News

Hospital records blunder did not cause death

Published

10 years ago

February 23, 2016

Inquest: Milford Haven Town Hall • Pic: Gareth Thomas

AN INQUEST into the death of 49-year-old Peter Francis Jones from Holloway in Haverfordwest was held at the Coroner’s Court in Milford Haven on Tuesday (Feb 2).

Acting Coroner’s Officer Gareth Warlow said that Mr Jones had never been married, but had one son.

The deceased had attended Milford Haven Central School and went on to work in electrical shops for the majority of his life. Before he opened his own business – Connect Appliance Repairs in Haverfordwest – in 1995, Mr Jones was a heavy drinker. The opening of his shop however saw his issue with alcohol come to a halt.

As Mr Jones got older, his health deteriorated and problems with his spine meant that he was in and out of hospital and prescribed Morphine.

In the last few months of his life, Mr Jones’ family and friends noticed that his stomach began to swell.

On May 15, 2015, Mr Jones collapsed while in Haverfordwest and was taken to Withybush Hospital. He had consumed a large amount of alcohol, he had vomited and he was unresponsive.

As there were no beds available at Withybush, so Mr Jones was transferred to Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli. He was then transferred back to Withybush some days later.

Discharged on May 22, Mr Jones was told that he would receive a letter to attend an ultra-sound appointment to diagnose the swelling of his stomach. Due to the fact he was unhappy with his treatment, Mr Jones put in a letter of complaint to the hospital.

On May 26, Mr Jones went to see his doctor because he was concerned about his swollen stomach. He was told to change his lifestyle and to wait for the ultra-sound appointment. The doctor also prescribed Mr Jones anti-depressants and gave him pain relief.

That evening, Mr Jones went to bed as normal with his close friend, whom he was staying with. When she woke at 6am, she noticed that Mr Jones’ breathing was raspy, before it became erratic. She checked his pupils to find that they were very small and therefore called the emergency services.

Mr Jones was taken to A&E, where his health deteriorated, and he was pronounced dead at 7.10am on Wednesday, May 27.

Mr Jones’ mother, Margaret Jones, spoke at the inquest. She discussed the fact that she was unhappy that her son arrived at Prince Philip Hospital with no medical papers, so doctors were only able to deal with the situation based on what they were told and what was before them.

Mrs Jones also handed pictures over to the coroner to highlight her son’s swelling.

Daniel Hauser, who conducted a postmortem of Mr Jones’ body on May 28, spoke at the Coroner’s Court.

Mr Hauser said that Mr Jones was “very healthy person for his age.” He said that there were no major concerns while he conducted the external exam and commented that there were no signs of swelling.

He added that there was nothing out of the ordinary inside Mr Jones’ body as his body was in “very good condition” with “no major findings.”

Mr Hauser then read out a toxicology report, which highlighted the presence of Morphine and Diazepam.

He read that the level of morphine was of a concentration which had caused death in past cases and said the combination with Diazepam could have contributed to his death.

He said: “The postmortem revealed no obvious cause of death I would be happy to give as a cause of death, but the statement of the toxicology report reads that the level of Morphine has been associated with fatality. I believe it was the combined effect of drugs which caused his death.”

Coroner Gareth Lewis came to the conclusion that Mr Jones’ death was drug related and stated that while his parents were rightly concerned about his swelling, it did not cause his death.

Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

Published

3 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include:

Intentional strangulation, contrary to section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015
Common assault
Assault by beating

No further details of the alleged incident were opened in court, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Sudbury was remanded on conditional bail, with the case listed to return to magistrates later this month.

Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

Published

3 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
A second count of assault
Criminal damage
An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

Published

3 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
Intentional non-fatal strangulation
Common assault on a woman
Criminal damage in a domestic context
Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.