News

Grants scandal: Council rejected offer of repayment

Published

10 years ago

May 3, 2016

Tom Sinclair

Cllr Mike Stoddart: Tax payer money, we have a right to know

IN AN effort to clear up the mystery of repayment of grant monies for schemes in Pembroke Dock, Hakin councillor Mike Stoddart has put down a notice of motion for the next meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC).

According to C llr Stoddart, in early 2014 developer Cathal McCosker offered to pay back the whole of the £180,000 in grants he had received for four projects (10 Meyrick Street and Nos 25, 27 and 29 Dimond Street) in Pembroke Dock.

The offer came after the council demanded that he should produce bank statements as proof of payment to the builder, as required by the grant agreement,

Cllr Stoddart claims that, during a meeting with officers from the Wales European Funding Office (WEFO) in the summer of 2014, he was told that, rather than produce the bank statements, Mr McCosker said he would repay all the monies received for the four properties with the Meyrick Street grant being paid back immediately and the rest within 12 months.

In the meantime, because of irregularities in the grant payments discovered by Cllr Stoddart, the council had to return the £180,000 to WEFO, so, until such time as the money is recovered from Mr McCosker, it isn’t available to support regeneration projects in Pembroke and Pembroke Dock.

That prompted him to put down a motion to the council meeting in December 2014 calling for all correspondence on the subject of grant repayments to be made available to elected members. That was not adopted, but council agreed on a recorded vote that members of the audit committee should have access to the documents on a confidential basis.

“It seems that the issue has disappeared into the long grass because nothing has been heard since” Mike Stoddart told the Herald.

During PCC’s public audit inspection in July 2015, the Hakin councillor discovered that an invoice had been raised against Mr McCosker for £189,000 – the amount of grant to be repaid.

However, there was no record of any repayments being made.

When he made enquiries with the council’s finance department he was told “Payments are being made and monitored but at the current level they will take years to recover”

Mike Stoddart has made a series of emails available to the Herald which paint a very confused picture.

On 31 March 2016 was told: “Mr McCosker is repaying the debt and the payments are going to an account in his personal name”

This email also contained an extract from a statement the council had made to the police: “A letter was received by PCC from Mr McCosker offering to repay the £189,000, this was dismissed.”

Clearly, the claim that the repayment offer had been “dismissed” was not consistent with the statement in the same email that “Mr McCosker is repaying the debt”

When Cllr Stoddart sought clarification he was told: “to date £18,000 has been collected towards the debt.”

So, two years after Mr McCosker offered to pay back the whole of the £180,000 within twelve months, only 10% has been collected and, for some as yet unexplained reason, that has been paid into an account in Mr McCosker’s personal name.

Mike Stoddart told the Herald: “This is taxpayers’ money and people have the right to know what is going on. When my notice of motion comes before the council I will be calling for a recorded vote so that the electorate can see who is for openness and transparency and who isn’t”

Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

Published

9 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

10 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

10 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.