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Senior council officers’ deal with Dai Boswell exposed

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PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL reached an agreement with Pembroke St Mary North councillor David Boswell regarding his attendance at Council meetings.

David Boswell, aged 56, has denied a single allegation of the rape of a girl aged under 13. He made his first appearance at the crown court accused of historical rape and indecent assault in October last year.

The offences are alleged to have been committed between February 27, 1991 and February 28, 1994. The case is currently adjourned.

Last weekend, County Councillor Jacob Williams published an extract from an exchange of emails between Tenby County Councillor Mike Williams and Monitoring Officer Claire Jones on jacobwilliams.com.

The Pembrokeshire Herald has obtained the full text of those exchanges.

In an email dated February 26 and addressed to the Council’s Head of Legal, Claire Incledon, Mike Williams asked: ‘Has Cllr Boswell been advised by PCC at any time not to attend council meetings until the ongoing legal process has been completed?’

A reply came on March 15, after councillors had been told that there was no step they could legally take regarding Cllr Boswell’s failure to attend a Council meeting for over six months​.​

That reply read: ‘The Councillor in question is legally represented and was aware that he could not be prevented from participating in any Council activity.

‘He did however AGREE (emphasis added) to curtail certain Council activities … and not to attend certain meetings’.

The word ‘agree’ – as in ‘He did however agree to curtail certain Council activities… and not to attend certain meetings’ – implies a proposal upon which agreement was reached.

We asked the Council the following questions in return to the deal the Council’s officers struck with Cllr Boswell:
What meetings were covered by it?
Which officers were involved in reaching it?
Who proposed such an agreement and who authorised it?

We received no reply.

As the ‘agreement’ went to the heart of the good faith in which Council officers dealt with councillors both before and at the meeting in which Cllr Boswell’s position was discussed, we asked: Was James Goudie QC made aware of the agreed position between the Council and Cllr Boswell when he was first instructed or at all?

We received no reply.

In relation to whether Ian Westley, Council Chief Executive, knew about the bargain we asked:
Was the Chief Executive aware of the agreement between council officers and Cllr Boswell that he would ‘curtail certain Council activities’ and ‘not attend certain meetings?
If he was aware, when was he made aware?

We received no reply.

As the County Council’s Cabinet is widely known to be deeply unhappy about the unfolding drama regarding the competence of the Council’s legal team and its unique and ultimately costly attitude to the law, we asked:
Was the Leader of the Council or any Cabinet member made or other councillor made aware that the Council had agreed with Cllr Boswell that his attendance at ‘certain meetings’ was excused?
If so, when were they made aware?
We received no reply.

As the agreement was a crucial piece of evidence as to the Council’s own approach to its interpretation of the law, which was NOT referred to in the very detailed advices received from one of the UK’s leading local government QCs, we asked:
Did any council officer formally record, minute, record, or otherwise confirm the agreement between the Council and Cllr Boswell regarding his participation in ‘council activities’ or ‘certain meetings’?

We received no reply.

Finally, we asked which other councillors were invited to the event held on 22nd November 2017 attended by Cllr Boswell (the ‘other event’) referred to in James Goudie QC’s advice? We asked for a copy of the invitation/notification for the event.

Even to this – very straightforward – question, we received not reply.

Every single one of our questions was a query on a matter of fact and not one of interpretation.

The Council officers to whom those inquiries were addressed now appear very reluctant to share with the public the details of a deal reached behind closed doors. Moreover, it appears that until Cllr Mike Williams was told of the agreement reached between Council officers and Cllr Boswell’s legal team, they were kept in the dark as to why the Council’s Legal Officers were so keen to defend their position from public scrutiny.

What that says about the confidence councillors can have that they are being told the whole story by council officers or just being given one pitched and spun to conceal officers’ behind the scenes deals is now open to question.

Crime

Cocaine dealers jailed after flooding Aberystwyth streets with drugs

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TWO men who supplied cocaine in Aberystwyth have been jailed after police seized large amounts of cash, drugs and weapons during coordinated raids.

Luke Hutton, aged 25, and Lee Mark Walsh, 37, were sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after admitting possession of cocaine with intent to supply and possessing criminal property.

The court heard that police attended Walsh’s flat in Aberystwyth on Thursday (Nov 14) to execute a search warrant. Officers saw several people outside the address, including both defendants. When police approached, Walsh remained at the property while Hutton attempted to flee but was quickly detained.

Walsh, of Yr Hafan, Aberystwyth, was found with cannabis, £160 in cash and a mobile phone. Hutton, of Corporation Street, Aberystwyth, was carrying £8,795 in cash and a phone.

