Crime

Crown court judge orders unusual no-insurance case back to magistrates

Published

2 months ago

October 3, 2025

A ROUTINE no-insurance conviction against a pensioner has developed into an unusually complex legal battle, after Swansea Crown Court ruled that magistrates must take another look at whether a guilty plea entered two years ago was in fact valid.

The case concerns Niall Taylor, 75, of Haven Drive, Milford Haven, who was convicted at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court in September 2023 of driving without insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

At Thursday’s hearing (Oct 2) before Her Honour Judge Catherine Richards, Mr Taylor, representing himself, told the court he had pleaded guilty in 2023 only because he did not have his insurance documents with him. He said he had been assured in open court that if he later found the paperwork he could return under section 142 of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 to have the case reopened.

Judge Richards explained that normally the Crown Court cannot hear an appeal after a guilty plea. “The main purpose of today’s hearing is to find out if Mr Taylor’s plea in the Magistrates’ Court in 2023 was equivocal,” she said. “The Crown Court has no power to allow an appeal after a guilty plea was made by a defendant, but there are special circumstances in which this can be done.”

Mr Taylor then entered the witness box and was sworn. In his evidence he said that at the time of his original hearing in September 2023 he was advised to plead guilty as he did not have his insurance documents with him, but he was assured by the magistrates that he could later return to court under section 142 if he found them. He explained that, although he later attempted to have the case reopened, those attempts were unsuccessful, leading to his appeal now being considered at Swansea Crown Court.

The judge invited the Crown Prosecution Service to make observations, but they declined. Judge Richards then announced that the case would be sent back to the magistrates’ court.

“This is no criticism of the magistrates in Llanelli who refused to reopen the case, nor is it an indication as to my view of Mr Taylor’s prospects of success,” she said.

The judge referred to correspondence from the insurance company suggesting that an expired driving licence would invalidate cover, but also noted that Mr Taylor’s argument rested on policy wording that extends cover to those who “have held and are not disqualified from holding” a licence. “These are obviously complex legal issues,” she said, directing the CPS to research the point before the next hearing.

The matter will now return to Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, October 14, at 11:00am.

This case is considered unusual for several reasons. Mr Taylor’s guilty plea in 2023 was not straightforward — he pleaded guilty only on the understanding that he could return if he later found his insurance paperwork. Such pleas are rare and create a procedural grey area. The question of whether failing to renew a driving licence is enough to invalidate insurance cover is also legally uncertain, particularly when policy wording refers to drivers who “have held” a licence and are not disqualified.

It is unusual for the Crown Court to intervene in this way, sending a case back to magistrates for reconsideration and instructing the CPS to research the law. The fact that Mr Taylor is representing himself against such complex arguments added to the judge’s decision to ensure the matter is properly tested.

Legal commentators suggest this could now develop into a landmark case on whether older drivers — particularly those who forget to renew their licence at the age of 70 — automatically lose their insurance cover, or whether policy wording protects them where they still hold the entitlement to drive.

Crime

Man accused of Milford Haven burglary and GBH remanded to Crown Court

Published

10 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Court Reporter

A MILFORD HAVEN man has appeared in court charged with burglary and inflicting grievous bodily harm, following an incident at a flat in the town earlier this week.

Charged after alleged attack inside Victoria Road flat

Stephen Collier, aged thirty-eight, of Vaynor Road, Milford Haven, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court today (Friday, Dec 5). Collier is accused of entering a property known as Nos Da Flat, 2 Victoria Road, on December 3 and, while inside, inflicting grievous bodily harm on a man named John Hilton.

The court was told the alleged burglary and assault was carried out jointly with another man, Denis Chmelevski.

The charge is brought under section 9(1)(b) of the Theft Act 1968, which covers burglary where violence is inflicted on a person inside the property.

No plea entered

Collier, represented by defence solicitor Chris White, did not enter a plea during the hearing. Prosecutor Simone Walsh applied for the defendant to be remanded in custody, citing the serious nature of the offence, the risk of further offending, and concerns that he could interfere with witnesses.

Magistrates Mr I Howells, Mr V Brickley and Mrs H Meade agreed, refusing bail and ordering that Collier be kept in custody before trial.

Case sent to Swansea Crown Court

The case was sent to Swansea Crown Court under Section 51 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Collier will next appear on January 5, 2026 at 9:00am for a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing.

A custody time limit has been set for June 5, 2026.

Chmelevski is expected to face proceedings separately.

Crime

Prosecution delivers powerful closing speech in Christopher Phillips trial

Published

14 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Jury expected to retire shortly in Swansea Crown Court baby abuse case

THE TRIAL of Christopher Phillips, accused of inflicting catastrophic injuries on a 10-week-old baby in Haverfordwest, moved into its final stages today (Dec 5) as the last evidence was heard and the prosecution delivered a forceful closing speech at Swansea Crown Court.

***Christopher Phillips: Told the court earlier this week that he was “proud” of his appearance.***

Phillips, 34, of Kiln Park in Burton, is charged with causing serious physical and sexual harm to Baby C in January 2021. The infant was taken by ambulance to Glangwili Hospital in the early hours of January 24 after suffering life-threatening internal injuries.

The baby’s mother faces separate charges of allowing serious physical harm and child cruelty for allegedly failing to protect her child.

Final evidence presented

The court resumed at 11:09am, when the prosecution submitted its final exhibit: a detailed timeline reconstructed from Phillips’ mobile phone data, charting his visits to the mother’s flat in Haverfordwest.

Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC highlighted the distances between Phillips’ home, the mother’s address and Glangwili Hospital, telling the jury that the timings were central to understanding the sequence of events that night.

This concluded the evidential phase of the trial.

Judge issues legal directions

Late this morning (Friday, Dec 5) Judge Paul Thomas KC delivered his directions to the jury, outlining the legal tests required for convictions against both Phillips and the child’s mother. He reminded jurors to consider each charge separately and to apply the law only to the evidence they had heard.

Prosecution closing speech

In her closing address at early this afternoon, Rees KC told the jury that 10-week-old Baby C had been a “happy little baby” who showed “no signs of distress” in a video recorded by his father on January 23, 2021.

She said that within hours, by the early morning of January 24, the infant was in hospital with what she described as a “gaping tear in his anus”.

Rees KC argued that the evidence of who caused the injuries “points in one way – towards Christopher Phillips”.

Turning to the baby’s mother, she said the prosecution’s case was that she was “not without blame”, telling the jury that the mother had “failed in her duty to keep her baby safe”.

“She at the very least ought to have realised that her baby was at serious risk from the man she brought into her home,” Rees KC said. “She didn’t take any steps to keep that baby safe. She prioritised Christopher Phillips over her own child.”

Jury expected to retire

No defence closing speech was delivered today, that will be on Monday.

No further evidence is scheduled.

The jury is expected to retire early next week to begin its deliberations.

The case continues at Swansea Crown Court.

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

Published

1 day ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
Violence against staff up 109%
Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.