News

Shadow Education Minister Responds to Western Mail ‘Nonsense’.

Published

12 years ago

August 26, 2013

Speaking exclusively to the Pembrokeshire Herald, Shadow Education Minister and Pembrokeshire South Carmarthen West AM, Angela Burns, hit back at the Cardiff based Western Mail, which ran a critical article about her children’s school placement.

The Western Mail’s feature questioned, via a political source as they put it, Mrs Burns decision to send both of her children to a Cardiff based school rather than a ‘local’ Pembrokeshire School. However, Mrs Burns has responded by pouring scorn upon their ‘political source’, claiming that when she had pressed the newspaper reporter at the Western Mail further it was clear that their article had been based on just this one contributor alone, rather than from a number of sources. She went on to explain to the Herald,

“ I was initially contacted by the Mail who indicated it was regarding an issue of office hours. It transpired they wished to speak about my children. He (the Western Mail reporter) stated that ‘people’ had told him that my children were not being educated locally (in Pembrokeshire). He went on to say it was on my Facebook page.”

The Assembly member then pointed out that actually she did not have a current Facebook page and had not used the social network for nearly two years. Responding to the Western Mail’s criticism of her decision she said,

“ This isn’t really a new story anyway. My children moved up with me to Cardiff a year and a half ago and they now go to a local state primary school, not a private school, in the next village to where we reside when in Cardiff. The alternative would be for them to stay in Cosheston, our home in Pembrokeshire”.

The minister went on to explain the issues with her children remaining in Pembrokeshire whilst she worked away four days a week in Cardiff:

“In the first term of the Assembly I was in Cardiff for maybe two days a week, but now it is for four days a week. If they remained in Cosheston they would just see me at weekends. As my husband is also busy with several jobs it would mean employing a nanny for most probably three to four days a week. We talked to our children, aged seven and ten, and they made the decision that they wanted to be with Mum all week. They are two young girls who need their Mum, even more so as they get older, and this way (by moving them to Cardiff in the week), we don’t need a nanny and they spend more time with mum and dad. They want a normal ‘mum’ to do ‘normal’ mummy stuff, and now with more responsibility this term, I am working four days a week in Cardiff over forty-three to forty- four weeks a year over a five year term. I didn’t want to miss them growing up and, though I am really priviliged to represent my constituency, I don’t want to do it at the expense of my children.They are young for such a short time and it isn’t like my husband could take on the role, so a nanny would have been needed, which is not an ideal situation. It (working away from home) can take a toll on a family and I didn’t want it to happen to my family”.

Mrs Burns also pointed out to the Herald that, as she works and lives in Cardiff, as well as in Pembrokeshire, her children were attending schools for which she contributes. She questioned the motives of the Western Telegraph, by stating, “If I were male or in Westminster, where it is common practice for MPs’ families to move with the MP, I don’t think they would have been so critical.”

Angela Burns also explained the system whereby AMs are able to work away from home in Cardiff.

“ We have the right to a second home and we have an allowance provided by the Assembly. It is seven hundred pounds a month and from this we pay our rent, council tax, electricity, etc. I actually rent a house for nine hundred pounds a month and I personally pay the difference.”

She hinted that the Western Mail may have another agenda, as she believes they are an anti-Assembly paper, and suggested that other Assembly members, and the Assembly, have been unfairly criticised in the past.

“I have been touched by all the support I’ve had (since the Western Mail article) from Labour, Plaid, the Liberals and Cabinet ministers who have all said what a load of nonsense this is. This all stemmed from one person!”.

Earlier this year the Western Mail wrote articles criticising the Welsh Government’s refurbishment of its Ty Hywell building in Cardiff Bay, as well as highlighting their alleged shortcomings in how grants are awarded.

Local Government

Essential bridge maintenance and repairs planned for January

Published

2 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Works on Westfield Pill Bridge to affect A477 traffic

ESSENTIAL maintenance and repair work is set to begin on Westfield Pill Bridge, with traffic management in place on the A477 between Neyland and Pembroke Dock.

The programme of works is due to start on Monday (Jan 19) following a Principal Inspection carried out in 2022, which identified a number of necessary repairs to maintain the long-term durability and safety of the structure.

Westfield Pill Bridge is a key route linking communities in south Pembrokeshire and carries a high volume of daily traffic. While major works were last undertaken in 1998 — which required a full closure of the bridge — the upcoming refurbishment has been designed to avoid shutting the crossing entirely.

Instead, the works, scheduled to take place in early 2026, will be managed through traffic control measures to keep the bridge open throughout the project.

The planned refurbishment will include the replacement of both eastbound and westbound bridge parapets, the renewal of expansion joints, and full resurfacing of the bridge deck.

