News

Judgement reserved on Herald editor

Published

9 years ago

April 20, 2017

Barrister Matthew Paul: Pictured with Herald editor Thomas Sinclair

THE EDITOR of The Ceredigion Herald appeared in court today (Apr 20) charged with breaching a statutory reporting restriction.

Thomas Hutton Sinclair, the 37-year-old editor of the Herald titles, was on trial for allegedly identifying the complainant in a sexual offence case.

Appearing in Llanelli Magistrates’ Court, Mr Sinclair maintained his not guilty plea.

Prosecuting, Emma Myles told the court that the allegation related to an article published in the Ceredigion Herald in 2016.

“The court will be aware that under the provision of the 1992 sexual offences act the complainant has a right to anonymity,” Ms Myles said.

“It is the Crown’s submission that this falls foul of the wording of this act.”

All written statements were accepted by the defence, and the case hinged on whether the article in question breached the Act in question or not.

The court heard from the record of a police interview with Herald deputy editor Jon Coles, in which he stated that he had received the court report in question from a Herald court reporter, and changed the tense from present to past, as well as fixing some errors.

Describing Mr Sinclair as ‘a hands-on editor’, he added that Mr Sinclair had the final word over what was published. Mr Coles stated that in this instance he had not been instructed to check whether the content complied with the law, though on some occasions he carried out this task when asked.

In an informal interview last year, Mr Sinclair told police that he had held the role of editor since 2013, although his training was in law not journalism.

He added that as a total of around 1,200 articles were published over the four titles each week, it was ‘impossible’ to edit all of them, and some of this work was referred to the deputy editor. In this case he had not seen the article until it was brought to his attention by the police.

When asked his opinion on whether the article breached reporting restrictions, Mr Sinclair replied that it ‘sailed close to the wind’ but would not allow members of the public in general to identify the complainant.

He pointed out that the defendant in the original case had ‘a common surname’ and that The Herald had not reproduced his address.

When asked if he would have changed anything had he edited the article himself, Mr Sinclair suggested that he may have taken out details of the defendant’s occupation.

However, he maintained that ‘any member of the general public would not be able to piece together who the complainant is’.

He also noted that the reporter who wrote the article had just been coming to the end of a probationary period at the time, and that his staff had already been booked onto a media law course.

Summing up, Ms Myles said that it was the Crown’s submission that by publishing this article, Mr Sinclair had breached legislation specifically aimed at that type of case.

“I respectfully submit that the legislation must be stringently applied,” she added, stating that details of the relationship between the complainant and the defendant in the original case which were published breached the legislation.

Representing Mr Sinclair, Matthew Paul set out the information revealed in the article – the name, age and former occupation of the convicted party, along with the date of conviction and a familial relationship which had existed at some point between him and the complainant. However, he noted that the date of the offence and the defendant’s address had not been included, and no indication had been given as to the age of the complainant.

His argument was that in this case there was nothing in the article which would allow any member of the public not closely connected with the convicted party or the complainant to make any identification.

Mr Paul stressed that for a conviction, it had to be demonstrated that there was a real, rather than a hypothetical risk of identification.

Referring to the case of the Attorney General vs Greater Manchester Newspaper Group he noted that it had been found that the risk of identification was not based on relative statistical probability but ‘a real risk’.

“The Crown has to establish more than a hypothetical, but a material risk,” he added.

Mr Paul noted that the Crown appeared to be of the position that placing the complainant in a ‘pool of potential victims’ was the same as identifying them.

“Identifying, in my submission, must mean only one thing; it must lead to one person.”

Mr Paul added that the familial relationship mentioned could apply to more than one person, and that there was nothing in the report which suggested whether it was an historical or recent offence.

He suggested that the most the article could lead to, if read by someone familiar with the convicted party and/ or complainant, would be to place them in a ‘small pool’ of potential people.

He also noted that this small risk of identification was made even smaller by the Ceredigion Herald’s circulation figures at this time, which amounted to a relatively small percentage of the county buying a copy, and the fact that the story was not placed online.

