News

Llangwm: Pembrokeshire solicitor struck-off for preying on the dead

Published

10 years ago

April 18, 2016

Tom Sinclair

Sign for Steve Thomas & Co in Llangwm (Pic: Google Streetview)

EXCLUSIVE

A PEMBROKESHIRE solicitor has been struck off the roll by the Solicitor’s Disciplinary Tribunal for dishonestly transferring money from the estates of deceased clients to his firm’s office account.

Edgar Stephen George Thomas of Steve Thomas & Co Solicitors, Deerland Chambers, Llangwm, Haverfordwest attended a hearing in London between March 14-16. Thomas represented himself.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority was represented by Mr Edward Levey, a barrister from Fountain Court Chambers, London.

The sum identified as missing from client’s accounts was £144,326.25

ALLEGATION

The allegations against Thomas were that he failed to provide adequate or accurate information to clients about likely overall costs at the outset of matters or throughout the conduct of them where required, and thereby breached rules and transferred sums from his Client Account to his Office Account in respect of his fees otherwise than in accordance with Rule 19 of the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules 1998

The tribunal also head that on or about 16 June 2014, Thomas provided misleading information to a client as to the reasons for delay in distributing the proceeds of an estate.

APPLICATION TO ADJOURN

At the start of the hearing Thomas said he wanted an adjournment as he had not seen all the documents. He accepted that the application to adjourn should have been made at an earlier stage, however he only became aware of this on reading the Tribunal’s practice note on adjournments, which he had read for the first time that morning. The Respondent accepted what was contained in the note, and asked the Tribunal to exercise its discretion in allowing an adjournment. Further, in view of the length of time of these proceedings, there was no real urgency. He no longer held a practising certificate, and had not worked since July 2014. He had not held himself out to be a solicitor, and did not hold any client money. In the circumstances, there would be no prejudice in adjourning the proceedings.

Mr Levey submitted that the position was entirely unsatisfactory, and that the case should proceed. The Respondent had failed to file and serve his own documents, despite numerous directions requiring him to do so, which left the Applicant in the position of opening and presenting its case, without knowing what the Respondent’s case was. Mr Levey did not accept that there was anything further to be disclosed to the Respondent, and submitted that his application to adjourn on the basis of lack of disclosure was total obfuscation and an attempt to avoid dealing with the issues.

The Respondent told the Tribunal he had been arrested by Dyfed-Powys police in relation to these matters, and remained on police bail. He was due to return to the police station in May 2016. He understood that the police were still carrying out enquiries, but that they could attend to arrest him at any time before his bail to return date. Given that, the possibility of criminal proceedings was imminent.

THE LOCAL PAPERS

The Respondent explained that he lived in a small rural community, and that the outcome of the proceedings was sure to make the local papers. If the allegations against him were found proved, then his community would see the findings, making it impossible for him to have a fair trial. The Respondent apologised for the lateness of the application. He explained that he had not previously had the benefit of legal advice, but having recently contacted solicitors, he was advised that he should seek to adjourn these proceedings until the outcome of the criminal matter. Mr Levey submitted that as the Respondent had not yet been charged, there was no possible basis, under the Tribunal’s practice direction, to justify adjourning the hearing; charges had not yet been laid so criminal proceedings could not be described as “imminent”. The Applicant had contacted Dyfed-Powys police with a view to ascertaining how they intended to proceed. Unfortunately, no response had been received from them, and the Applicant was unable to provide any update to the Tribunal. The Tribunal refused the Respondent’s application to adjourn the hearing.

Thomas explained that he had set up his firm as a sole practitioner in 2005. As a result of advice from his accountant, he changed the firm to a company. He was the only person in his practice who dealt with the probate matters which were the subject of the allegations. He denied that he had overcharged his clients, stating that he “honestly and truly believe that the charges were correct.” The cash shortage of £144,326.25 identified by the investigator in his first report had been rectified by the Respondent delivering bills of costs to the clients.

COMPLETELY CULPABLE

The Tribunal found the Respondent to be completely culpable for the breaches; the misconduct having arisen as a direct result of his sole actions. The Respondent was wholly responsible for the transfers and was the only fee earner with conduct of the matters. The Respondent was an experienced solicitor, who disregarded the regulations put in place to protect his clients. He utilised the funds in his client account in such a way as to demonstrate that he did not believe that he was accountable to his clients. His actions were planned and calculated. Of most concern was the blatant dishonesty he had displayed in abusing his position of trust. He deliberately and calculatedly delayed in distributing in full a number of estates, and during the delay drew down on the monies in those estates. The Tribunal found that in acting in the way that he did, the Respondent had caused harm not only to his clients and beneficiaries, but also to the trust the public places in the profession and the provision of legal services.

The Tribunal Ordered that the Respondent, Edgar Stephen George Thomas, solicitor, be struck off the Roll of Solicitors and it further he do pay costs of £76,000.00.

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

Published

9 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
Violence against staff up 109%
Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.

Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

Published

9 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Court Reporter

A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.

News

BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

Published

11 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Staff Writer

THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.

The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”

A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.