The work is expected to take no longer than three months and will involve weekend and night-time working to help minimise disruption. All construction activity will be carried out from the bridge deck and has been scheduled to avoid clashes with other planned trunk road works, as well as periods of higher traffic demand.

Two-way traffic signals will be in place for the duration of the works. These will be manually controlled during peak periods, with particular efforts made to reduce delays affecting school transport.

Motorists are advised that there may be delays to local bus services during the works, including the 349 (Haverfordwest–Pembroke Dock–Tenby) and 356 (Milford Haven–Monkton) routes.

Drivers are encouraged to allow extra time for journeys and to follow on-site signage while the works are underway.

Crime

Breakthrough in 1993 Tooze murders: 86-year-old man arrested after cold case review

Published

2 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

POLICE investigating one of Wales’ most disturbing unsolved double murders have arrested an 86-year-old man on suspicion of killing elderly couple Harry and Megan Tooze more than three decades ago.

South Wales Police confirmed the arrest on Tuesday (Dec 17), following a forensic cold case review into the 1993 killings, which shocked the rural community of Llanharry and cast a long shadow over the South Wales justice system.

Harry Tooze, aged 64, and his wife Megan, 67, were found shot dead with a shotgun at their isolated Ty Ar y Waun farmhouse on July 26, 1993. Their bodies were discovered inside a cowshed on the property, concealed beneath carpet and hay bales, having been shot in the head at close range.

The brutality of the killings and the remoteness of the scene prompted one of the most high-profile murder investigations in Wales at the time.

Conviction later quashed

In 1995, Cheryl Tooze’s then-boyfriend, Jonathan Jones, was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. The prosecution case rested heavily on a partial fingerprint found on a teacup at the farmhouse.

However, the conviction unravelled just a year later. In 1996, the Court of Appeal quashed the verdict, ruling it unsafe and highlighting serious concerns about the reliability of the fingerprint evidence. The decision was widely regarded as a significant miscarriage of justice.

Jones, who consistently maintained his innocence, was supported throughout the ordeal by Cheryl Tooze, whom he later married. The couple have since spoken publicly about the devastating impact of the case on their lives.

Despite renewed appeals and periodic reviews, no one else was charged and the murders remained unresolved for nearly 30 years.

Operation Vega and forensic advances

In 2023, marking the 30th anniversary of the killings, South Wales Police launched a full cold case review under Operation Vega. The review was led by forensic scientist Professor Angela Gallop, one of the UK’s most respected figures in forensic investigation.

Detectives re-examined preserved exhibits from the original crime scene using modern forensic and DNA techniques that were not available in the early 1990s. Police have not disclosed which items were re-analysed or what evidence led to the latest arrest.

On December 17, officers arrested an 86-year-old man on suspicion of murdering Harry and Megan Tooze. He remains in police custody while enquiries continue. No further details about the suspect have been released at this stage.

Police appeal for information

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Mark Lewis described the arrest as a significant moment, but stressed that the investigation is ongoing.

He said: “While this arrest is clearly a significant development in the investigation, our enquiries are very much ongoing. This case has affected many people over the years and our aim is to find answers to the unanswered questions which remain about their deaths over 30 years on.

“Even with the passage of time, I would urge anyone who has information about the murders, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward and speak to police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact South Wales Police, quoting occurrence number 2300016841.

Crime

Former police officer accused of making sexual remarks to women while on duty

Published

2 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Court Reporter

Court hears allegations of inappropriate behaviour during official police visits

A FORMER police officer has appeared in court accused of making sexually inappropriate remarks to women he encountered while on duty.

Luke Silver, aged 34, is alleged to have abused his position as a police officer by making unwanted and explicit comments to two women during the course of official police business.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Silver attended one woman’s home following an incident involving her partner and took an initial statement. However, the woman told the court that Silver later returned to her address on several further occasions, during which the conversation allegedly became personal and sexual in nature.

She said the officer asked intrusive questions about her sex life and made comments about her appearance, which she found unsettling. In messages sent to a friend at the time, the woman described his behaviour as “inappropriate”, “strange” and “creepy”.

The court was told she later said she felt uncomfortable during the visits, claiming Silver behaved in an overly relaxed manner while speaking to her and made remarks that were entirely unrelated to the police matter he had attended for.

A second woman has also made allegations that Silver asked her sexually explicit questions and made comments about her body while acting in his capacity as a police officer.

Silver, formerly of Gwent Police and now living in Lamphey, Pembrokeshire, denies three counts of improper use of police powers or privileges. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021.

The trial is continuing at Cardiff Crown Court.

(Image: WNS)