Judge says 75-year-old Stewart Laugharne behaved ‘disgracefully’ as he avoids jail but is ordered to sign sex offenders register

A MILFORD HAVEN pensioner has avoided jail after exposing himself to women on two separate occasions near his home.

Stewart Laugharne, 75, of Dairy Park Grove, Hakin, appeared before Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday, June 30, after pleading guilty to two counts of exposure.

Sian Cutter, prosecuting, told the court the offences took place weeks apart in August 2025.

On the first occasion, Laugharne was seen naked near his home and thrust his hips towards a woman who was walking alone.

On the second occasion, a woman was walking with her baby when Laugharne called out to the child in an apparent attempt to get the mother’s attention. When she looked over, she saw Laugharne naked and again thrusting his hips.

The court heard that children had been present, although it was not believed they had seen Laugharne without his clothes on.

Laugharne had one previous conviction for an unrelated matter dating back more than 40 years, to 1980.

Sarah John, representing him, said Laugharne had lived a law-abiding life for the majority of his years and was capable of leading a “pro-social lifestyle”.

The court heard that Laugharne had endured a difficult childhood after being adopted, had never met his biological mother, and had been physically assaulted by his adoptive mother.

His barrister added that Laugharne now leads a lonely existence, is estranged from his three children, and has no partner.

Judge Paul Thomas KC told Laugharne: “You behaved quite disgracefully.

“On one occasion, you also thrust your hips forward.

“You can only be described as a dirty old man.”

The judge imposed a two-year community order, with Laugharne required to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity. He must also sign the sex offenders register for five years and pay a victim surcharge.

Judge Thomas warned him: “This court is determined that this offending will not occur again.

“It was clearly persistent behaviour on your behalf.

“There will be a different outcome if you were to be so foolish as to repeat it.

“It will not end well for you if you come back to court, Mr Laugharne.”

The case first came before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court in December last year, when Laugharne, then aged 74, denied both charges.

Although the Crown Prosecution Service had indicated the case was suitable to be dealt with by magistrates, Laugharne elected trial by jury and the case was sent to Swansea Crown Court, where he later admitted the offences..

SCHOOL leaders have called for greater funding and support for Relationships and Sexuality Education in Wales after a new Estyn report found that provision is helping pupils feel safe and respected, but is not yet consistent across schools.

The report looked at how schools are delivering RSE under the Curriculum for Wales, where it is a statutory part of learning for pupils aged 3 to 16.

RSE is intended to help children and young people understand healthy relationships, personal safety, respect, rights and wellbeing in a way that is appropriate to their age and stage of development.

However, the subject has also been one of the more controversial parts of the new curriculum, with some parents and campaigners raising concerns about transparency, age-appropriateness and the removal of the parental right to withdraw children from lessons.

Supporters argue that high-quality RSE helps pupils recognise healthy and unhealthy behaviour, challenge bullying and harassment, and build respect for others. Schools and unions say the difficulty is not the principle of the subject, but the uneven level of support available to staff expected to deliver it.

Responding to Estyn’s findings, Laura Doel, national secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, said the report highlighted both strong practice and areas where improvement was still needed.

She said: “We welcome the spotlight Estyn has shone on RSE in Wales, including both the examples of really positive practice and areas for improvement.

“One of the issues is that many schools are left to develop their own practice and programmes due to a lack of funding and investment in effective professional learning or collaborative work for local clusters of primary and secondary schools.

“At a time when schools are facing unprecedented financial shortfalls, it feels as though areas like this in the school curriculum have not been prioritised, and we urge the new Welsh Government to put this right.”

NAHT Cymru said schools need more investment in training, resources and collaborative working so that pupils receive high-quality RSE regardless of where they live or which school they attend.

The union’s comments come as schools continue to face wider pressures, including budget shortfalls, staff workload, additional learning needs reform and post-pandemic challenges around pupil wellbeing and attendance.

The Welsh Government has previously said RSE must be developmentally appropriate and delivered in line with statutory guidance. It says the aim is to support learners to form and maintain healthy relationships, understand their rights and responsibilities, and stay safe.

Estyn’s findings are likely to increase pressure on ministers to ensure schools are not left to interpret the curriculum alone, particularly in an area where public concern and political debate remain high.

The Herald has approached the Welsh Government for comment.

