The Welsh Newsdesk - Articles of possible interest from the Land of Song and Sheep

Kicking off this thread with a story about a real life 'teenage rampage'...

Link: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/young-teenage-girls-kicked-victims-31635299
Credit: Abbie Wightwick, Education Editor for Wales Online
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/oAMLS



Cardiff Magistrates' Court (Image: MEDIA WALES)

Two 14-year-olds who violently assaulted victims at a school and college in Bridgend and were also found guilty of blackmail and assault have narrowly avoided custody.

The girls, both from the Bridgend area, and one of whom was just 13 at the time of the offences, both pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to one allegation each of blackmail, two allegations of actual bodily harm and two allegations of assault. Appearing for sentencing separately at a hearing at Cardiff Youth Court on May 13 they were both told prison had been considered owing to the level of violence.

The attacks on four victims took place between March 2 and 4 this year at Brynteg Comprehensive, Bridgend College, Pyle railway station and near to a leisure centre.

One of their victims was pulled to the floor, kicked in the head and face and suffered a bloody nose, swollen ear, bumps to the head concussion and PTSD, the court was told.

Another was ordered to kneel and kiss their feet and then kicked in the head and body on the ground while being sworn and screamed at.

One of the victims was so traumatised by the attack and threats that they took an overdose and were hospitalised, the court was told.

In victim statements read out in court three of the victims described being unable to eat or sleep properly since the attacks, feeling too scared to leave their homes or go back to school and college.

They said they were "petrified" their assailants would attack them again and described feeling "let down" by the justice system.

Neither the accused, nor their victims can be identified because of their ages.

The older of the two assailants was already on a youth referral order at the time of the attacks with a previous conviction for actual bodily harm. The younger received a caution for possession of a knife or bladed article in a public place 2024, the hearing was told.

Mobile phone footage played to the court showed how they attacked one of their victims in a school corridor, pulling her to the floor, kicking her head, punching her body and face and shouting abuse.

Footage also showed a girl made to kneel on the ground at college and kiss her attackers before being kicked, hit and yelled at her, while another video showed the attackers waving their feet in a victim's face and ordering her to kiss them.

The victims were threatened with being "battered" and told to pay £60 or videos of them kissing their attackers' feet would be shared on social media. When video was shared one victim felt so embarassed and ashamed that she considered taking her life, Sewak Singh, prosecuting, said.

In powerful testimony in person to the court one of the victim's mother's described the impact on her and her family. Fighting back tears she said her daughter has had problems eating, sleeping and socialising since the attack: "She says she does not like being in the house alone and has no doubt (they) would attack her again. She used to be out with friends but not now."

Statements from the mothers of two of the other victims were also read out. One said she would never get over seeing footage of her daughter attacked while people stood around and filmed it, doing nothing to help.

Another described the trauma of knowing her child had been assaulted in school, where she should have been safe and described how she did not want to go back. One said her daughter had changed and was no longer the person she was before the attack.

All spoke of feeling let down by the justice system with their children left too scared to go out alone and in fear of their attackers,

The older of the two accused wiped away tears when challenged about how she felt hearing the impact of her crimes. She said she felt "horrible" and was crying because of "everything".

Defending her Michael Hall said she had a "turbulent background" but had reflected and shown some remorse and there was "scope for rehabilitation".

The younger of the two admitted "I am sorry. The things I have done. I shouldn't have done."

Defending her Michael Hall said she was impressionable and had been subject to "malignant peer pressure", but he acknowledged she was guilty of "wanton criminality" and "has to be punished".

The older of the two was given an 18-month Youth Rehabilitation Order with an Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Order to include a 30-day activity with supervision and a 9pm to 7am curfew. She was also barred from entering the area where the attacks took place and all education institutions apart from those she attends. She will also have GPS trail monitoring.

On top of this a four-year restraining order was imposed banning her from contacting the four victims, including on social media, or going to their homes. Her parent was also ordered to pay all four victims £60 each in compensation on her behalf.

Issuing the sentence chair of the bench Jane Anning told her: "We feel these assaults and the victims' ongoing fear of violence mean these offences clearly indicate prison. However, there is a direct alternative to immediate prison and we have decided to take this route - a Youth Rehabilitation Order with iintensive supervision and surveillance - the highest sentence available without sending you straight to prison today."

