Crime
Pembroke Dock man jailed for Milford Haven vehicle crime spree
A MAN from Pembroke Dock has been jailed after admitting to a string of thefts and criminal damage offences committed in a single day in the Hakin area of Milford Haven.
Multiple victims targeted in daylight thefts
Matthew Adams, aged 34, of no fixed abode, appeared at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Sept 11) to be sentenced for eight separate offences committed on August 22, 2025.
Adams pleaded guilty to all charges at an earlier hearing. The court heard that he broke into multiple vehicles along John Lewis Street, Haven Drive, and Hakin Drive, stealing cash, personal belongings and damaging property in what the Crown described as a “persistent and targeted spree.”
Among the items stolen were:
- A wallet with £50 and a driving licence belonging to David Bull
- A purse containing £210, an Apple AirPods case, and a bank card belonging to Sommer Griffiths
- A passport belonging to Sommer Griffiths, in the name of her child, from the same vehicle
- Circa £80 in cash and a watch belonging to Leah Rees
- Clothing items worth approximately £500 from a Kia Rio owned by Martin Horst
- Sweets and drinks from a vehicle owned by Daniel Thomas
- Cash, Chanel sunglasses, Zopiclone tablets, and a yellow ring belonging to Jennifer Reynolds
- He also damaged the windscreen of a Skoda Fabia (VRN CU66 RDO)
Adams was additionally convicted of vehicle interference after attempting to tamper with a VW Caddy (VRN SW59 BVP) on Haven Drive.
Jail sentence handed down
District Judge M Layton sentenced Adams to 16 weeks in prison, citing the seriousness of the offences, his previous convictions, and the impact on multiple victims. All sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
The court ordered compensation payments to be made to several victims, totalling £995, and imposed a £154 victim surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs, to be paid upon Adams’ release by January 1, 2026.
No reduction in sentence was made despite Adams entering guilty pleas, as the court concluded that only a custodial sentence was appropriate due to the scale of the offending and the harm caused.
The case was prosecuted by Simone Walsh on behalf of CPS Wales (South West).
Crime
Drug trafficker must repay £33,000 after court rules he made nearly £500,000
A PEMBROKESHIRE drug trafficker jailed after a major cocaine and cannabis seizure has been ordered to repay more than £33,000.
Dean Evans, 44, returned to Swansea Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing after prosecutors sought to recover money made through his offending.
The court heard it had been agreed that Evans benefited from criminal conduct by £496,533.94. However, his available assets were calculated at £33,337.37.
Judge Catherine Richards made a confiscation order for that amount and gave Evans three months to pay. If he fails to do so, he faces a further year in prison.
Evans, of St Clements Park, Freystrop, is already serving an eight-year sentence after admitting possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis.
He was caught after Dyfed-Powys Police’s Roads Policing Unit stopped his Seat Ateca on Holyland Road, Pembroke, at around 10:25am on January 2.
Officers searched the vehicle after Evans admitted they would find “stuff” inside.
They discovered around one kilogram of cocaine in a cardboard box in the boot, together with 5.4 kilograms of cannabis in a black bin bag. The cannabis had been split into ten vacuum-sealed bags.
Swansea Crown Court was previously told the drugs had a combined potential street value of up to £185,000, made up of around £125,000 of cocaine and cannabis worth up to £60,000.
A mobile phone seized from Evans revealed what prosecutors described as a “dealer’s list”, with dozens of names and sums believed to be owed. Messages also showed Evans directing dealers below him in the supply chain.
At the original sentencing hearing, the court was told Evans had 23 previous convictions for 62 offences, including rape and robbery. His previous drug matters had related only to possession.
Sarah John, mitigating, said he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had stayed out of trouble for a “fairly lengthy period”, with his last conviction in 2016.
Jailing Evans for eight years, Judge Paul Thomas KC said: “You are clearly a man with few criminal boundaries.
“You ensnared users and low-level drug dealers into debt, dragging them into a vicious circle of criminality.”
After sentencing, DC Phill Jones, of Pembrokeshire’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, said illegal drugs brought misery to local communities and would not be tolerated.
He said: “This sentence should serve as a stark warning to any others who are tempted into the illegal drugs trade. You will get caught and you will go to prison.”
Photo caption: Drugs seized:
Dean Evans was caught with cocaine and cannabis worth up to £185,000 in his car (Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police).
Crime
Man wanted by court after failing to attend hearing over alleged shop thefts
A MAN is wanted by the courts after failing to attend a hearing relating to a series of alleged shop thefts in Pembrokeshire.
Jack Morgan, of Pembroke, was due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (Jun 16) but failed to attend.
The court heard that Morgan faces several allegations of shop theft from businesses in Pembrokeshire.
The charges include the alleged theft of vodka from the Co-op in Pembroke Dock, along with food and drink items including sausages, crisps and Dragon Soop from The Green Garage.
The alleged offences are said to have taken place on various dates earlier this year.
After Morgan failed to attend court, magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest without bail.
He will now be brought before the court once located by police.
Court officials heard that the matters remain before the court and no pleas have yet been entered.
Crime
Shop theft admitted after alcohol stolen from Haverfordwest store
A WOMAN has admitted shoplifting alcohol from a Haverfordwest store.
Esme Hoyle appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (Jun 16) charged with theft from a shop.
The court heard that Hoyle stole alcohol worth £17 from B&M in Haverfordwest on Sunday, April 6.
Hoyle pleaded guilty to the offence.
Magistrates sentenced Hoyle following her guilty plea and imposed financial penalties, including prosecution costs and a victim surcharge.
The court was told the offence related to a low-value retail theft from the town centre store.
Retail theft continues to place pressure on local businesses across Pembrokeshire, with stores increasingly reporting repeated incidents of shoplifting.
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