“Right from the start you are dealing with a low-level risk, made even smaller by the fact that the date of the offence was not mentioned,” he added.

“Overall, you are looking at whether this report would lead members of the public to identify the complainant – it is my submission that it would not.”

District Judge David Parsons reserved judgement until May 12 at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court.

Community

St David’s Day parade brings colour and celebration to Haverfordwest

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

Tom Sinclair

HAVERFORDWEST town centre was a hive of activity today (Friday, Feb 27) as hundreds of children from schools across Pembrokeshire took part in a special St David’s Day celebration.

The popular parade, organised by the Pembrokeshire Language Forum, returned to the county town once again, with smiles all round from participants and spectators who lined the streets to watch.

Children paraded down High Street, through Bridge Street and along Quay Street, led by Samba Doc, before gathering at Picton Playing Fields for songs and dancing during an open-air jamboree with entertainer Tomos Tanllyd.

Pembrokeshire County Council Leader Cllr Jon Harvey said: “St David’s Day is always a special occasion in Pembrokeshire, and it was wonderful to see so many young people coming together to celebrate our language, culture and national identity.”

Cabinet Member for Education and the Welsh Language, Cllr Guy Woodham added: “The annual St David’s Day parade is a shining example of what schools in Pembrokeshire do to celebrate the Welsh language and culture, and they are certainly enthusiastic about it.”

Council Vice Chairman and Champion for the Welsh Language and Children and Young People, Cllr Delme Harries said: “It was fantastic to see such enthusiasm from pupils across the county, proudly celebrating St David’s Day.”

Local member Cllr Tom Tudor also praised the event, adding: “It really was a great celebration of St David’s Day and a highlight for Haverfordwest.”

Welsh Language Development Officer Catrin Phillips said the event continues to grow each year.

She said: “The St David’s Day parade, organised by the Pembrokeshire Language Forum, is always a highlight of the year and it’s wonderful to bring schools together to celebrate Welsh language and culture in such a joyful way.

“It has been especially encouraging to see new schools joining us this year, helping the event continue to grow.”

Crime

Axe gang stormed home as couple feared they would be killed, court hears

Published

3 days ago

February 26, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

Five masked men smashed their way into property during terrifying late-night raid

A COUPLE feared they were about to be murdered when a masked gang armed with axes burst into their home, a jury at Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Five men dressed in dark clothing and balaclavas forced entry to the property shortly before 9:00pm on May 29, 2021, in what prosecutors say was a planned aggravated burglary. An emergency call was made at 8:51pm.

Prosecutor Mr Wright read to jurors a police statement from homeowner David Davies, who said he had been sitting with his partner, Carmen Bailey, when he heard loud banging at the front door.

“As I got to the entrance, the glass in the door was smashed and the men came through,” he said.

He described five intruders, all carrying axes. One of the men shouted: “Lay face down on the floor.”

Moments later, another voice yelled: “She’s on the phone,” after Ms Bailey contacted police. A further shout of “Let’s go boys” was then heard before the gang fled.

Mr Davies told officers that drawers throughout the property had been opened. Around £3,000 hidden in a spare room was not discovered, but two £50 notes were stolen along with a sanitary item and a Lloyds Bank paying-in book.

He attempted to follow the men as they left and saw the rear of a white SUV. Although his mobile phone had been smashed, it was still functioning.

In a later statement he described one suspect carrying a yellow-and-black rubber-handled axe, adding that another man “hopped out like a kangaroo” as he entered the property.

Ms Bailey said she was left utterly traumatised by the ordeal.

“I was absolutely petrified,” she said. “I felt like I was going to get murdered.”

She told police she could only see the men’s eyes through their balaclavas as she grabbed the house phone and called emergency services. A male voice shouted: “Where’s the money?”

The force of the attack shattered glass up to two metres into the hallway, the court heard.