She warned the girl that "because of the level of behaviour prison was a very real option" and warned that should she not comply with the order and restrictions she would be back before the court with more serious implications.

The younger of the two was given a Youth Referral Order and restraining orders were imposed in respect of the four victims banning her from contacting them, including on social media, or going to their homes. Her parent was also ordered to pay each of the victims £60 compensation on her behalf.

Sentencing the younger of the two the chair of the bench told her the attacks had also caused "severe mental trauma" on the victims and their families.

"We feel this is so serious prison is justified. However, you are only 14. We have decided it is a priority to give you every possible chance to put your life on a better path. The choice is yours."

No court costs were imposed on either defendant.

 

[Made In Wales]

Coal mine flood water used in first heating scheme​

Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lk1y582r0o
Credit: Ben Price, BBC News
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/Y1hWe



Mine water treatment sites across Wales already process enough water to fill the Principality Stadium 10 times over each year

Flood water from a disused mine is being used as a renewable source of heating for the first time in Wales.

The business near Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, has started pumping water from a nearby mine water treatment site to heat its warehouse.

The Mining Remediation Authority, formerly the Coal Authority, said it continued to help develop similar projects across south and north-east Wales and hoped Wales could be at the "forefront" of the approach, but a similar heat scheme was scrapped by Bridgend council in 2021 due to the concern of rising costs.

The Welsh government said it recognised the "significant role mine water heat can play in our journey to net zero".

About 25 litres of water per second is pumped from the former Lindsay pit every day in order to be cleaned and released into natural waterways.

Flood water which has filled old mines can reach up 20C (68F), depending on the depth.

Business owner Nick Salini, who makes heat pumps, said he recognised the potential of the mine water a long time ago.

"We've installed a ground source heat pump that takes the water from the surface mine water treatment plant which runs at a constant 14C to 15C," he said.

"We take that warm water to a heat pump, compress it to a useable temperature for heating the building and this will heat the building all year around.

"This system is specifically designed for this building. It's a 35 kilowatt system which could heat up to 10 new-build properties and it is scalable so it could provide heating for hundreds of homes by absorbing the available energy from the ground."



When done at scale, energy centres could be built within communities to boost the temperature of the water from underground

The Welsh government published a mine water heat opportunity map last year to highlight the parts of Wales' former coalfields where similar schemes might be viable.

Innovate UK, funded by the UK government to help businesses grow, provided the money for the project in Carmarthenshire but getting the right funding for larger projects remains a challenge.

There are a growing number of mine water heat projects in England. The first to be completed in Gateshead serves more than 600 homes, businesses and an arts centre.

Gareth Farr, head of heat and by-product innovation at the Mining Remediation Authority, said: "Everyone in Wales has been looking at what we've delivered in the north east of England but there's no reason why Wales can't be at the forefront of this as well.

"We've got a quarter of Wales' population living on the coalfield so the demand is there and we want to link our proud industrial heritage to this new green future."



Mr Salini says water from old mines could be pumped hundreds of metres across communities but infrastructure and costs need to be considered

It took two weeks to lay the pipework for the small project near Ammanford but the developers said the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term disruption.

"Across Great Britain, we're already in the process of developing and delivering new schemes, so we really hope this scheme will be a springboard to encourage others and provide confidence so they can progress the ideas we've been working on with them," Mr Farr added.

The Welsh government said: "We do not have a dedicated heat network fund, however they could be in scope with local energy funding.

"Applicants would need to demonstrate how their idea fits with local area energy plans and that they are the optimum use of funds, returning the biggest impact for the investment both in terms of decarbonisation and wider benefit.

"Ynni Cymru has recently launched a £10m capital fund for smart local energy systems to help develop novel energy projects and maximise local benefits; we would encourage developers to explore this potential route."

 

[Gregis]

Gauci, 19, left Mr Richards, 48, with fatal damage to the femoral artery and vein.

At around 10.45pm on April 7, 2024 Morgan was seen on CCTV in possession of a knife. He called Mr Richards who arrived at the scene in his Audi in possession of a hammer and drove Morgan to Heol Trelai in Ely.

Uhhh...why? Why was a nearly 50 year old father driving some 19 year old around to confront his ex-gf's brother?

 

[Otterly]

The criminal behaviour order which the defendant was subject to has now expired.

Fascinating to see how just being silent means they can’t incriminate you. Maybe he just wants a bed for the night.

