News
Ambulance ‘delay’ as infant dies in fire

AN INTERNAL inquiry is being conducted by the Ambulance Service into a gross delay in attending the scene of a fatal fire in Bryn Gorwel, Carmarthen, on Sunday evening.
Three-year old Angel Jade Smith died on the first anniversary of her brother Jakey’s cot-death. Little Angel passed away at Heath Hospital, Cardiff, after being transferred from Glangwili. Her mother, Alice Smith, 24, formerly of Caroline Street, Seaside, Llanelli, remains in a serious condition in Morriston hospital. Angel’s father, who managed to save himself by jumping out of a window also received treatment, but was discharged from hospital on Tuesday. Fire and rescue crews, ambulances and police were called to the scene at 6.15pm, where firefighters from Carmarthen and Kidwelly stations battled the blaze for over 4 hours using eight breathing apparatuses, a main jet and two hose reel jets, a ladder and a thermal imaging camera. Angel received treatment for twenty minutes at the scene and had been transported to Glangwili hospital by Police officers before an ambulance arrived, forty minutes after being called. In a letter to the Welsh Ambulance Service, local MP Simon Hart explains how a constituent had contacted him saying: “I, together with members of the Mid and West Wales Fire Service, and an off duty young police officer and an off duty nurse, spent 20 minutes plus carrying out CPR on a three-year-old child who had suffered from smoke inhalation and eventually had to be conveyed to hospital by a response police vehicle.” The head of the Community Health Council, Ashley Warlow, has also demanded an explanation from the Wales Ambulance Service. The Ambulance Station in Carmarthen is under one and a half miles and 7 minutes away from Bryn Gorwel. The failure to attend the emergency until it was too late is the latest in a series of blunders by the Wales Ambulance Service. Carmarthen town and county councillor, Peter Hughes Griffiths said: “To hear of a young child passing away is so very saddening and we are sending our sympathies to all the family. We only hope that the other family members will recover”. Witnesses have said they heard screaming before seeing the incredible amount of smoke billowing out of the building, and say they saw a man jumping out of a window. The mother, who is in her 20s was carried out by a firefighter. It is understood that the family had not lived there very long and had gone out for a walk that day, returning around 40 minutes before the fire broke out. Dyfed Powys Police statement provided a statement saying: “Next of kin and the family have been informed and are being supported by police officers. Enquiries have commenced to establish the cause of the fire.” A Welsh Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “We are aware of this tragic incident and are currently looking into the details surrounding it.” The Wales Ambulance Service is scheduled to provide dedicated cover to transport maternity patients from Haverfordwest to Carmarthen when the Health Board closes the doors at Withybush’s Special Care Baby and Maternity units in August.
Crime
‘Yeah but no but’ insult to female officer lands Monkton man with court fine

A MONKTON man who compared a female police officer to TV character Vicky Pollard during a nightclub incident has been fined after admitting causing alarm or distress.
Police were called to the nightclub in the early hours of March 28 following reports of a disturbance.
“It was around 3:00am and a number of police officers were present as a result of a dispute concerning the defendant,” Crown Prosecutor Dennis Davies told Haverfordwest magistrates on Monday (Mar 31). “He believed he’d been the victim of a robbery.”
During the altercation, 28-year-old Boswell pointed at one of the female officers and said he didn’t want to speak to her.
“He called her fat, and likened her to Vicky Pollard,” added Mr Davies.
Boswell was also seen pushing out towards his ex-partner.
“He didn’t make contact with her and no injuries were caused, but he was out of order,” Mr Davies continued.
Boswell pleaded guilty to causing a police officer alarm or distress, and to assaulting his ex-partner by beating. He was represented in court by solicitor Tom Lloyd.
“Being remanded in custody for a number of days since the offence may be sufficient punishment for the defendant,” said Mr Lloyd. “He’s recently been drinking heavily as a result of a family bereavement that’s upset him very much, but he now realises that he needs to sort himself out. His family are not impressed and will not tolerate this sort of behaviour.”
Boswell was fined £240 and ordered to pay a £96 court surcharge and £85 in costs.
“This was a foolish thing to do and has proved a very expensive night out,” commented the presiding magistrate.
Community
Police search for missing Carmarthen man, Liam

POLICE are searching for a 28-year-old man who has been reported missing from the Carmarthen area.
Liam was last seen at around 11:00am on Monday (March 31) in the Burry Port area.
Officers from the Carmarthen, Whitland, and St Clears area say they are concerned for his welfare.
He is described as being approximately 6ft tall, of stocky build, with short dark brown hair and a black beard. He was last seen wearing black Adidas trousers and a black jacket.
Dyfed-Powys Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen Liam, or who has information on his whereabouts, to come forward as a matter of urgency.
Information can be reported online at https://orlo.uk/gzXsk, by emailing 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk, or by calling 101.
Those contacting police are asked to quote reference number 35 of March 31.
Crime
Tenby man fined for failing to carry out unpaid work activity

FAILURE to attend unpaid work sessions following a court order imposed by Haverfordwest magistrates has resulted in another court appearance for Penally resident Cheyne Lloyd.
Lloyd, 30, failed to attend the unpaid work sessions on two separate occasions despite an 18-month community order imposed following a conviction for common assault.
The order was made in July 2023 comprising 25 RAR days and 200 hours of unpaid work, however Lloyd, of Alma Gardens, Penally, Tenby failed to attend the unpaid work sessions on two separate occasions in October 2024 and February 2025.
This week he pleaded guilty to the breach when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates.
He was legally represented in court by solicitor Tom Lloyd.
“When he first came before the court he was like a different person who was in a very bad place,” said Mr Lloyd. “It was the worst place he’s ever been in in his life.
“Despite the breach, this is someone who’s made real progress.”
Lloyd was fined £100 for the offence.
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