News
Second helicopter evacuation of casualty from Blue Lagoon within one week
A DRAMATIC evacuation of a casualty with an injured back took place at the Blue Lagoon at Abereiddy again this week. It is the second emergency tasking in recent days.
HM Coastguard teams from Fishguard and St Davids were both involved with the rescue, so was the Coastguard helicopter, Rescue 187, and an NHS ambulance crew.
The 999 call was made at lunch time, but once on scene coastguard officers realised that due to the location of the casualty air support would be needed.
HM Coastguard Fishguard said on their social media feed: “We were tasked along with HM Coastguard – St Davids to the medical evacuation.
“A male casualty with lower back pain after jumping from the top platform.
“On the team’s arrival on scene the casualty was out of the water and on a makeshift stretcher fashioned from a paddle board with his neck being secured by a member of one of the local coasteering companies
“Just as coastguards took over casualty care, a paramedic from Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust arrived on scene to take the lead , due to injuries and the location a helicopter was requested to evacuate from the quarry, so for the second time in less than a week, coastguard officers set about clearing public from the quarry and surrounding area in order to set up a helicopter landing site.
“The helicopter landed in the quarry dropping of the onboard paramedics.
“The casualty was secured in the helicopter stretcher and flown out to a nearby waiting ambulance.”
The coastguard thanked the public for their assistance and cooperation whilst they undertook th rescue mission in ‘difficult circumstances’.
Many are now starting to ask questions about the safety of the location for coasteering activities.
Crime
Drink-driver ‘in blind panic’ to escape Haverfordwest pub
A CONSTRUCTION supervisor was so desperate to flee an alleged attacker who had accosted him inside a Haverfordwest pub that he drove his car from the pub car park despite being over the drink-drive limit.
This week Haverfordwest court heard how Gary Newell drove his black Kia Ceed out of The Bull Inn car park in Prendergast with the passenger door open. As he proceeded to drive down Church Lane, he was seen to collide with several vehicles, including a Nisson, a Vauxhall Insignia and a Ford transit van.
“He then abandoned the scene and fled,” Crown Prosecutor Linda Baker told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.
“Police received multiple calls in relation to his driving and to the fact that he’d collided with other vehicles.”
Officers eventually tracked Newell, 35, down to St David’s Church where he was arrested and charged with drink-driving.
Newell, of Linnet Close, Bristol, pleaded guilty to a charge.
“There was an incident inside the pub and a person followed the defendant out and tried to get into his car,” said his solicitor, Michael Kelleher. “He’d already received cuts and bruises and was in a blind panic to get away from the situation.”
Mr Kelleher said that Newell was subsequently taken by officers to Withybush Hospital where he received treatment for his injuries.
“He remained on a drip and was put on temazepam,” added Mr Kelleher.
“After this incident he moved away to Bristol to get away from the problems here.”
Mr Kelleher said that Newell is currently employed as a supervisor for a construction firm.
Newell was disqualified from driving for a total of 14 months. He was fined £800 and ordered to pay a £320 surcharge and £85 costs.
Crime
Mother-of-two drove on cocaine despite drug-drive ban
A MOTHER-of-two who ‘took a chance’ by driving on cocaine despite being disqualified for a previous drug-drive conviction has been ordered off the roads for four years.
Appearing before Haverfordwest magistrates this week was 42-year-old Donna Jones who pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle when she was over the specified drug limit on cocaine and the cocaine derivative, benzoylecgonine.
She admitted additional charges of driving whilst disqualified and of using a vehicle without third party insurance.
Police officers saw Jones driving a Renault Clio through Narberth just before 11pm on November 10, 2023. When they stopped the vehicle, they noticed a strong smell of cannabis emanating from the interior of the car.
“Checks carried out by the officers showed that the defendant had been disqualified from driving until April 2025,” said Crown Prosecutor Linda Baker.
“Her previous convictions took place in 2018 and 2022.”
Meanwhile probation officer Julie Norman told the magistrates that on November 10, Jones had travelled to Pembrokeshire from her home in Belvedere Avenue, Carmarthen, to attend her god-daughter’s funeral.
“After the funeral she went back to the family home in Preseli and although she wasn’t drinking alcohol, she took some cocaine,” she said.
“She then drove back from Preseli to Carmarthen but she got lost and ended up in Narberth. That’s where the police found her. That day, she just took a chance.”
Jones was sentenced to 20 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months. She must also carry out 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, She was banned from driving for a total of 48 months and must pay a £154 surcharge and £85 costs.
News
Barcelona trip results in court sentence for Dock man
A TRIP to Barcelona ended in disaster for Pembroke Dock resident Lee Taylor after returning to Bristol airport to discover that his EE mobile phone connection had failed.
As a result, Taylor was forced to spend the night in the city’s central bus station.
“This was an extremely frightening experience,” his solicitor, David James, told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.
“He didn’t have the means by which he could pay for a hotel because everything was done on his phone, so he had to spend the night sleeping in the central bus station.
“There were a lot of very scary people around him and it was all very unsettling.”
When Taylor eventually returned to his home in Stranraer Road, Pembroke Dock, he heard his neighbours creating a disturbance outside his property.
“He was sleep deprived, as a result of the previous 48 hours, and when he heard the noise, he went outside and started shouting.”
Crown Prosecutor Linda Baker informed the court that the shouting commenced just before midday on April 24.
“The defendant was talking aggressively and making threats of violence,” she said. “Members of the public had contacted the police, reporting that the defendant had been making threats of violence towards them. It was also thought that he had a knife in his pocket, although this was never found.”
Taylor pleaded guilty to a charge of using threatening, abusive or insulting words and behaviour likely to cause harassment alarm and distress.
After considering the facts, magistrates granted him a conditional discharge for nine months. Taylor was ordered to pay a £26 court surcharge and £85 costs.
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