 

[Blewberry Nausea]

Okay we got the British mega thread, we got the Irish, we got the Welsh…

Where’s Scotland though?

 

[Made In Wales]

Uhhh...why? Why was a nearly 50 year old father driving some 19 year old around to confront his ex-gf's brother?

Wales Online have published a follow up to this story:

The full story of how a lovers' tiff led to the murder of a father by a teenager​

Father-of-seven Colin Richards bled to the death in the street after being stabbed in the thigh by Corey Gauci.​

Link: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/full-story-how-lovers-tiff-31674178?
Credit: Philip Dewey Court Correspondent, Wales Online
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/GrPeT



Corey Gauci, 18, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years, for the murder of Colin Richards. (Image: South Wales Police)
Colin Richards left the home he shared with his partner and two young children armed with a hammer. He had received a call from his best friend Christian Morgan who had requested back up after threats had been exchanged between him and his former partner Noreen O'Driscoll.

What started as a lovers' tiff between the participants of a toxic relationship ended in tragedy as Colin bled to death in a Cardiff street having suffered a stab wound to his thigh inflicted by teenager Corey Gauci. His death left seven children without a father, grandchildren without a grandfather and a mother without a son.

Here is the full story of the murder of Colin Richards at the hands of Corey Gauci, and the supporting players who helped the killer to escape and remain on the run for three weeks.

Colin Richards​

Colin Richards, 48, was a father, grandfather, son, brother, nephew and cousin, who lived in the Fairwater area of Cardiff.

Describing her son, Colin's mother Pamela Grant said: “Colin was deeply cherished by his family and as a son, father, grandfather, brother, cousin and nephew. He was always the life and soul of the party and a big personality who did things his own way.

“Behind the tough exterior was a sensitive and caring man but he rarely showed that side, believing he had to be strong, but he cared for his family.

“Throughout my illness he made sure I had help with day to day living. Colin and I spoke on the telephone every day, often two to three times a day."



Colin Richards (Image: Family photograph)
Colin lived with his partner Toni Clayton and his two young children. Describing their relationship, Ms Clayton said: "He was my partner and father of my two young children. We had just started our adventure together as a family and had so many plans but that’s been taken from us now.

“Colin was my biggest supporter who encouraged me to go back to university and supported me in so many ways. He made sure he was available to have the kids while I studied. It was part of our big plan to make life better for us all....

"He was always dancing with the kids, singing with them and reading them books at bedtime. I cherish these moments and will make sure the kids know how much their daddy loved them."

The argument​

On April 7, former partners Noreen O'Driscoll and Colin's best friend Christian Morgan had been arguing over text messages with O'Driscoll jealous of Morgan's new relationship with Challis Griffiths and was said to have become "more and more angry".

She send insulting messages and threatening his property and as the argument got more heated she drove a short distance to Clos-y-Cwarra where her brother James O’Driscoll and his partner, Anais Stacey, were living.



Noreen O'Driscoll, 29, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for assisting an offender. (Image: South Wales Police)
At 10pm, Noreen O'Driscoll sent a message to Morgan in which she threatened to damage his car, and he responded by threatening to damage her house.

The players assemble​

During this time, Noreen O'Driscoll was in contact with her mother Soraya Somersall and James O'Driscoll. At 10.04pm, there was a call between Somersall and James O’Driscoll and immediately afterwards Somersall left her room at the Copthorne Hotel and drove off in a red Nissan Qashqai.

CCTV footage showed she drove to James O’Driscoll’s home in Clos-y-Cwarra in Michaelston-super-Ely.

A voice note was sent by Somersall’s girlfriend Rebecca Ross to Somersall in which she stated Noreen O’Driscoll was going to “get her brothers or boys to sort Morgan out”.

The note said: “She’s going sick she wants you to come home now. He’s answered the phone giving it all the big one to her, being f****** horrible, now the poor girl is sat sobbing again like.

"She’s asking her brothers to do.. like.. to do.. get the boys to do.. you know what I’m on about don’t wanna say too much. But she just wants it doing like. Because he’s being clever."



James O'Driscoll, 27, was sentenced to four years imprisonment with an extended licence period of one year, for violent disorder and possession of a bladed article. (Image: South Wales Police)
Ross messages Somersall: "He’s been cheating."

