News

Mother tells of ‘anxiety’ during son’s anti-IS fight

Published

8 years ago

November 9, 2017

A MOTHER originally from Narberth has spoken of her ‘anxiety’ about her son joining the Kurdish militia in Syria to fight Islamic State (IS).

Adele Proctor, now a performing arts teaching in Bristol, thought that her 27-year-old son Josh was on holiday in Turkey when she heard about a bombing at Istanbul airport.

Now an Aberystwyth university student, Josh was born in Pembrokeshire.

Adele believed that he was meant to be in the airport at the time of the bombing and she instantly feared the worst.

Adele told the BBC: “I was teaching a class and one of the students said something about a bombing at Istanbul Airport. I burst into tears. Josh was due to be flying home at that time.

“I left the classroom and tried to phone his mobile. It said the phone was no longer available.”

However, as Adele tried to find out his exact whereabouts, she found out from her ex-partner and Josh’s father that he was actually fighting with the Kurdish Protection Units (YPG).

Her initial relief at the news that he was not in Istanbul airport soon turned into a different type of concern.

Adele said: “Then it dawned on me where Kurdistan actually was – it is a region in northern Syria and Iraq.

“I spent the next few days completely spun out, trying to get my head around what could happen to him, and the fact I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Soon the pieces of the puzzle all fell into place for Adele as she recalled his final actions before he left.

“He isn’t usually a man of many words. But as he left he gave me a massive hug and looked at me and said ‘I really love you mum’.

“Now I think he was making sure I knew he loved me in case he didn’t come back.”

Adele said that she always knew Josh was ‘going to do something political’ but never dreamed she would find herself in this situation.

After Adele finally was able to make contact with him, she told the BBC of her ‘deep panic’ every time she went without speaking to him.

She said: “He said essentially he was in a warzone and that there would be times that he wouldn’t be able to get in touch.

“Often my only way of knowing if he was alive was seeing if he had been online.

“I became really obsessed with Facebook and Messenger and as long as I saw that green light next to his name from when he’d last logged on, that was okay.

“The longest I didn’t hear from him was eight weeks.

“I just had to have this blissful ignorance in my attitude towards him when I didn’t hear from him. But underneath there was a deep panic all of the time.

“I knew if he needed me I wouldn’t be able to get to him. But I also knew if he died when he was out there, he was doing something that he wanted to do and I would have to respect that.”

Josh returned to the UK at the end of last year, however he was questioned by police upon his arrival and his flat in Aberyswyth was also searched.

When he returned home, Adele spent hours talking with him about his experiences fighting with the Kurdish militia.

She said: “I was so angry with him but I didn’t say that. It was like he needed to debrief, to tell someone about the things he had seen and what he had been through.

“I asked him to be really honest about some of the things he had seen because I didn’t want him hiding anything from me. How could I support him if I didn’t know?

“He was bombed twice. One time he was having a cigarette on the roof a building, and the other side – where everyone else was – was bombed. He was the only survivor.

“And his good friend Ryan Lock died a week after Josh left – if he had still been there he would have been with him.

“So that night he wanted to have a drink with me and remember all those who had been lost. He looked older. He was less naive.”

But Adele’s stress didn’t end on Josh’s return, as a copy of the Anarchist’s Cookbook which was found under his bed was leading to him being prosecuted under the Terrorism Act.

Last month he was cleared at Birmingham Crown Court, however Adele said she ‘ended up on anti-anxiety medication’ due to the legal ordeal.

“They were trying to say that an extremist could have gone into Josh’s bedroom in Aberystwyth and found that information and gone off and committed an act of terrorism. Thankfully the jury cleared him,” she said.

Adele concluded that she is now happy just to have her son back and hopes that some day she can add a graduation picture of her son in her house.

Community

Craig Flannery appointed as new Chief Fire Officer

Published

1 hour 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.”

Health

Resident doctors in Wales vote to accept new contract

Published

7 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENT doctors across Wales have voted to accept a new contract, with 83% of those who took part in a referendum backing the agreement, according to BMA Cymru Wales.

The contract includes a four per cent additional investment in the resident doctor workforce and introduces a range of reforms aimed at improving training conditions, wellbeing and long-term workforce sustainability within NHS Wales. The BMA says the deal also supports progress towards pay restoration, which remains a central issue for doctors.

Key changes include new safeguards to limit the most fatiguing working patterns, measures intended to address medical unemployment and career progression concerns, and reforms to study budgets and study leave to improve access to training opportunities.

Negotiations between the BMA’s Welsh Resident Doctors Committee, NHS Wales Employers and the Welsh Government concluded earlier this year. Following a consultation period, a referendum of resident doctors and final-year medical students in Wales was held, resulting in a clear majority in favour of the proposals.

Welsh Resident Doctors Committee chair Dr Oba Babs Osibodu said the agreement marked a significant step forward for doctors working in Wales.

He said: “We’re proud to have negotiated this contract, which offers our colleagues and the future generation of doctors safer terms of service, fairer pay, and better prospects so that they can grow and develop their careers in Wales.

“This contract will help to retain the doctors already in training, and also attract more doctors to work in Wales, where they can offer their expertise and benefit patients.”

Dr Osibodu added that the BMA remains committed to achieving full pay restoration and acknowledged that challenges remain for some doctors.

“Whilst this contract sets the foundations for a brighter future for resident doctors in Wales, we recognise that there are still doctors who are struggling to develop their careers and secure permanent work,” he said. “We need to work with the Welsh Government and NHS employers to address training bottlenecks and underemployment.”

The Welsh Government has previously said it recognises the pressures facing resident doctors and the importance of improving recruitment and retention across NHS Wales, while also highlighting the need to balance pay agreements with wider NHS funding pressures and patient demand.

The new contract is expected to be phased in from August 2026. It will initially apply to doctors in foundation programmes, those in specialty training with unbanded rotas, and new starters, before being rolled out to all resident doctors across Wales.

Crime

Swansea man jailed for online child sex offence dies in prison

Published

7 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man who was jailed earlier this year for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child has died while in custody.

Gareth Davies, aged 59, of the Maritime Quarter, was serving an 18-month prison sentence after being convicted in May of sending sexually explicit messages to what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. The account was in fact a decoy used as part of an online safeguarding operation.

The court heard that Davies began communicating with the decoy between November and December 2024 and persistently pursued the individual, later attempting to arrange a face-to-face meeting. He was arrested after being confronted by the decoy operators.

Davies had pleaded not guilty but was convicted following a trial. At the time of sentencing, police described the messages as extremely concerning and said his imprisonment was necessary to protect children.

It has now been confirmed that Davies died at HMP Parc on Wednesday (Nov 27) while serving his sentence.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has launched an independent investigation into the death, which is standard procedure in all cases where someone dies in custody. No cause of death has been released at this stage.

A coroner will determine the circumstances in due course.