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Former Pembroke Dock councillor Paul Dowson calls disciplinary panel ‘a joke’

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FORMER County Councillor Paul Dowson received a three-year ban from public office at an Adjudication Panel for Wales hearing on Monday, August 22.
The Tribunal decided on the ban after finding against Mr Dowson on four allegations regarding breaches of the Code of Conduct for councillors.

BLM SPAT LED TO FALSE ALLEGATION

The first allegation followed an online spat between Paul Dowson and a then-fellow County Councillor, Joshua Beynon.

After a series of increasingly bitter exchanges between supporters of Cllr Beynon and Paul Dowson regarding Black Lives Matter and the protests by outside neo-Nazi groups at Penally Camp, Paul Dowson alleged that in 2015 Cllr Beynon, while still a student at Pembroke School, circulated a sexually explicit video of a girl aged under 17.

That allegation was false; the girl concerned was 18. Mr Dowson subsequently accepted he was wrong “by a year”.

He’d believed a rumour of child exploitation was true and repeated it without checking.
Aged 17, Joshua Beynon obtained images and messages from an 18-years-old fellow student’s Facebook profile and created a Facebook group to circulate them.
He deleted the group before being spoken to by police officers in April 2015 and received a two-day exclusion from school.


The Tribunal ruled that in 2020, the Respondent falsely and publicly accused Cllr Beynon of sharing a pornographic video of a girl under 17, “something which is factually untrue”.

Cllr Beynon

The Tribunal decided that he brought his office and the Council into disrepute when he did so.

His subsequent repetition of the allegations amounted, the Panel ruled, to the bullying of Cllr Beynon.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY LED TO HARASSMENT

In the second instance, Paul Dowson falsely accused an individual, Marc Davies, of having a criminal record. He had confused him with another person of the same name.
Despite being informed by Mr Davies in September 2020 that he was referring to a different person, Paul Dowson repeated the falsehood through his social media channels.
In February 2021, he apologised to Marc Davies and accepted his allegations were untrue.
The Tribunal found Mr Dowson’s conduct between September 2020 and February 2021 broke the Code of Conduct and amounted to harassment of Mr Davies.

“ON THE REGISTER” ALLEGATION  WAS FALSE

In the third case involving an individual, the Case Tribunal found Paul Dowson took part in a conversation on Facebook with Timothy Brentnall, who was using the name “Timothy St John” at the time.
At one point in the conversation, Paul Dowson said: “…I heard you are on the register but it’s not been proven so I’m not spreading it around. Better man than you”.
The suggestion Mr Brentnall was “on the register” was a lie.
The Tribunal found Paul Dowson used the words to try and discredit Mr Brentnall “in a wilful and harmful way”.
Accordingly, it found Paul Dowson brought his office and the Council into disrepute under the Code of Conduct’s terms.
The above are instances where formal findings of fact and Paul Dowson’s admissions were enough for the Tribunal to find him guilty of Code of Conduct breaches, any of which could lead to a ban from public office.

COUNCILLOR SPREAD MISINFORMATION

The most contentious issue surrounded Cllr Dowson’s comments regarding the Welsh Government’s Relationships and Sex Education Programme.
When interviewed by the Ombudsman’s caseworker, he conceded that he had not considered the text of the RSE programme, which was not then published.
Instead, he relied on reports about the programme from other sources.
Despite not reading the Code, Paul Dowson claimed the Code aims to teach 3-year-old children about masturbation; and 13-year-old boys and girls about anal sex.
The Panel found that Mr Dowson had no basis for his assertions, which he repeated in an email to another Council member, in which he claimed lesson plans for 11-year-olds and upwards contained references to bondage, anal sex, facial ejaculation and more.
As a finding of fact, and in the absence of Mr Dowson’s presentation of evidence to contradict its findings, the Tribunal found Paul Dowson guilty of spreading misinformation and that his statements were untrue.

FABRICATED EVIDENCE

Finally, the Tribunal found Paul Dowson produced a fabricated exhibit to the Public Services Ombudsman’s investigation.
It found he did so in “a deliberate attempt to mislead that investigation”.
The Tribunal concluded this, too, was a breach of the Code of Conduct.
The Tribunal banned Paul Dowson from public office for three years.
After the hearing, Mr Dowson was unrepentant.
Describing the proceedings as “a joke” and “a kangaroo court”, he said: “I didn’t participate as it was obvious that hearing was prejudicial.”
He stood by his comments regarding Cllr Beynon, claiming the Tribunal had “irrefutable proof” he was correct, despite admitting he’d got the female student’s age wrong.
He further insisted that the Tribunal “stuck its neck out” when it found he shared misinformation regarding the Welsh Government’s RSE Code, saying: “I provided evidence that my allegations regarding RSE were true.”
Readers can decide whether the allegations are true by reading the Code for themselves and looking for the specific issues Paul Dowson says it deals with; the full Code is here: https://bit.ly/3TdrbqX

Dowson confirmed elected as a Councillor in 2018 by the narrowest of margins (Pic Herald)

Crime

Police appeal for information after several tractors stolen

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POLICE officers in Pembrokeshire investigating a theft from several tractors, which happened overnight between April 17-18, 2024.