Somersall drove the Qashqai to Lavender Grove and James O’Driscoll made a call to his friend Corey Gauci.

CCTV at the Copthorne Hotel showed Noreen O’Driscoll and Rebecca Ross left the hotel in a silver Ford Focus and drove to Heol y Berllan, in Caerau, where Christian Morgan lived.

They arrived at 10.23pm having gone through a red light in Cowbridge Road West.

The Qashqai was seen to return briefly Clos-y-Cwarra to pick up Gauci and James O'Driscoll before arriving at Heol Telai, adjoining Heol y Berllan, at 10.43pm.

After the Focus arrived shortly later, there was interaction between Gauci, James O’Driscoll, Noreen O’Driscoll, Somersall and Ross.

Morgan had left his flat in Heol y Berllan at 10.15pm and had moved his white BMW X1 following the threat by Noreen O'Driscoll. At 10.45pm, he was seen in Caerau Lane with a phone in his left hand and a large knife in his right hand.



Soraya Somersall, 44, was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment for assisting an offender. (Image: South Wales Police)
At this point, he was on the phone to his friend Colin Richards – a call that lasted 28 minutes.

At 10.46pm Morgan was seen to enter Heol y Berllan via a grassy area, in order to see the occupants of the two cars while on the phone to Mr Richards.

Shortly later Colin arrived in his Audi A1 and they drove to Heol Trelai, near a cut-through to Heol y Berllan, and got out of the car. He was armed with a hammer and met up with Morgan.

The murder​

Gauci and James O'Driscoll were seen wearing dark clothing and walking through Heol y Berllan. They were armed with knives and wearing balaclavas.

At 11.08pm, Morgan and Colin ran in front of Somersall's Qashqai, and Colin attacked and smashed the front windscreen, and the rear passenger door windows on both sides of that car with his hammer.

Straight afterwards, Morgan and Colin ran off as Gauci and James O'Driscoll gave chase.

Morgan was then chased through the streets by James O'Driscoll who was brandishing a large machete and shouting "I am going to f****** kill you.

Colin ran back to his car and was chased around it by Gauci, who was brandishing a large knife which was later disposed of and has not been found.

Gauci retaliated for the smashing of the Qashqai windows by himself attacking and fracturing the windscreen of Colin's car.



Rebecca Ross, 44, was sentenced to two years imprisonment for assisting an offender. (Image: South Wales Police)
At 11.09pm, Gauci gratuitously attacked Colin with the knife while he was trying to get back into his car, before running off.

Describing the commotion, neighbour Jalil Aburas said he saw male one carrying a “large metallic object” which he believed to be a bladed article with a handle.

He said: “In total, the metallic object was about two feet in length. I thought it was a tool of intimidation and I believe male one was carrying the object in his right hand, pointing it and holding it down towards the ground. I would describe them as moving at considerable speed.

“I heard (the) male shout ‘I am going to f****** kill you’.

“They ran past the flats and veered onto the second pathway, running in the direction of the Highfields pub.

“The (second) male appeared to be running from the (other) male and looking forward. I would say I have not seen anyone running so fast with such fear before.”
Morgan ran past the Highfields pub before running back to Heol y Berllan. When he got back to the Audi, Colin was in the passenger seat and not moving.

He had suffered a stab wound and was bleeding profusely. Morgan was seen to get a towel from a nearby address.

Morgan then drove the car to the address of his ex-partner's mother in Snowden Road where he stopped and called for help. He made a 999 call on Colin's phone at 11.20 pm. He told the call-handler that he had been chased away from the car and found Colin in the car when he returned.

The emergency response​

The police and ambulance arrived at 11.32pm. PC Shanice Desmond was among the officers who attended and found Colin lying on his back on the floor.

She spoke to Morgan who was pacing up and down and speaking on the phone.

In body worn footage recorded by PC Desmond, Morgan described the finding Colin wounded in the car.

The police and medics did all they could for Colin Richards until resuscitation attempts were stopped and he was pronounced dead at 12.22am.

Morgan's former partner Nadine Cottrell described her ex's demeanour following Mr Richards' death. She said: "He was stressed, he was pacing the room. He was distressed.”

She added: "He was just like in shock, like in a daze and a world of his that this really happened. He was just sat there. I’ve never seen him like this before.”

