News

Jail for gang who plundered Narberth businesses

Published

11 years ago

September 3, 2014

Tom Sinclair

Swansea Crown Court

THE LEADERS of a gang who plundered almost an entire enterprise park at Narberth have been jailed today.

Anthony Jones, aged 28, and Llewellyn Luce, 37, spent four hours rampaging through businesses on the Rushacre park in Redstone Lane before driving away with more than £40,000 in cash, tools and equipment.

Swansea crown court heard how they got away in a stolen £12,000 Volvo transporter van that was never seen again.

And the vast majority of the stolen items were never recovered.

Dean Pulling, prosecuting, said the pair broke into Apple Blossom cleaners, Rushacre Garage, Premier Stoves, Tradeframe Manufacturers and Silverstone Green Energy, and tried to get into two other businesses and a storage shed, in the early hours of December 22 last year.

They stole £1,650 in cash from Apple Blossom and caused more than £5,000 worth of damage. They also broke into Christmas presents and took a distinctive bottle of wine that detectives would later find on top of a wardrobe at Luce’s home.

From Rushacre garage they stole the van and more than £20,000 of tools and equipment, of which £10,000 worth was not recoverable via insurance.

At Silverstone Green Energy the pair “destroyed” an antique safe and got away with £1,200 in cash and £3,100 worth of tools while causing £1,650 worth of damage.

Jones and Luce also stole cash, cameras, stamps and other valuables from Premier Stoves and Tradeframe Manufacturers.

Mr Pulling said the burglaries were not discovered until the following day but detectives were able to track the transporter van on CCTV cameras along the M4 motorway.

They noticed it seemed to be in convoy with a Ford Fiesta belonging to Lisa Jones. And CCTV coverage of her at a service station put her in company with other members of the gang.

Police then examined mobile telephone traffic between them—and found the tell tale bottle of wine at Luce’s home.

Anthony Jones, aged 28, of Lister Street, Accrington, Luce, of The Woodlands, Penygarn, Pontypool, Lise Jones, 25, of Snatchwood Court, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, and her then boyfriend, James Lawson, 25, of Whitegate Close, Padiham, Burnley, each admitted five burglaries and three attempted break ins.

Jones was jailed for four years and Luce for 21 months.

Lisa Jones and Lawson were jailed for two years, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work for the community.

Lisa Jones and Lawson said they had acted as look outs.

Judge Paul Thomas said Anthony Jones, who had 43 previous convictions, was a “prolific, professional and undeterrable burglar” of commercial premises who only stopped when he was in prison.

Despite living in Accrington his previous offending included burgling businesses in Pembrokeshire.

He said all four had gone into a “large scale, organised, commercial burglary expedition with their eyes wide open.”

Those who play with fire, he added, get their fingers burned.

News

BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

Published

6 minutes ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.

The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”

A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.

Business

First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port yesterday afternoon, marking the start of physical deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.

The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock shortly after 4pm on Wednesday, bringing tower sections and other heavy components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the existing gas terminal at Waterston.

A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, is due to arrive in the early hours of this morning (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.

The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.

Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the latest movements in emails to the Herald.

“The Peak Bergen arrived yesterday with the first components,” she said. “We are expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”

The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.

Port of Milford Haven shipping movements showed the Peak Bergen approaching the Haven throughout Wednesday morning before finally tying up at the cargo berth in Pembroke Dock. Cranes began unloading operations yesterday evening.

Weather conditions are currently favourable for this morning’s arrival of the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.

The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are expected to begin next week, subject to final police and highway approvals.

A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide training opportunities and energy-bill support for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.

Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery programme continues.

Photo: Martin Cavaney

Crime

Banned for 40 months after driving with cocaine breakdown product in blood

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been handed a lengthy driving ban after admitting driving with a controlled drug in her system more than ten times over the legal limit.

SENTENCED AT HAVERFORDWEST

Sally Allen, 43, of Wentworth Close, Hubberston, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Dec 4) for sentencing, having pleaded guilty on November 25 to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the prescribed limit.

The court heard that Allen was stopped on August 25 on the Old Hakin Road at Tiers Cross while driving an Audi A3. Blood analysis showed 509µg/l of Benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine. The legal limit is 50µg/l.

COMMUNITY ORDER AND REHABILITATION

Magistrates imposed a 40-month driving ban, backdated to her interim disqualification which began on November 25.

Allen was also handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as directed by the Probation Service.

She was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge. Her financial penalties will be paid in £25 monthly instalments from January 1, 2026.

The bench—Mrs H Roberts, Mr M Shankland and Mrs J Morris—said her guilty plea had been taken into account when passing sentence.