The tractors had been in a field near to Loch Turfin, Haverfordwest.

Included in the stolen items were vehicle keys, tools and waterproof clothing.

A spokesperson said “Police are now appealing for anyone with information that could help them with their investigation to contact PC 772 Boyt either through a direct message on social media, online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 101.

“Quote reference: 24*355571”

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Community

Pembrokeshire firefighters help deliver fire engines to Ukraine

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FIRE services from across the United Kingdom have rallied together to donate vital firefighting equipment to Ukraine, amidst ongoing conflicts that have seen local fire stations and firefighters come under direct attack.

The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) was at the forefront of this international goodwill effort, donating three fire appliances and dispatching nine of their personnel to ensure safe delivery.

The initiative, coordinated by Fire Aid UK, involved a total of 11 UK fire services. Over a grueling 5.5-day journey that spanned several countries—starting from Kent Fire and Rescue Service and moving through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and into Poland—33 fire appliances were transported to a location just 20 miles from the Ukraine border. They left Kent on April 23.

This convoy, laden with not just fire engines but also 3000 items of critical firefighting gear including cutting equipment, fire hoses, first aid kits, and generators, was a sight of resilience and humanitarian commitment. Watch Manager Rob MakePeace, a Business Fire Safety Officer, and Watch Manager Keith Jenkins, who is retired but still oversees part-time personnel at Haverfordwest, played pivotal roles in the operation from Pembrokeshire.

Speaking on the experience, Keith Jenkins expressed the profound impact of the mission, “It was a fantastic experience to be involved in. The convoy itself was an amazing sight, but the people we met, places we stayed and the reason we were delivering the appliances was something we will remember for a long time.”

The donation comes at a critical time for Ukraine, where daily attacks have not only jeopardized the lives of local firefighters but have also devastated much of the essential infrastructure needed to fight fires effectively. The additional appliances and equipment from the UK are expected to significantly bolster the capabilities of the Ukrainian fire departments, providing them with the necessary tools to save lives and protect property under dire circumstances.

This act of generosity and the strenuous efforts by the UK firefighters underscore a deep commitment to aiding those in peril, transcending borders and showcasing the best of international cooperation and humanitarian assistance.

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News

Protest outside Stephen Crabb’s office over Rwanda deportations

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SUPPORTERS of West Wales Stand Up to Racism group will attend a protest outside the office of Stephen Crabb MP in Market Street at 6pm on Tuesday evening (May 7).

The protest is to highlight the inhumane scheme to send refugees to Rwanda.

Since the Rwanda Bill was finally passed last week, refugees have already been identified, detained and are being prepared to be flown to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed there.

Rushi Sunak has said “To detain people while we prepare to remove them, we’ve increased detention spaces to 2,200.

“To quickly process claims, we’ve got 200 trained, dedicated caseworkers ready and waiting. To deal with any legal cases quickly and decisively, the judiciary has made available 25 courtrooms and identified 150 judges who could provide over 5,000 sitting days.”

The protestors are asking: why is all this money being spent when these vulnerable people could have their asylum claims dealt with in the UK?

If the Prime Minister hoped his Rwanda plan would help get more votes for the Conservative Party in the recent elections, it would appear he was mistaken.

A new report from the Refugee Council warns that the UK Government’s flagship Illegal Migration Act and Rwanda Plan will lead to another catastrophic “system meltdown”, trapping over 100,000 people in permanent limbo while costing taxpayers billions.

West Wales Stand Up to Racism has campaigned against the Government’s plan to send refugees to Rwanda from the time this scheme was first suggested.

Supporters have previously met with Simon Hart MP and attempted to deliver a giant postcard to his office.

The group has taken part in the online Hands in Protest project organised by Artisan Avenue, Tenby which allowed everyone to express on line how they felt about Rwanda by submitting drawings of their own hands. The collective Hands In Protest gives a powerful message that the Rwanda plan should be stopped.

The organisers said: “Supporters will be once more taking the giant postcard on Tuesday, to protest about the Rwanda scheme. We will have small post cards for supporters to write messages to Stephen Crabb, telling him how strongly we feel about this.

“All over the UK, anti-racists are picketing Home Office buildings to show their opposition to the Rwanda scheme and are trying to prevent arrests and giving support to the refugees being arrested and detained.

“West Wales Stand Up to Racism supporters want to make their voices heard too.”

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