Morgan later gave police his account of the incident. He said: "(Colin) has come to meet me, there’s some sort of commotion and people have chased me. He was parked, I came out and they started chasing me over Caerau. Opposite the Homeguard pub. He’s come to see me and some sort of commotion took place. There was bare(sic) people who started chasing me....

“I see bare men running. He’s running to the right and I have gone to the left. I ran all the way to the main road, I ran to Heol y Berllan. I came back and everyone was gone, (Colin) was in the passenger seat, I didn’t know what was happening.”

He added: "There were lots of people, one of them turned their attention on me and I ran around the main road, back into Heol y Berllan and the alleyway. Everyone has scattered, I saw the car door open like this and he’s sat in the car. I didn’t know what to do. It’s his car, he drove this car.

“He’s come out to meet me and the commotion has obviously happened. Whatever has gone out, something has happened. I couldn’t see anything.

“When I found him he was sat in the car outside of the alleyway. He wasn’t speaking to me, he didn’t say anything. He was conscious. When I was driving he was slouching over...

“He’s bleeding, I have gone in the house and the towel. I am panicking, I don’t know… He’s not speaking to me, I have got a towel but I could see no blood."

The escape and cover up​

Within a minute of Colin being stabbed, the occupants of both the Qashqai and the Focus drove away from the scene.

Neighbour Derek Brown said: “I saw my car right in front of my window and I could see some people walking off towards Caerau Road… There were two vehicles leaving the street as I was looking out… I think the second one was a Ford Focus… It could have been blue, it could have been silver, I’m not too sure.”

Ross was seen to take a machete from Gauci and James O'Driscoll and get back into the passenger seat of the Focus which was driven away by Noreen O'Driscoll.

Corey Gauci and James O’Driscoll were seen to get back into the Qashqai driven by Soraya Somersall. The car was seen to drive to the countryside of Wenvoe and eight minutes later they were seen to arrive in Ely.

During this time, they disposed of incriminating items before returning to the areas of Clos-y-Cwarra and Lavender Grove.



Corey Gauci denies murder (Image: Wales Online)
At the Copthorne Hotel, Ross went into the hotel leaving Noreen O’Driscoll in the car. Ross returned to the car at 11.45pm wearing different shoes and a coat.

The Focus was seen to meet with the Qashqai driven by Somersall at a roundabout near the hotel. The cars entered the car park at 11.51pm and all three defendants entered the hotel, went to their rooms, and left together at 12.15am wearing different clothes and footwear, wearing baggy dressing gowns and coats.

Noreen O’Driscoll was seen to be carrying an orange plastic bag and together with Ross she took it to the Focus.

At 12.47am Noreen O’Driscoll and Ross drove off in the Focus and parked in Mansell Street.

O’Driscoll was seen to carry an item from the car and was passed another by Ross, which she concealed under her arm.

O’Driscoll was seen to bend down in Swallowhurst Close where a combat knife was later found concealed in a drain.

In Barnwood Crescent, O’Driscoll was seen to stop briefly next to some parked cars. A machete was later found by a postman in that location. A knife sheath was also found on the route taken by the two women. When tested the knife was found to contain DNA attributed to James O’Driscoll.

Noreen O’Driscoll and Ross drove back to the Copthorne Hotel where they took a route via minor road and country lanes, arriving back at the hotel at 1.38am.

Gauci and James O'Driscoll fled Cardiff and were on the run for about three weeks. O’Driscoll was seen on CCTV in Coventry on April 10. Both men were arrested at a house in Stoke-on-Trent on April 27 and brought back to Cardiff.

The injuries​

A post-mortem examination on Colin Richards’ body was carried out by pathologist Dr Richard Jones.

Colin suffered a stab wound to the right upper thigh measuring 10cm deep. The wound included injury to the femoral vein and femoral artery.

He also suffered a shallow stab wound of 1cm to the outer left shin and incised wound and cuts to both hands.

Dr Jones said blood loss resulting from the stab wound to the thigh would have been sufficient to cause Colin's death. The cuts to the hands were said to be “defensive" injuries.

The investigation​

Police later attended Heol y Berllan and found items linking Corey Gauci to the scene. A mobile phone belonging to him and bearing his DNA was found on the ground near to where the Qashqai had been parked.

A team was tasked with searching drains around Swallowhurst Close which led to the discovery of a large black combat knife.

