembrokeshire window fitter denies raping woman in her own kitchen

Published

12 months ago

May 12, 2025

A MOTHER has told a court how she was raped in her own kitchen after her children were ordered upstairs by the defendant.

“I kept pushing him away, saying I didn’t want to,” the woman told Judge Paul Thomas KC, sitting at Swansea Crown Court on Monday, May 12.

“I didn’t want to make a fuss because of my children.

“I was still saying ‘No’, but then he pushed me down on the floor.”

Richard Murray, 46, of Hill Street, Haverfordwest, denies orally raping the woman at her home in Narberth on August 25, 2022. He also denies sexually assaulting her and causing her to engage in a sexual activity without her consent.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court that she’d met Murray earlier that afternoon at the Costcutter store, Narberth, after walking there with her young children, to buy a pair of scissors. She explained that she wanted to cut posters out of her children’s comics, but was unable to find scissors at her property.

“I saw Ritchie [Richard Murray] and he asked me what we were doing there,” said the woman in a police video interview that was played to the court.

“He told me not to worry, but he’d come over and sort it out.”

She said that she’d known Murray, who at the time of the offence was employed as a window fitter, for several months leading up to the alleged incident.

When Murray and the victim returned to her home, the victim claims that Murray took out a Stanley knife and began cutting out the posters for her children.

“But then he became a bit more suggestive,” she said.

“He asked me if I wanted to have an affair and I said no. I just wanted him to stop. He’s asked me this before. I’ve always said no, and it’s always stopped at this point.

“But then he began pulling me closer to him and he shouted at the children to go upstairs to hide, and then it happened. He shut the kitchen door and started putting my hands on him, in that area in front of his trousers.

“I was pushing him away but then he got [his penis] out and pushed me down on the floor and put it in my mouth. I kept pushing him away, saying nothing, and then I pushed hard and fell back against the tumble drier.

“I was terrified the children were going to know, as I didn’t want them to witness or have to deal with any of this.”

The victim said that following the alleged incident, Murray left her property.

She went on to accuse Murray of touching her breast at a previous incident at her home earlier that summer.

But Prosecution counsel, Mr Dyfed Thomas, KC, claimed the victim had encouraged Murray’s advances in the weeks leading up to the alleged incident, despite knowing that he was married.

“You never told him he wasn’t welcome at your house, did you?” he said. “You didn’t have to let him in. You could have blocked him on your phone and you could have said ‘You’re not welcome any more. Come around here again, and I’m contacting the police.

“Or you could have said that you were going to phone his wife and tell her that he was around at your home all the time. But you didn’t do any of this, did you?”

The victim replied that her intention was ‘to avoid the situation’.

Richard Murray is expected to begin giving his evidence tomorrow (Tuesday).

Crime

Local carpenter retains driving licence despite previous ban

Published

11 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

A Herbrandston carpenter has been allowed to keep his driving licence despite a previous driving disqualification for using his mobile phone whilst driving.

Addressing District Judge Mark Layton at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court this week, Simon Shaw stressed the disqualification was having a major impact on his work commitment as well as his ability to support members of his family.

“If the ban continues, at least two of my five employees will have to be lost” said Shaw, who works as a self-employed carpenter operating from Herbrandston and the Milford Haven Industrial Estate.

“We travel throughout the whole of West Wales and also work at Thorne Island, where we’ve been providing logistical support for renovations for the last four years.”

Shaw, of Triplestone Close, Herbrandston, went on to say that his business has only one other driver who works as a reserve fire fighter.

“As a result, he’s not available to provide the 24 hour cover we provide to various care homes in the county,” he said.

Simon Shaw concluded by stating that his daughter is also dependent on his support having recently given birth to twins while his son-in-law and his partner’s mother are both currently undergoing serious healthcare treatments.

“I’m trying to provide as much logistical support for them as I can, but without my driving licence, this is impossible,” he said.

After listening to his comments, Judge Layton granted Shaw permission to retain his licence.

Crime

Delivery driver caught twice over legal drink-drive limit

Published

11 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

A DELIVERY driver has been banned from the roads after being caught behind the wheel when he was over twice the legal drink-drive limit.

Twenty-nine year old Sam Rowe was stopped by officers just before 9.30 am on April 20 as he drove his Vauxhall Vivaro along Ferry Lane in Pembroke Dock.

“His speech was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot,” Crown Prosecutor Linda Baker told Haverfordwest Magistrates Court this week.

“There was also a strong smell of intoxicants emanating from him.”

When spoken to by the officers, Rowe stated he’d drunk a pint of alcohol approximately an hour before being stopped, however subsequent breathalyser tests showed he had no less than 75 mcg of alcohol in his system. The legal limit is 35.

Rowe, of Hazel Close, Pontypool, pleaded guilty to the offence and was represented in court by solicitor Michael Kelleher who informed the court that the defendant was holidaying in Pembrokeshire at the time of the offence.

“His daughter fell ill and he was attempting to find painkillers for her at a supermarket,” he said. “He’s very remorseful and is now going to lose his job as a delivery driver.”

Rowe, who has no previous convictions, was disqualified from driving for a total of 20 months. He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £48 surcharge.

Crime

Police tip-off leads to driving ban for Milford motorist

Published

11 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

A PEMBROKESHIRE motorist has lost his licence after police received information that the 40-year-old male may have been driving under the influence of drugs.

This week Haverfordwest Magistrates court was told that at around 8.30pm on November 22 officers received a call informing them that Michael Miles was suspected of driving his Peugeot Bipper through Milford Haven after consuming drugs.

Miles was subsequently stopped on Marble Hall Road and when spoken to by the officers, he informed them that he was a drug user. A saliva sample tested positive for cocaine while further tests carried out at the police station showed that Miles had 760 mcg of the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine in his system, the legal limit being 50.

Miles, of Milford Road, Steynton, chose to be legally unrepresented in court and pleaded guilty to the drug-driving charge.

The probation service said he was very remorseful for the offence and has since had appointments with the Dyfed Drugs and Alcohol Service to help him deal with his drug usage. Miles was served with an interim driving disqualification however as a result of his previous non-payment of fines, his punitive sentencing was adjourned to Thursday, May 7.

“If you pay your outstanding fines before Thursday, you will be fined for this offence,” warned District Judge Mark Layton. “But if you don’t pay, you will be given a custodial sentence.”