News

Police smash door in dawn raid on Nation.Cymru journalist Martin Shipton

Published

2 months ago

March 6, 2026

Counter-terror officers search home in China espionage investigation

AN AWARD-WINNING Welsh journalist has described the “terrifying” moment armed counter-terror police smashed in the front door of his home during a dawn raid linked to an investigation into alleged Chinese espionage.

Martin Shipton, a prominent political reporter for Nation.Cymru, said an eight-strong team from the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit forced entry to his property shortly after 6:20am on Wednesday (Mar 4).

Shipton said he and his wife were asleep when they were woken by loud banging on the door and someone shouting the name “Michael”.

“When I pointed out that nobody of that name lived in the house, the shouter said: ‘We’re coming in!’ and the door was smashed open,” he said.

“It was an utterly terrifying experience, and one that I don’t hope to repeat.”

National Security Act warrant

Officers served Shipton with a search warrant issued by a judge at the Old Bailey under the National Security Act 2023.

The warrant authorised police to search his home for a wide range of items including mobile phones, computers, storage devices, cameras, travel documents and financial records.

The warrant also permitted officers to seize material linked to any foreign intelligence service.

Police told Shipton the search would likely take the entire day but did not provide further details about the investigation.

Shipton said he was “utterly bemused” by the suggestion that he might possess any such material.

“I have never been paid significant sums from foreign jurisdictions, let alone in cryptocurrency,” he said.

“In fact I have little knowledge of cryptocurrency, beyond seeing them as dodgy investments promoted by the likes of Donald Trump and Nigel Farage.”

He also stated that he had never communicated with a foreign intelligence service.

Link to Labour figures

Shipton said he later learned the police operation appeared to be connected to the arrest of David Taylor, a political consultant he has known for more than twenty-five years.

Taylor was reportedly arrested on suspicion of spying for China along with two other individuals.

All three men are understood to have previously worked for the Labour Party and now operate in public affairs and political consultancy.

The journalist said the news prompted him to recall a trip he had taken with Taylor to Hong Kong around three years ago.

Taylor had told him that a Chinese think tank based in Shanghai – which he said advised Chinese president Xi Jinping on international relations – had asked him to attend a briefing in Hong Kong on attitudes toward China in the UK.

Shipton said Taylor invited him to accompany him as another “expert” on the trip, which was paid for by the organisation.

Hong Kong visit

According to Shipton, the visit lasted around a week but involved little serious policy discussion.

Instead, he said much of the trip resembled a tourist visit.

“As the only one of the three of us who had visited Hong Kong before, I became the de facto tourist guide,” he said.

The group visited a Buddhist temple, museums and restaurants and watched a well-known harbour light show from Kowloon.

Shipton said conversations with the Chinese representative were largely general in nature.

Topics included concerns in the West about China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority and the possibility of expanded trade between the UK and China.

“At no stage did it occur to me that anything criminal was taking place,” he said.

Voluntary statement

During the search, Shipton said he offered to give police a voluntary statement about the Hong Kong trip.

He told officers he was willing to do so without a solicitor because he believed he had done nothing wrong.

“I am happy to tell them about the trip,” he said.

Shipton stressed that he has not been arrested and has not been accused of any offence.

He said he is cooperating fully with police inquiries.

Passport seized

Police seized a number of items during the search, including Shipton’s mobile phone and passport.

Officers offered to place him and his wife in a hotel while the search took place, but they declined because they wanted to remain with their cats.

Shipton said he briefly left the house and used a neighbour’s phone to make calls while officers carried out the search.

Police have agreed to pay for a replacement front door after forcing entry to the property.

Shipton said he hopes to have his passport returned soon so he can attend a planned concert in Dublin.

“Finally,” he said, “I would rather like to have my passport back so I can attend with my wife and daughter a long-anticipated concert of Christy Moore in Dublin in two weeks’ time.”

Investigation continues

Police have not provided further details about the investigation, which is being conducted under the National Security Act.

The arrests and searches are part of a wider inquiry into suspected Chinese espionage activities in the UK.

Shipton said the raid came “completely out of left field” and that he has seen no evidence suggesting that any of the individuals arrested committed offences under the legislation.

Cover image: Martin Shipton (Image Reach PLC)

Entertainment

Superstars of Welsh Wrestling coming to the Torch Theatre

Published

5 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A HIGH-ENERGY family wrestling show is set to bring thrills, spills and plenty of crowd-pleasing action to Milford Haven next month.

From Trecco Bay to Baglan, and from Cwmbran to Milford Haven, the Superstars of Welsh Wrestling are back on the road and preparing to rumble once again.

The popular live entertainment show will arrive at the Torch Theatre for a one-night extravaganza on Sunday, May 17, promising body slams, larger-than-life characters and fast-paced action for all ages.

Since being established in 2005, Welsh Wrestling has built a reputation as the leading wrestling promotion in Wales, staging shows in theatres and venues across the country. Each year, the company performs in front of thousands of fans, offering an action-packed night out aimed at families and wrestling supporters alike.

Audience members can expect an afternoon of glamour, chaos and athletic spectacle, with organisers promising a memorable experience that will have children and adults alike cheering on their favourite stars.