A sheath for a machete was found near the cut-through, which was found to contain DNA attributed to Gauci.

Police attended the Copthorne Hotel at 2.45am and arrested Noreen O’Driscoll, Soraya Somersall, and Rebecca Ross and their phones were recovered.



Soraya Somersall outside court (Image: Wales Online)
On April 8 CCTV evidence showed a man at 5.45am wearing clothing attributed to Gauci. A vehicle registered to Anais Stacey was seen to drive away at 7.30am.

Forensic examination of the Audi A1 revealed damage to the windscreen and driver’s side window. Swabs were taken from the vehicle and a match for Gauci’s DNA was found in blood on the exterior of the windscreen, the front offside bonnet, and the front offside window.

A match for Gauci’s DNA was found in a swab near the rear offside window. The DNA was in excess of one billion times more likely to have come from Gauci than anyone else.

When the police searched Clos-y-Cwarra, the home address of James O’Driscoll, a neighbour informed them he had found two bags of clothing in his garden.

Each bag contained a complete outfit of clothing including a light and dark grey hooded jacket and a black balaclava.

A spot of blood on the inside of the hood of the jacket matched the DNA of Corey Gauci. Cellular material was recovered from the inside forehead area of the balaclava and analysed to determine the wearer. DNA within this sample matched the DNA of Gauci.

The clothing in the other bag was tested and several of the items contained DNA attributed to James O’Driscoll.

Glass fragments found in Corey Gauci’s clothing were analysed and compared to fragments from the vehicles involved. Fragments matching glass from the Nissan Qashqai were found in the clothing. One fragment matching glass from the Audi A1 was also found in the clothing.

The other bag, containing James O’Driscoll’s clothing, was examined and glass fragments matching glass from the Nissan Qashqai were recovered from the clothing.

Glass fragments recovered from the grey hooded top worn by Christian Morgan matched glass from the Qashqai. Glass from the Qashqai was also recovered from clothing worn by Mr Richards and on the hammer found next to him on the passenger seat of the Audi.



Rebecca Ross outside Cardiff Crown Court (Image: Wales Online)
The trial
Speaking at the trial at Cardiff Crown Court in March, prosecutor David Elias said: "The prosecution say that Corey Gauci and James O’Driscoll were driven to Heol y Berllan to ‘sort out’ Christian Morgan. They were armed with knives and dressed in dark clothing and balaclavas. They were intent on serious violence.

“Christian Morgan and Colin Richards were willing to take on Noreen O’Driscoll and her group. They too were armed and they used and threatened violence, damaging the Nissan Qashqai.

“Confronted, however, by Corey Gauci and James O’Driscoll armed with knives, they ran for their lives. Christian Morgan managed to escape but Colin Richards was stabbed by Corey Gauci as he tried to get to his car to get away. He was left to bleed to death while the two attackers made arrangements to dispose of their weapons.

“Soraya Somersall had driven them to the scene. She knew what the plan was. She then drove the two attackers away from the scene, taking a detour through the country lanes around Wenvoe.

“Noreen O’Driscoll had set all of this in motion. Once her group were all back in Heol y Berllan after the stabbing, she and Rebecca Ross agreed to dispose of knives and other items to impede the police investigation and the apprehension of Corey Gauci.”

The jury found Gauci, of Wilson Road, Ely guilty of murder and violent disorder.

James O'Driscoll, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of violent disorder and possession of a bladed article.

Noreen O'Driscoll, of Parker Road, Ely and Soraya Somersall, of Loudoun Square, Butetown, were found guilty of assisting an offender.

Ross, of Newark Road, Lincoln, was found guilty of assisting an offender and possession of a bladed article.

Morgan, of Heol y Berllan, was found guilty of possession of a bladed article.

In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Griffiths said: "Colin Richards has been described in court today as a big personality who, underneath a tough exterior, was sensitive and caring. When he was murdered, he was the father of children, including two particularly young children aged two and one. He also left behind a devoted partner and a grief-stricken mother. We have heard moving statements from them.

“I extend my sympathies to his family and friends, and especially those who have come to court today, to mark this moment of justice for Colin Richards. I am sorry that no sentence I pass can bring him back to life.”

Gauci was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 24 years.

James O'Driscoll was sentenced to four years imprisonment with an extended licence period of one year.

Noreen O'Driscoll was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

Somersall was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment.