During a strip search in custody, officers recovered a wrap of white powder concealed on Hutton. Further searches uncovered £850 in cash laid out on Walsh’s bed, five mobile phones, a silver knuckleduster and a large kitchen knife hidden beneath the bed.

Police also recovered scales with white powder residue, a bank card contaminated with drug traces, and a further bag of white powder elsewhere in the flat. At Hutton’s address, officers found £1,060 in cash, bicarbonate of soda and empty snap-seal bags, consistent with drug preparation.

Prosecutor Dean Pulling told the court both men were clearly involved in drug supply for financial gain.

Walsh also admitted possession of an offensive weapon and possession of cannabis. He has previous convictions for cannabis offences and failing to comply with a drugs test.

Hutton has a longer record, including offences involving communications, driving matters, domestic abuse and breaching a restraining order.

Mitigating for Walsh, Ryan Bowen said the defendant had experienced a troubled childhood, moving schools frequently, and had struggled with cannabis use from a young age. He said Walsh had shown a strong work ethic and hoped to pursue barbering on release.

Jon Tarrant, representing Hutton, said his client had been heavily addicted to cocaine and that drug use had dominated his life, contributing to the breakdown of relationships, including contact with his two young children.

Sentencing, Judge Vanessa Francis said both men had been involved in dealing with the expectation of making “significant financial gain”.

Addressing Hutton, she said: “You told the author of the pre-sentence report that when your benefits stopped, you ‘did what you had to do’. This court will do what it has to do to take off the streets those who spread the misery of drug supply.”

After reductions for guilty pleas, Hutton was jailed for three years and Walsh for 32 months. Both will serve up to half of their sentences in custody before being released on licence.


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Community

Crowds line streets as tractor run hailed a festive success

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CROWDS lined streets and pavements across Pembrokeshire on Saturday evening (Dec 20) as Clarbeston Road AFC’s illuminated Christmas tractor run was hailed a resounding success.

More than 200 tractors took part in the event, travelling through villages and towns including Newmoat, Maenclochog, Llys-y-frân, Walton East, Clarbeston Road, Wiston, Newbridge, Poyston Cross, Crundale and Haverfordwest, where large crowds gathered to watch the festive convoy pass through.

Families, children and residents wrapped up against the cold to enjoy the sight of tractors decorated with Christmas lights and festive displays, with applause and waves greeting drivers as they made their way through built-up areas and rural roads alike.

The convoy set off from the Clarbeston Road AFC Knock Playing Fields at 5:30pm and concluded at the County Showground in Haverfordwest later in the evening. At the end of the run, refreshments were available and the raffle draw took place at the Park House building, which was open to the public.

Organisers said the turnout from both drivers and spectators exceeded expectations, with the event once again bringing communities together while raising funds for local causes, including The Catrin Vaughan Foundation, In It With Isaac, and Wales Air Ambulance.

Clarbeston Road AFC thanked tractor drivers, volunteers, sponsors and members of the public for their support, as well as residents and road users for their patience while the convoy passed through.

The illuminated tractor run has become a firm fixture in the local festive calendar, with Friday night’s event described by many spectators as one of the best yet.

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Community

Charity tractor and car run set to raise funds for Macmillan and Paul Sartori

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A CHARITY tractor and car run in memory of Charles Rees is set to take place in Pembrokeshire later this month, with funds raised supporting Macmillan Cancer Support and Paul Sartori Hospice at Home.

The Charles Rees Tractor & Car Run will be held on Sunday, December 28, 2025, starting and finishing at Dudwell Farm in Camrose.

Participants are being invited to “start their engines” in aid of the two charities, with gates opening at 9:00am and the convoy leaving promptly at 10:30am. Organisers have confirmed that the run will operate with no halfway stops, returning to Dudwell Farm at the end of the route.

The event will begin and finish at Dudwell Farm, Camrose (SA62 6HJ), and is open to tractors and cars. Registration and cash payment will take place on the day, with the price to be confirmed nearer the event.

Additional donations can also be made locally in the run-up to the event at Camrose Country Hardware and Croesgoch Stores.

The run has been organised to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, which provides vital care and assistance to people living with cancer, and Paul Sartori Hospice at Home, which supports patients and families across Pembrokeshire during some of the most difficult times of their lives.

Organisers say more information will be released closer to the event and are encouraging the local community to support the run, whether by taking part, donating, or lining the route to show support.

The event is expected to attract strong local interest, continuing Pembrokeshire’s tradition of community-led fundraising in support of much-valued charities.

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