Crime

Pembrokeshire window fitter denies raping woman in her own kitchen

Published

1 year 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

Spittal man to stand trial accused of ABH

Published

24 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Court Reporter

A SPITTAL man is to stand trial accused of assaulting a man and causing actual bodily harm.

Robert Hedley, 41, of Wesley Way, Spittal, Haverfordwest, is charged with assaulting Liam Morley-Trivett at St Clears on August 30, 2025.

The case was before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Jun 18).

Hedley was granted unconditional bail and is due to stand trial at the same court on Monday, June 29.

The trial is listed for 10:00am and has been given a time estimate of twenty minutes.

Crime

Milford Haven woman spared jail despite string of shop thefts

Published

1 day ago

June 20, 2026

Court Reporter

Repeat offender stole from Tesco, Home Bargains, Food Warehouse and petrol stations in wave of offences

A MILFORD HAVEN woman who admitted a series of shop thefts committed over a matter of weeks has been handed a suspended prison sentence by magistrates.

Marion Picton, aged 46, of Hawthorn Path, Milford Haven, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (Jun 18) and pleaded guilty to eight theft offences and a drugs-related offence.

The court heard that Picton carried out a string of thefts at stores across Milford Haven between April and June this year.

Among the offences, Picton admitted stealing meat from Food Warehouse on Apr 23, food worth £60 from Victoria Filling Station on May 29, groceries from Home Bargains on Jun 7 and Jun 8, food from Victoria Filling Station on Jun 7 and Jun 9, groceries and non-food items worth £51.09 from Tesco on Jun 16, and food worth £32.50 from Food Warehouse on the same day.

She also admitted failing to attend an initial drugs assessment after testing positive for Class A drugs, including cocaine and opiates.

Magistrates were told the offences represented persistent repeat offending and had been committed while Picton was already subject to a court order.

The bench imposed an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

As part of the order, Picton must complete up to 15 rehabilitation activity days under the supervision of the Probation Service.

The court ordered her to pay compensation to several of the businesses affected, including Tesco, Home Bargains, Food Warehouse and Victoria Filling Station.

In sentencing, magistrates said the offences were serious enough to justify immediate custody but suspended the sentence because there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and Picton appeared motivated to address her addiction issues.

Picton was warned that any further offending during the 18-month suspension period could see the prison sentence activated.