Ross was sentenced to two years imprisonment.

Morgan was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years. He was also made subject to a rehabilitation activity requirement of 20 days and ordered to carry out 80 hours unpaid work.

 

[Made In Wales]

Welsh beauty brand boss quits festival after she's followed to tent and 'shouted at for 20 minutes'​

The boss of Hair Syrup, which featured on Dragon's Den earlier this year, was with a colleague handing out free samples at In it Together Festival in Margam when the incident happened​

Link: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-beauty-brand-boss-quits-31722912
Credit: Philip Dewey Court Correspondent, Wales Online
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/4NFM4



Lucie Macleod started her multi-million pound business after her TikTok went viral during lockdown (Image: Veolara Studio, Mervè Key)

The founder of Pembrokeshire-based company Hair Syrup and her best friend and social media manager have said they were forced to leave a music festival early after they were followed back to their tents.

Lucie Macleod's company, started in 2020, has gone from TikTok to Boots in the space of four years after the now 24-year-old founder filmed a viral TikTok about her hair transformation leading to people requesting her "magic syrup".

She and Lucy Palmer, who go by "The Two Luc's", attended the In It Together festival at Old Park Farm, Margam, after sponsoring the event and decided to give out samples of their hair care products to festival-goers.

Unfortunately for them the weekend took a bad turn as they were then followed back to their tents making them feel they wanted to leave the festival early.

They shared their experience on TikTok to fans of the brand, as well as informing security and the festival's management.

Lucie said in a TikTok video: "Umm we've just had a really weird experience this morning so we were obviously supposed to be at In It Together Festival until tomorrow, but we basically had a big group of people sit outside our tent for about 20 minutes, shouting, looking through the windows, being like 'come and speak to us, we want to try your hair oil, we've seen you on TikTok. We found out where you were staying.'

"That's obviously not cool, we love meeting people of course but you cannot turn up where we're staying, it's like really a massive invasion of privacy coming to our tent. It's really not cool."

She continued: "So, we're not going to stay here again tonight. So, we're not going to be here tomorrow. We just don't feel comfortable, like we've got all our stuff in here, this is where we sleep and it's just not really the vibe and there's no other places we can move to. So, yeah we're actually going to leave this evening."

The pair then decided to spend the day a little more under the radar, without all the merchandise and without their branded t-shirts as Lucie said: "I feel a bit weird about it to be honest."

The pair had been handing out free samples across the weekend at the festival, and even had a queue that didn't go down for four hours. They lugged around over 2,000 samples of their products and ended up giving most of their weekend stock out in the first day.

In a separate post, they shared: "We love meeting you guys, but pretty please don't turn up outside where we are staying for 20 minutes shouting at us."

In the video you can hear festival-goers outside of the tent asking for products and saying "don't break my heart," as the the founder of the company looks concerned.

Social media users shared their support in the comments of the video. One said: "This is beyond breaking a boundary. This is your personal space. So sorry that a small minority of people have ruined your experience and made you feel uncomfortable. Do not blame you for not wanting to stay. Hope you guys can still enjoy your day."

Another added: "Hope you’re both okay, unfortunately people forget we all deserve a normal peaceful life as well as what we do for work."

Since their start on the social media platform, the business has grown and grown and their products can be purchased at Boots, BeautyBay, Lookfantastic, ASOS as well as directly from the company shop on Tik Tok where they have amassed over 400k followers. You can read more about the brand and our interview with Lucie here.

Since their original videos, they have added a follow up post saying: "You've probably seen that video we posted yesterday because we had some people turning up to our tent at the festival we were sponsoring, asking for us to give them products and things like that.

"We made a TikTok about it to tell other festival-goers 'please don't do this', because we also had people like standing by the gates near our campsite. So we were just politely asking that people did not come to our tent and peer in through our windows and do that sort of thing.

"We are a bit worried people think that we were having some sort of dig at the festival, some sort of reflection of it and that's not the case at all. They dealt with it really really well, they took it really seriously and they couldn't have dealt with it any better."

She continued: "We actually stayed at the festival yesterday until about seven o clock at night, it's not that we felt massively unsafe, that's not what we said or what happened. I just don't think anyone would like someone looking and that's literally what it is.

