Crime

Father sentenced for ‘wilful refusal’ of £4,500 child maintenance payments

Published

10 months ago

March 7, 2024

A ST CLEARS father has appeared before magistrates after ‘wilfully refusing’ to pay over £4,500 in child maintenance payments.

The 29-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was ordered to pay a total of £5,957.32 by a child maintenance order imposed by Cardiff Magistrates court, with payment scheduled to be completed by February 20, 2021.

But this week Haverfordwest magistrates heard that payments amounting to just £1,379.76 were made by the defendant.

“£4,577.56 is still outstanding and the defendant has demonstrated a willful neglect in his refusal in paying,” commented a spokesperson for the Child Support Agency.

“He was told that the matter would go to court if his repayments weren’t addressed, but he failed to respond to the caution, and no information for this was provided.”

The Child Support Agency went on to state that analysis of the defendant’s personal accounts confirmed that between May and November 2022, a total of £11,917.15 was held in one account while an additional £8,178.33 was in another.

“A final warning was sent to him about our intention to go to court, but again he did not respond,” added the CSA spokesperson.

As a result of his non-payment, the defendant was this week sentenced to six weeks in prison. The custodial sentence was postponed on condition he pays £20 a week towards the child maintenance order repayments.

“There has been wilful refusal and culpable neglect, with the result that only committal to prison is appropriate,” commented the presiding magistrates, Mary Smith.

But Ms Smith postponed his custodial sentence on condition that he makes weekly payments of £20 together with £41 costs to the CSA.

Crime

Police issue update following incident at Tenby multi-storey

Published

16 hours ago

January 3, 2025

Luke Sinclair

Dyfed-Powys Police have confirmed this morning that they are investigating a collision on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park in Tenby, at around 4pm on Thursday, January 2.

The collision, police said, involved a grey Nissan Qashqai and a young child.

The child remains in a critical condition in hospital.

The family are being supported by specially trained officers.

One man, aged 33, has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury through dangerous driving, drink driving, and drug driving. He remains in police custody.

Police issued a statement saying: “This is a tragic incident and is a live investigation.

“We ask that you do not speculate the circumstances and allow our officers to carry out their enquiries.

Anyone with information or dashcam footage that could help officers with their investigation is asked to report it to us, either online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 101.

Quote reference 25*6238”

Crime

Driver wasn’t aware he was over the cannabis drug-drive limit

Published

22 hours ago

January 3, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A MILFORD HAVEN motorist has been banned from driving after being caught travelling ‘at speed’ along Dale Road, Haverfordwest, after consuming cannabis.

John Lewis, 30, was followed by police officers as he travelled along the Dale Road on June 24, 2024.

“The officers believed the car was travelling at speed, and when they spoke to the driver, who was identified as the defendant, he said he’d taken cannabis the evening before,” said Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan when Lewis appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates this week.

Blood tests carried out at the police station confirmed the defendant had 3.7 mcg of Delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol in his system. The prescribed legal limit is 2.

Lewis, of Coombs Drive, Milford Haven, pleaded guilty to driving over the legal drugs limit. He was represented in court by solicitor Tom Lloyd.

“If he had been aware that he was over the limit that day, he’d never have driven,” he said.

Lewis, who has no previous convictions, was disqualified from driving for 12 months. He was fined £300 and ordered to pay a £120 court surcharge and £85 costs.

Crime

Shoplifter’s solicitor says he will ‘get clean’ whilst in custody

Published

22 hours ago

January 3, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

HAVERFORDWEST shoplifter Asa Wandelt has appeared before magistrates yet again after CCTV footage showed him stealing £17 worth of food and drink from the Cooperative store in Carmarthen.

Appearing before Haverfordwest magistrates this week via a video link from Parc Prison, Bridgend, where he is serving a custodial sentence for previous convictions, Wandelt, 36, pleaded guilty to his latest shoplifting offence.

“He’s making the most of his time in custody by getting clean and starting to sort himself out,” said his solicitor, Tom Lloyd.

Wandelt, of Harrier Road, Haverfordwest, was fined £40 and ordered to pay £17 compensation to the Cooperative store and a £16 court surcharge.