A third witness, Doreen Jones, said she had phoned Mr Davies during the incident and heard male voices shouting: “Get down, get down.”

The investigation

Jurors were told that a white Nissan Juke — stolen in the Manchester area and fitted with cloned number plates — was later recovered near Paradise Nightclub in Pontardawe after the registration plates had been removed.

Several other men have already pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, but Mohammed Mills and Michael Quinn deny involvement.

When Mills was arrested, officers recovered £235 in cash and a black iPhone. A vehicle linked to him was searched, leading to the discovery of a machete with an orange handle, black gloves and a balaclava.

Quinn was arrested in November 2021. Officers recovered a gold iPhone and a machete, while a large knife was found under his bed at home. A Nokia handset seized from him contained very little data, most of which had been deleted.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras placed vehicles linked to the defendants in the Bryncethin area at 6:40pm. Both vehicles were later seen at McDonald’s in Morriston at 7:35pm and at a Tesco service station at 8:32pm — around twenty minutes before the burglary.

There is no CCTV footage of the break-in itself.

The prosecution case

The prosecution allege the burglary was carefully planned, including what they describe as a “dry run” the previous day. They say the vehicles travelled together from Manchester and that the meeting in the area had been pre-arranged.

Jurors were told telecommunications evidence, including phone activity and satnav data, places devices linked to the defendants in relevant locations.

The defence

Mills claims he had recently started taxi work and was paid to drive men to Wales, saying he did not know their intentions. He denies wearing a balaclava and says the machete recovered was not his. His barrister told the court he cooperated fully with police and provided access to his phone.

Quinn maintains he travelled to Wales to sell his Vauxhall Insignia and denies any knowledge of the burglary. He says the knife found under his bed was used for dismantling furniture.

The judge reminded jurors that emotion must play no part in their deliberations and that the verdict is theirs alone.

The trial continues.

News

NRW invites feedback on draft decision to issue Withyhedge landfill permit variation

Published

3 days ago

February 26, 2026

Tom Sinclair

NATURAL RESOURCES WALES (NRW) is seeking public feedback after reaching a draft decision to approve changes to the environmental permit for the Withyhedge Landfill site in Pembrokeshire.

Following what it described as a detailed technical assessment, NRW said it is “minded to” grant a permit variation requested by the site operator, Resources Management UK Ltd. The variation would amend the environmental permit that controls how the site operates (permit number EPR/MP3330WP, application reference PAN-025929).

A four-week public consultation has now opened and will run until Thursday, March 26, 2026. NRW said all responses will be considered before any final decision is made.

The operator is proposing several changes, including alterations to the final shape of the land once the landfill is capped, updates to monitoring and management arrangements for groundwater, surface water and leachate, and the addition of up to 50,000 tonnes of waste soils for restoration purposes under a new waste recovery activity.

The application also includes consolidation and modernisation of the permit, including a review of existing improvement and pre-operational conditions.

NRW said it considers the proposed changes acceptable and believes they could help ensure the site operates without causing harm to the environment or nearby communities.

Residents are being encouraged to provide feedback on issues such as emissions, potential health impacts, environmental risks and how waste is managed at the site.

However, NRW stressed that certain matters fall outside its remit and cannot be considered as part of the consultation. These include planning issues handled by the local authority, such as the site’s location, traffic levels, visual impact, land use, access arrangements and operating hours.

Huwel Manley, Head of South West at Natural Resources Wales, said: “We know the community has a long-standing interest in what happens at Withyhedge Landfill, and we take that responsibility seriously.

“Given the history of the site and the concerns people have previously raised, we promised to take an approach that goes further than our usual consultation process for a permit variation.

“Being ‘minded to’ issue this variation means our specialists are satisfied the operator can meet the required standards, but before we make any final decision we want to hear from the people who live and work nearby. We encourage anyone with an interest in the site to take part in the consultation.”

Details of the draft decision and information on how to submit comments are available via NRW’s Consultation and Engagement Hub.