News

Badger and the new motto

Published

11 years ago

March 4, 2015

badger knows best THIS WEEK, Badger wants to invite you to Join him on a journey through one of the most famous sayings in English: Namely that if you provided an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of typewriters (or, in these go-getting times, so-called ‘laptop’ computing devices), and an infinite amount of time then one of them would eventually come up with the works of Shakespeare. Or perhaps Frederick Forsyth. Badger forgets. Badger has written before about the County Council’s European Manager, Gwyn Evans. Mr Evans has a string of letters after his name which suggests that, whatever his failings in putting in place adequate guidance for the proper operation of a multi-million pounds grant scheme, he could re-arrange his qualifications into a formidable score at Scrabble. Hiding behind a cloud of verbiage and ink is, perhaps, an appropriate image for the Council’s own ‘Captain Euro.’ The kudos afforded to the ‘highly qualified’ European Team at Pembrokeshire County Council at a time when this week’s Audit Committee revealed that so convinced of their own expertise were its members that the basic stuff of doing their job passed them by. Having ticked the right box they were able to say everything was okay with its administration of millions of pounds of public money. Except it wasn’t. Bearing in mind the extent to which the report has been filleted at the desperate behest of County Council officers desperate to cling to their jobs and their pensions, what remains is striking enough. Imagine, readers, imagine what the unexpurgated version would have looked like had it been prepared by an independent assessor instead of the Council’s own officers. Assuming, of course, that an

independent assessor had been given access to the documents as they existed at the time they were created and not as subsequently ‘amended.’ Gwyn Evans knows all about ‘amending’ things to make the record look better. Remember, readers, Gwyn is the notorious ‘minutes-meddler,’ whose identification in this newspaper caused Bryn to summon senior officers, senior councilors and the former Audit Chair John Evans MBE and tell them he had ‘vays of making zem tok.’ However many changes an: made, readers, no number of weasel words can hide the fact that the procedural guide used to administer grants was — well, readers, Badger apologises for the crudity — crap. It did not provide adequate safeguards to ensure that scarce public funds were being spent as they were supposed to be spent. Or, perhaps, it was not the manual which was crap, just those charged with using it. In either circumstance, Gwyn might well look grim. As Badger’s dear old friend Grumpy has revealed — Grim Gwyn knew everything about the original grant manual. He was an authority on it. He told Grumpy that he knew he was an authority on it as he wrote it. It’s an interesting dilemma: Either Gwyn’s manual was useless and needed amending, or the manual was adequate but his fellow officers believed that be and it could be safely ignored. In his shoes, readers, would you rather your work was useless or that your co-workers thought it valueless? On the face of the Internal Audit Report, readers, all those letters, wit and skill managed to miss out pretty obvious steps, like requiring officers junior to him to establish that work for which payment was made had actually been done. And, readers, in case you

are dubious that such a highly expert and qualified individual could be that daft, here is what the Internal Audit Report actually says what should be in the revised manual it proposes: Detailed photographic evidence of all proposed grant funded work (internal and external) should be captured and retained prior to work commencing, at each site visit and on completion of works; The frequency of site visits should be stipulated and the exact checks undertaken should be clarified (i.e. cross-referenced to the specification and signed off as satisfactorily completed); Payment should only be made when the authorising officer is satisfied that the checks have been undertaken to verify the completion of work and evidence of defrayment has been obtained: Checks should be undertaken to verify the authenticity of infonnation provided, e.g. hazardous waste disposal certification. What does this all mean, readers? Look at what it says must happen in the future. Working backwards, and proceeding on the basis that those bullet points refer to deficiencies in the previous procedure, allows us to posit that: No detailed photographic information exists of projects that claimed hundreds of thousands of pounds; Site visits were haphazard and checks on works ineffective; Payment was made when no evidence of payment had been received. They never even got bank statements as evidence at the time claims for payment were made. Please note, readers, when asked after the proverbial hit the fan, the developer Cathal McCosker refused to provide them. He is said to have been willing to pay back £125,000 to make it all

go away rather than let the Council or WEFO examine his bank statements. Statements that the Council’s own procedure manual say should be provided before payments out are made; Checks were not carried out — or were inadequately performed – to validate whether substances such as asbestos (for example) had been safely removed and disposed of. Imagine not handling or disposing of asbestos (for example) safely. You would have to be mad, bad or both to even contemplate such a thing. Asbestos (for example) is lethal stuff and can cause all sorts of nasty problems: mesothelioma (for example). You can’t just bury it (for example) under a handy backyard, garden, or car parking area and hope for the best. Can you? And, of course, this is only one grant scheme: The Commercial Property Grants Scheme, funded by the European Union. The Town Heritage Initiative, funded by Lotto, did not even have a manual. Badger will restate that point, readers: So arrogant were officers in the Council’s Regeneration Department that they did not think they needed something as basic as a procedural manual to manage hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money. When Jamie Adams says he thinks it is about outcomes not processes, Badger hopes Jamie understands that there are occasions when procedures are important. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and has many benefits. The problem with Mr Evans and his colleagues is that they were told what the problems were by Mike Stoddart a long time ago. The response of the Council was to try and rubbish Councillor Slot!dart. Officers briefed against him, a fatuous – and demonstrably wrong – FAQ document was prepared to contradict him to the