COASTGUARD rescue officers are to gather outside Parliament this week as pressure grows on the UK Government to reinstate emergency call-out payments.

Dozens of coastguards from across the country are expected at College Green, Westminster, at 5pm on Wednesday (July 1), where they will call for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to reverse plans to remove hourly remuneration for emergency incidents and training.

The protest, organised with the GMB union, follows a Court of Appeal case which found that Coastguard Rescue Officers could be classed as workers when carrying out paid duties.

Until now, volunteer coastguards have been able to claim modest hourly payments when called out to emergencies or attending training exercises. The MCA says the legal ruling means the current arrangements cannot continue in their existing form, and that from September 2026 officers will instead be able to claim expenses only.

GMB says the decision is unacceptable and risks undermining one of the UK’s statutory emergency services.

Coastguard Rescue Officers are often the first to respond when people are trapped on cliffs, cut off by tides, stuck in mud, missing near the coast or in difficulty in the water. They work alongside lifeboat crews, police, ambulance services, fire crews, air ambulances and Coastguard helicopters.

The issue is of particular importance in Pembrokeshire and across Wales, where coastguard teams are regularly involved in difficult and dangerous rescues along remote coastline, beaches, cliffs and tidal waters.

The Herald has repeatedly reported on incidents where coastguard teams have played a key role. These include the major rescue of three climbers at St Govan’s Head, where teams from Fishguard, St Govan’s and Tenby were deployed alongside helicopters, lifeboat crews, police and air ambulance teams.

In another incident, Milford Haven Coastguard Operations Centre coordinated the rescue of six children from the sea at Aberavon, with Port Talbot and Porthcawl Coastguard Rescue Teams among those sent to the scene.

Angle RNLI has also been tasked this year to searches coordinated by the coastguard, including concern for a fishing vessel near Marloes and a separate search after a vehicle was found abandoned on the Cleddau Bridge.

Supporters of the campaign say these incidents show how reliant coastal communities are on trained volunteers who leave work, family life or rest periods at short notice when pagers sound.

The Westminster photocall will take place after a Westminster Hall debate earlier the same day on the remuneration of coastguard volunteers. That debate is due to be opened by Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael.

The House of Commons Library says the Coastguard Rescue Service had more than 3,500 volunteers in 287 teams across the UK in 2024/25, supported by more than 100 employed operational staff. HM Coastguard responded to 39,147 incidents during the same year.

Plaid Cymru MPs have already raised concerns about the impact on Welsh coastal communities, warning that removing call-out payments could make it harder to retain and recruit trained responders.

The UK Government has defended the move, saying the change follows the Court of Appeal ruling and that the revised volunteer model is intended to protect the future of the service.

In a parliamentary answer, Transport Minister Keir Mather said changing the operating model was “not something which we wanted to do” but was a consequence of the legal position.

He said moving to a volunteer model with expenses, but without hourly remuneration, was judged to be the best option to protect the service and allow people to continue serving alongside their main employment.

The Government has also said serving Coastguard Rescue Officers are entitled to compensation for up to the previous six years of service, with the MCA calculating individual entitlements.

GMB argues that the answer should be to protect both the volunteer nature of the service and the right of coastguards to be fairly compensated when they are called out to save lives.

A GMB spokesperson said Coastguard Rescue Officers carry out rescues and save lives around the UK’s coast, including Scotland, Wales and England’s south coast.

The union said: “The coastguard is a statutory emergency service, like the police, fire or ambulance.

“They have always been given hourly remuneration for attending incidents and training exercises, but the MCA has now removed the payments.

“The move follows a landmark case by GMB Union which saw the Court of Appeal uphold a judgement classifying coastguards as workers.”

GMB says coastguards will be available for photographs and interviews at College Green on Wednesday evening.

The row comes only days after The Herald reported fresh concern over the loss of call-out payments, and amid a series of recent incidents showing how often coastguard teams are used across west Wales. In the past week alone, Milford Haven Coastguard paged lifeboats after an aircraft ditched in Cardigan Bay, while Fishguard and Teifi Coastguard teams helped stretcher an injured woman from the coast path at Dinas Island.

Earlier this year, coastguard teams from Fishguard, St Govan’s and Tenby were among the emergency services sent to a fatal climbing incident at St Govan’s Head.