Welsh Wrestling has received glowing praise from fans on its Facebook page, with one audience member saying: “What a fantastic night. My two grandsons loved every minute of the show. A great show designed with families in mind. I will highly recommend this to all friends and family. Thanks for a great evening!”

The Superstars of Welsh Wrestling will appear live at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, on Sunday, May 17 at 4:00pm.

Tickets cost £15 for adults and £12 for children. For bookings, call the Box Office on 01646 695267 or visit torchtheatre.co.uk.

Crime

Keeston driver to face trial over A40 driving allegation

Published

5 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Court Reporter

Twenty-year-old admits tyre offences but denies driving without due care and attention

A TWENTY-year-old man from Keeston is due to stand trial in Haverfordwest after appearing before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court charged in connection with alleged driving offences on the A40 near Haverfordwest.

Thomas Hayes, of Keeston, appeared before magistrates on Wednesday (Apr 22) in relation to three offences said to have taken place between late on December 26 and the early hours of December 27, 2025.

The court heard Hayes is accused of driving a Volkswagen car on the A40 between Haverfordwest and Johnston without due care and attention.

According to the prosecution summary, police officers first saw the car at around 10:00pm and believed it was travelling above the speed limit. Officers later reported seeing the same vehicle again and said they were unable to catch up because of its speed.

It is further alleged that at around 1:00am officers saw the vehicle on Freemens Way, Haverfordwest, negotiating a sharp bend at speed and crossing solid white lines onto the opposite side of the road. Police later traced the car after checks through the operations room and located it at a filling station in Johnston at around 1:35am.

Hayes denied the allegation of driving without due care and attention.

He did, however, plead guilty to two separate vehicle defect offences. These were using a vehicle with an incorrectly inflated rear nearside tyre, and using a vehicle with a front nearside tyre said to have had a lump, bulge or tear caused by structural failure.

The case was adjourned for trial at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday, August 10 at 10:00am. The hearing is expected to last two hours.

Health

St John Ambulance Cymru sets sights on a more ‘mentally healthy Wales’

Published

5 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

ST JOHN AMBULANCE CYMRU has unveiled a range of new courses to help transform the nation’s wellbeing and create a ‘mentally healthy Wales,’ to combat a crisis that currently costs the UK economy millions of lost workdays.

The first aid charity for Wales, which trains hundreds of people in Mental Health First Aid each year, is calling on businesses to integrate it into the core of their operations, treating it with the same lifesaving urgency as physical first aid.

In a recent interview for the St John Ambulance Cymru podcast, Just in Case: Stories from St John, the charity’s Lead Trainer, Belinda James, highlighted the staggering economic and human cost of the current mental health crisis and noted that approximately 17 to 18 million workdays are lost annually due to mental health struggles.

James said the statistics, published by the Health and Safety Executive, were “surprising and upsetting.”

She added: “You think for all of those statistics, for all of those numbers, there’s a person, there are people at the heart of that, who are at home not able to work because they are struggling.”

While physical injuries are often visible, mental health challenges frequently manifest in subtle behavioural shifts. James emphasised that “knowing your colleagues well” is the first line of defence in identifying when someone is in distress.

“If it’s normal for me to be quite chirpy, to be early, to be on the ball first thing in the morning… and then I come in, and I look bedraggled, and I look stressed, and I’m snappy… that would be a good time to just say, is everything all right?”

She noted that other “hidden signs” include withdrawal, changes in eating or sleeping habits, and increased substance use, such as stepping out for more frequent cigarette breaks.

The push for better training comes as society navigates a generational divide in how mental health is discussed. James noted that workplaces are currently “caught in the mix” of the “make do and mend” generation and the younger “snowflake” generation.

“We live in a society that’s like, ‘Oh God, no, don’t address that. Don’t talk about the hard stuff. Chin up,” James observed.

However, she argued that directness is often what saves lives. “It is so much more validating to hear somebody say to you, ‘You are going through a really tough time at the moment. I’m so sorry. That must be very difficult to handle.”

As the UK faces gaps in mental health service provision, many individuals are turning to Artificial Intelligence for support – a trend James views with caution. While AI can be a “fantastic tool for signposting,” she warns that it lacks the essential component of empathy.

“It cannot understand human emotion. It won’t pick up on a human emotion,” she said. “The last thing that we want is for them to be led astray by an AI language program that cannot understand the depths of human emotion”.

St John Ambulance Cymru provides Mental Health First Aid Wales-certified training designed to give people the skills to recognise signs of mental ill-health and provide initial support until professional help is received.

These courses are evidence-based and cover critical topics, including depression, anxiety, psychosis, and crises such as suicidal thoughts and panic attacks.

The curriculum includes:

Mental Health First Aid (2 Days): The flagship 12-hour course teaching adults how to support friends, family, and co-workers. Participants learn the “Mental Health Action Plan” and gain the confidence to intervene in crises like non-suicidal self-injury or traumatic events.
Mental Health Advocate (1 Day): A course for those looking to proactively champion wellbeing and reduce stigma in their organization.
Mental Health Awareness (1/2 Day): A foundational session to build empathy and understanding of what mental health is.
Mental Health for Managers: Specifically designed to help leadership recognise indicators of stress and manage the unique pressures of supporting a team.

For more information on Mental Health First Aid training or to book a course, visit www.sjacymru.org.uk/en/courses/MHFA