general public; no effort was spared to help the IPPG claque try to knock him of course. Officers effectively stuck their fingers in their ears and shouted: “La-la-la” to stop the truth getting to them. Grumpy, Mike Stoddart may be, but he was right at the time, right all along in all important respects, and he is owed an apology by all of those who would not listen to an inconvenient truth when first told. So, readers, who is at fault? The answer, you might be surprised to learn, is not the man at the top: The Council’s own Dr Dolittle, Steven Jones. He is not to blame. He made it clear that the buck wouldn’t stop with him when this whole shebang kicked off in January. Badger notes that elsewhere in this paper he is still convinced the buck stops elsewhere. And it probably —almost certainly — won’t stop with Grim Gwyn, whose gyroscopic sense of his own importance and intelligence might actually have persuaded other officers that he is almost as clever as he thinks he is. No readers, some other patsy will retire on ill health and grab a pension before he is given a stern wigging and told not to do it again. Perhaps those wheels are already in motion, readers. Say no more. After all, readers, at Pembrokeshire County Council — and to Dr Dolittle’s relief — with great power does not come great responsibility. Let’s go back to those monkeys tip-tapping away on those typewriters, readers. In under five minutes, Bongo, the Macaque in the far corner, has come up with a new motto for the Council’s Regeneration Office and its ‘highly regarded and expert’ European Team. Let’s have a peek, shall we? What has Bongo come up with? “It matters not whether you win or lose but where you place the blame.” How true readers. How true.

News

Wife and lover jailed for plot to murder husband to continue affair

Published

6 minutes ago

December 19, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A WOMAN and her lover have been jailed after conspiring to murder her husband of ten years so they could continue their affair.

Michelle Mills and Geraint Berry, both aged 46, were each sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment at Swansea Crown Court after a jury found them guilty of plotting to kill Christopher Mills in a plan intended to make his death appear as a suicide.

The conspiracy was uncovered after Mr Mills, 55, an ex-serviceman, fought back during a late-night ambush at a caravan the couple were staying in at Cenarth, Carmarthenshire, on Friday, September 20, 2024.

Berry, assisted by Steven Thomas, forced entry into the caravan armed with imitation firearms, gas masks and cable ties. A pre-prepared suicide note falsely purporting to have been written by Mr Mills was later recovered by police.

The attack failed when Mr Mills defended himself, managing to disarm the intruders and forcing them to flee on foot.

Armed response officers, police dog units and the National Police Air Service were deployed. Berry and Thomas were arrested shortly afterwards after being spotted hiding in bushes by a police helicopter.

***Geraint Berry, during his arrest – from police video***

The incident was initially reported to Dyfed-Powys Police by Michelle Mills, who claimed to be unaware of any motive for her husband to be targeted. At first, officers treated the matter as an aggravated burglary.

However, detectives quickly became suspicious.

Detective Inspector Sam Gregory, of Ceredigion CID said: “We had a report of two masked men attempting to gain access to a caravan and assaulting the owner. On the surface, it appeared the case would be fairly straightforward.

“However, when Berry and Thomas were searched, officers found gas masks, imitation firearms and, most disturbingly, a typed suicide note said to have been written by Christopher Mills.”

The investigation was escalated to CID, where digital forensic enquiries uncovered extensive communication between Mrs Mills and Berry revealing a long-running affair and detailed plans to murder her husband.

Messages exchanged from August 2024 onwards showed the pair discussing multiple methods of killing Mr Mills, including suffocating him while he slept, overdosing him on sleeping tablets, poisoning his food with antifreeze or foxglove, and staging an explosion in his car.

Berry also contacted an associate asking how to obtain a firearm with a suppressor and how to make a vehicle explode when the ignition was started.

The court heard there were two aborted attempts to ambush Mr Mills at the caravan on August 28 and 29, with Berry injuring his knee during one failed attempt.

On the third attempt, Mrs Mills told Berry she would encourage her husband to drink alcohol so he would fall asleep. Messages showed Berry informing her he had arrived at the holiday park moments before the attackers burst into the caravan.

Immediately after the men fled, Mrs Mills sent Berry messages urging him to escape, delete communications and expressing affection, despite her husband having just been assaulted.

Mrs Mills was later arrested at her home in Maes Ty Gwyn, Llwynhendy. Despite denying involvement, she told an arresting officer she would be “going to jail for this”.

DI Gregory said: “From start to finish, Mrs Mills denied any involvement. She initially claimed she did not know the attackers, and later said she believed the messages were just fantasy.

