MP pledges to raise funding and regulation concerns after meeting volunteer crew at St Justinian

HENRY TUFNELL MP has visited St Davids RNLI lifeboat station to hear first-hand about the work of its volunteer crew.

The Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP met crew members at St Justinian, where he was briefed on some of the rescue missions carried out by the station off the Pembrokeshire coast.

Mr Tufnell said the visit had highlighted both the dedication of the lifeboat crew and the pressures facing the service.

He said: “It was a privilege to visit the RNLI St Davids Lifeboat at St Justinian and hear first-hand about some of the remarkable rescue missions the crew have undertaken.

“They do extraordinary work keeping our community safe.”

Mr Tufnell added that crew members had also raised concerns about ongoing challenges, including funding and regulation.

He said: “It was also important to hear about the ongoing challenges they face, particularly regarding funding and regulation.

“As your MP, I will continue to champion and protect the interests of our community heroes in Westminster.”

The RNLI station at St Davids is one of Pembrokeshire’s key coastal rescue bases, serving a busy and often challenging stretch of coastline popular with walkers, kayakers, boat users and visitors.

The charity relies on volunteer crews and public support to continue its lifesaving work.

Hartt family members listed at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court over unpaid penalties linked to major cattle prosecution

TWO PEMBROKESHIRE farmers convicted in a major bovine tuberculosis-related cattle case are due back before the courts this week over unpaid financial penalties.

Henry Hartt, 66, of Ciffig, Whitland, and Edward William Henry Hartt, 48, of Llandewi Velfrey, are both listed to appear at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (June 11).

Court records show both men face proceedings relating to the non-payment of fines of £94,739.64 imposed on March 4, 2024. Separate applications to lodge committal warrants are also listed, relating to unpaid fines of £22,300 and £22,400 respectively.

The pair were among three members of the Hartt family sentenced at Swansea Crown Court in March 2024 following a major prosecution brought by Pembrokeshire County Council involving bovine TB controls.

The court heard that cattle known to have reacted to bovine tuberculosis tests were knowingly kept on-farm, while substitute animals were allegedly presented for slaughter instead.

At the time, Henry Hartt, Edward Hartt and Charles Hartt admitted a total of 12 cattle identification offences connected to Longford Farm, Clynderwen.

The case centred on failures to comply with bovine TB restrictions and cattle tracing rules designed to prevent the spread of the disease.

Each defendant was fined £24,000, while confiscation orders and prosecution costs running into hundreds of thousands of pounds were also imposed.

Thursday’s hearing is expected to deal with enforcement proceedings connected to the unpaid financial orders rather than the original criminal offences.

The Herald will be attending court.

How this newspaper’s legal battle helped shape national guidance on reporting restrictions

A LITTLE-KNOWN legal challenge by The Pembrokeshire Herald has left a lasting mark on how courts across England and Wales handle reporting restrictions.

The case originated in a high-profile local trial, a mid-trial anonymity order for defence witnesses, threats to a reporter, and public accusations of biased coverage — accusations rooted in legal restrictions rather than editorial choice.

It culminated in the Herald becoming one of the few independent regional titles to take a Crown Court judge’s decision to the Court of Appeal.

Though the appeal was dismissed on procedural grounds, the case did not end there. The following year, Re Pembrokeshire Herald / R v Oulton [2021] EWCA Crim 1165 was cited in the Judicial College’s official guidance on Reporting Restrictions in the Criminal Courts — the key reference used by judges and practitioners nationwide.

For a small independent paper serving rural Pembrokeshire, this represents a rare legacy: turning a local battle into a contribution to national standards on open justice.

A trial with limited coverage

The proceedings centred on the 2021 trial of former Haverfordwest primary school teacher James Oulton at Swansea Crown Court. He faced 30 counts of sexual assault on former pupils.

Other media outlets provided limited coverage, leaving The Herald to deliver detailed daily reporting on a case of significant local importance.

The newspaper reported the prosecution evidence extensively, consistent with the default principle of open justice: criminal trials are heard in public so that justice can be seen to be done.

Mid-trial restrictions

That changed when the trial judge imposed a reporting restriction order under section 46 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999.

The order protected the anonymity of several adult defence witnesses, based on evidence of fear and distress linked to local tensions and social media commentary.

Readers continued to see detailed prosecution accounts, but The Herald was restricted from equivalent contemporaneous reporting of the defence case.

Criticism followed swiftly, with accusations of one-sided coverage.

In truth, The Herald argued it had been legally prevented from presenting the fuller picture.

The imbalance became particularly stark after Oulton was found not guilty of all charges. Many interpreted the verdict through the lens of the earlier, necessarily incomplete reporting.

Pressures in and around court

Tensions escalated beyond editorial debate.

Herald reporter Carli Newell was allegedly threatened in the public gallery and had to be removed for her safety. The judge later apologised in open court.

The newspaper also received hostile communications.

Despite this, it continued its coverage.

An expensive appeal

Frustrated by the restrictions and their effects, The Herald took the rare step of challenging the order via section 159 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.

This route allows media organisations to appeal certain reporting restrictions to the Court of Appeal.

With no corporate backer, the fight was very expensive — much of it funded from Editor Thomas Sinclair’s savings.

The BBC expressed sympathy but cited budget constraints for joining as co-appellant. The Press Association considered the case important enough to attend the hearing, reportedly sending the only other person in the public gallery.

The Herald was represented by barrister Matthew Graham Paul, with Sinclair and assistant Ryan Millward present.

The principle at stake

At its core, the challenge concerned open justice: the right of the public to receive fair, accurate, and contemporaneous reporting of proceedings heard in open court.

Restrictions, while sometimes necessary to protect witnesses, should be proportionate, evidence-based, and subject to proper challenge.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the application, primarily on timing and jurisdictional grounds. The challenge came after witnesses had testified in reliance on the order, and certain procedural routes were limited.

However, the judgment engaged with the important issues raised and has since been referenced in official guidance.

National impact

In 2022, the Judicial College guidance expressly cited the case in sections addressing appeals against reporting restrictions, section 159 procedures, and the limits of appellate powers.

It reinforces principles the Herald championed: fair and contemporaneous reporting, the media’s role as the “eyes and ears” of the public, and the need for restrictions to be necessary and proportionate.

Why it matters

In an era when many local newspapers have scaled back court reporting due to costs, The Herald invested heavily in coverage, endured criticism and threats, and then risked significant resources to defend the public’s right to fuller information.

It was not a fight for sensationalism, but for the ability to report more — not less.

The newspaper was blamed for imbalance while simultaneously battling for the tools to correct it.

Though the specific appeal was lost, the principles endure.

A small independent title from Pembrokeshire helped inform how courts nationwide approach the delicate balance between open justice, witness protection, and fair reporting.

Photo caption:

Press freedom and open justice: The Pembrokeshire Herald took its reporting restrictions battle to the Court of Appeal (Pic: Herald).