A NEW BBC documentary examining one of Pembrokeshire’s most disturbing crimes will be broadcast this week — and includes contributions from two journalists closely involved in reporting the case at the time.

The programme, The Truth About My Murder: A Killing in Lockdown, focuses on the killing of Judith Rhead by her son Dale Morgan at her Pembroke Dock flat during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Morgan was jailed for life in October 2021 after admitting murdering his 68-year-old mother, striking her repeatedly with a hammer before living in the property alongside her body for around two months.

The documentary explores the events leading up to the discovery of Judith’s body in February 2021, the subsequent police investigation, and the impact on her family and community.

It also features contributions from local journalists including Herald editor Tom Sinclair and his deputy Jon Coles, who both covered the case extensively during the investigation and court proceedings.

Judith Rhead, described by friends as sociable and caring, had worked as a social work assistant and carer. She was well known locally and enjoyed music and karaoke.

Concerns were raised when neighbours had not seen her for some time during lockdown. Morgan initially told people she was unwell and later claimed she had been admitted to hospital, prompting further checks.

Police eventually attended the flat on Saturday, February 20, 2021, where officers discovered her body inside the bedroom.

A post-mortem examination confirmed she had died from multiple head injuries consistent with a hammer attack. Evidence suggested she had been dead for several weeks before being found.

Morgan later handed himself in to police and admitted the killing. At Swansea Crown Court he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years and six months.

Sentencing him, the judge described the attack as savage and sustained against a defenceless woman.

Dyfed-Powys Police said procedures relating to welfare concerns have since been reviewed, with greater emphasis placed on face-to-face contact where vulnerability is suspected.

The Truth About My Murder: A Killing in Lockdown will be broadcast on BBC One Wales at 10:40pm on Tuesday (Feb 24), and is also available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Guilty pleas entered to multiple charges as court awaits sentencing

A MAN from Cardigan has admitted a series of serious sexual offences involving indecent images of children when he appeared before Swansea Crown Court.

Leof Sceaga, aged 57, entered guilty pleas on Friday (Feb 20) during a hearing before His Honour Judge P H Thomas KC.

The court heard that Sceaga had previously been arrested in connection with multiple child sex offences. A “dip test” examination of a personal electronic device seized by police in May 2025 identified a number of Category A and Category C indecent images of children — the most serious and least serious classifications respectively under sentencing guidelines.

Officers later seized a further device on December 18 as part of the continuing investigation.

During Thursday’s hearing, Sceaga pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography, and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The case was adjourned for the preparation of reports, and the court is now awaiting sentencing.

Victim says teachers should not be turned into “security guards” after Ammanford attack

A TEACHER who was stabbed multiple times by a pupil at a Carmarthenshire school has criticised proposals to introduce weapon scanners in classrooms, warning they risk shifting responsibility onto already overstretched staff.

Liz Hopkin was attacked by a teenage student at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Ammanford, in April 2024, in an incident that shocked communities across Wales.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Ms Hopkin said she does not believe scanners are “the answer” to preventing violence in schools and warned they could undermine relationships between teachers and pupils.

She said the focus should instead be on preventing young people from bringing weapons to school in the first place.

“This isn’t about preventing people bringing knives into school in the first place. This is just about detection,” she said.

“If by the time you’ve got the knife in school, you’ve missed so many opportunities prior to that to stopping that knife coming in in the first place.”

Ms Hopkin also warned that introducing scanning responsibilities could place teachers in unsafe and inappropriate situations.

“To stop putting the responsibility onto schools — we already have enough responsibility with less and less and less resources,” she said.

“You’re adding the role of security guard to teachers who are trying to build relationships with young people.”

Despite suffering serious injuries in the attack, she said she still did not believe scanners were the right approach.

“In my own head, as somebody who’s been right at that point where I’ve been stabbed — I was stabbed five times and feared that I would die — I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said.

The Welsh Government told the BBC that its work around weapons in schools forms part of a wider strategy to improve behaviour, with a strong emphasis on prevention rather than enforcement.

Officials said any decision to use scanners would be made by individual local authorities, and there is no expectation that teachers or school staff should carry out security duties.

Some councils have already trialled handheld scanners. Cardiff Council has supplied them to schools, but they are only used when there is a clear concern a pupil may be carrying a weapon.

The stabbing at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman led to renewed debate about school safety across Wales, including behaviour management, pupil support services, and funding pressures facing education.

Ms Hopkin added: “I would never ever suggest that anybody put themselves at risk to check. That’s not our role.”

(Image: BBC)