“At no point did she attempt to stop Berry or tell him she did not want the plans to go ahead. Her only concern was not getting caught.”

Sentencing the pair, Mr Justice Nicklin said the plot involved “significant planning and premeditation”, despite being “poorly executed”, and placed Mr Mills’ life at genuine risk.

The court heard victim impact evidence describing how the attack had “pretty much ruined” Mr Mills’ life, leaving him suffering flashbacks and long-term psychological harm.

Mrs Mills was also sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment for perverting the course of justice, to be served concurrently with her 19-year sentence. Berry received a concurrent 18-month sentence for possession of an imitation firearm.

Steven Thomas, aged 47, of Clos Coffa, Clydach, was found not guilty of conspiracy to murder but had previously admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause Christopher Mills to believe unlawful violence would be used against him. He was sentenced to 12 months in custody, with time already served on remand taken into account.

The judge said there had been an element of coercion or exploitation by Berry in relation to Thomas, who expressed remorse for his actions.

DI Gregory added: “It is easy to focus on the dramatic details of this case and forget there is a real victim. Mr Mills’ life was genuinely at risk, and the person he should have been able to trust the most was behind the plot.

“He has shown remarkable strength and courage throughout this investigation, and I hope he can now move forward and begin to process what he has endured.

“Despite their claims that this was fantasy, the evidence showed the conspiracy was real, calculated and repeated. Mills and Berry showed no remorse for the devastation they caused.”

Crime

Milford Haven man denies child sex charges as trial date set

Published

2 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

A MAN originally from Milford Haven has pleaded not guilty to a series of sexual offences involving a child after recently moving to Cornwall.

James Kershaw, aged 45, formerly of Milford Haven and now living in Quethiock, Cornwall, appeared in court on Friday (Dec 19), where he denied all four sexual charges put to him.

The hearing was his first Crown Court appearance in the case, during which a trial date was fixed for October 5.

Kershaw was allowed to remain on bail under strict conditions, including that he must have no contact with any prosecution witnesses.

Kershaw appeared via video link from his solicitor’s office in Cornwall. The judge described this as “a very generous decision by the listings officer” and said it had “presumably been arranged due to the distance from you to the court”.

Allegations denied

The charges relate to alleged incidents said to have taken place in Liskeard, Cornwall, between October 26 and November 1, 2023.

Kershaw is accused of engaging in sexual communication with a child under the age of 16 and of causing a child aged 13 to watch sexual activity. He also faces two allegations of causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to engage in sexual activity of a non-penetrative nature on separate dates.

In addition, Kershaw is charged with two counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed by Derby Crown Court in May 2022. These allegations include the use of an undisclosed Facebook account and the deletion of messages, both of which are said to be prohibited under the terms of that order.

Kershaw denies all allegations.

The court ordered that Kershaw may remain on bail pending trial, subject to conditions including a strict ban on contacting any witnesses.

The complainant’s identity is protected by law under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992.

The case is due to return to court when the trial begins in October.

Community

Craig Flannery appointed as new Chief Fire Officer

Published

12 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Tom Sinclair

MID AND WEST WALES FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP CHANGE

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has announced the appointment of Craig Flannery as its new Chief Fire Officer, with effect from Monday, December 15, 2025.

Mr Flannery has served with the Service for more than twenty years, progressing through a wide range of middle management and senior leadership roles across both operational and non-operational departments.

During his career, he has been closely involved in strengthening operational delivery, risk management and organisational development. His work has included leading innovation in learning and development, overseeing the Service’s On-Call Improvement Programme, and driving investment in key enabling functions such as workforce development and information and communication technology.

The appointment followed a rigorous, multi-stage recruitment process led by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority. Candidates were assessed through structured interviews, strategic leadership exercises and scenario-based assessments designed to test operational judgement, organisational vision and the ability to lead a modern fire and rescue service.

External professional assessors were also engaged to provide independent scrutiny, ensuring the process met high standards of fairness, transparency and challenge.

Mr Flannery emerged as the strongest candidate, demonstrating clear strategic leadership capability, detailed organisational knowledge and a strong commitment to community safety and service improvement.

Councillor John Davies, Chair of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “Craig brings a deep understanding of our Service and a clear vision for its future. His appointment will strengthen our ability to innovate, support our workforce and deliver high-quality protection for the communities we serve.

“As we navigate a rapidly changing landscape, Craig’s experience in driving innovation and organisational development will be invaluable in helping us adapt and transform for the future.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Flannery said: “It is a privilege to lead this outstanding Service. I am committed to supporting our people, strengthening partnerships and building on the strong foundations already in place.

“As the challenges facing fire and rescue services continue to evolve, we must modernise and innovate, ensuring we have the skills, technology and capability needed to meet the needs of our communities. I look forward to working with colleagues and partners across Mid and West Wales to deliver a resilient, progressive Service that keeps people safe and places our staff at the heart of everything we do.”