"To be honest with you, a big part of why we were unnerved about people being there was because we were keeping some of our stock in the tent, we also had all of our personal belongings and a lot of it was an issue about stock as well, as well as people obviously feeling like they could just come and do that to us."

Lucie added that the festival handled it really well and said: "They can't control what people do, like it's not a reflection on them at all."

They said they'll also be attending In It Together's festival, Together Again in Cheshire in July,

 

[Gregis]

He [48 year old father of 7] had received a call from his best friend Christian Morgan [18 year old nut who is texting threats back and forth with his ex girlfriend]

Lol this is insane, I read through, this is the only description of their relationship given, brackets mine for context. Were they not fucking? Is there any other explanation? I know it's a given that everyone in this story is on drugs.

 

[Made In Wales]

Lol this is insane, I read through, this is the only description of their relationship given, brackets mine for context. Were they not fucking? Is there any other explanation? I know it's a given that everyone in this story is on drugs.

No idea, sorry to say, but yes drugs must have played a part.

 

[Made In Wales]

Family banned from court after pensioner calls judge a 'w*****' and reporter assaulted​

The 79-year-old called the judge a 'w*****' and the defendant a 'c***' while his grandson assaulted an usher in scenes of chaos.​

Link: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/family-banned-court-after-pensioner-35301845

Credit: Iona Young, News Reporter and Jonathon Hill, 18:11, 28 May 2025 for Wales Online & Trinity Mirror

Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/NyrXM



McKenzie Ayres had nothing to do with the case other than being a supporter of the complainant.
A family has been banned from court after chaos broke out and ending in a reporter being assaulted.

McKenzie Ayres, 18, assaulted a court usher and a reporter during an hour of mayhem at the court which a judge said was beyond anything he’d witnessed in his career.

Ayres had been in Cardiff Crown Court on May 28 to support the complainant's family in a case due to be heard in court five on Wednesday morning. But he found himself in the dock alongside his 79-year-old grandfather Brian Ayres, minutes later after the pair had caused chaos in shocking scenes.

The case was supposed to be a sentencing hearing for Nathan Cummings who was in court charged with intentional strangulation, assaulting a person occasioning them actual bodily harm, assault by beating and theft. But some members of the complainant's family made noise throughout the hearing, reports Wales Online.

McKenzie Ayres was initially laughing but then, towards the end of the hearing which was adjourned to an unspecified future date, began scoffing.

Judge Simon Mills demanded silence and told the teenager to be quiet. But McKenzie Ayres responded: “I was breathing.” Judge Mills then told the teen to leave the courtroom, at which point Ayres erupted with anger, shouting swear words.

When the court usher approached Ayres to ask him to leave the courtroom the irate teen assaulted the usher by pushing her out of his way before marching towards the dock where the defendant Cummings was behind the closed glass and was sitting calmly and didn’t say anything.

Ayres shouted at the defendant: “You’re lucky you’re in that cage or I’d rip your head off.” Judge Mills continued to demand for silence and order in his court and informed Ayres, who was hardly listening to a word the judge was saying, that he was in breach of contempt of court and would need to surrender to court security.

He also told Ayres he’d assaulted a member of court staff. At that point members of Ayres’ family stood up and shouted towards the judge while counsel watched on in horror.

Brian Ayres then stood up and shouted to the dock that the defendant was a “c***” and the judge was a “w*****”. He also asked the judge: "Who the f*** are you?" The judge calmly said: "That's also contempt of court."

The family all left the courtroom but they were detained outside by court security while Judge Mills decided the appropriate course of action. The judge then ended Cummings’ sentencing hearing and had McKenzie and Brian Ayres in the dock.

He said to them: “The reason you are both in the dock is because of your absolutely disgusting behaviour in my courtroom. You sir (McKenzie), walked towards the dock shouting abuse and in the process of doing so shoved a hardworking member of court staff who was just doing her job."

Mouthy McKenzie then shouted: “Can I say something?” To which Judge Mills said: “No.” The judge then turned to Brian Ayres. “You sir are in the dock because of serious disorder and also shouting abuse,” he said. “You addressed the person in the dock as a c***. Both of you stand to be dealt with on grounds for contempt of court.”

In unusual scenes McKenzie Ayres then continued to talk directly to the judge. He said: “I did not mean to shove the member of staff. I did it in a rage.”

The judge said: “Your attitude now is important. This can live with you for a long while yet and you can be remanded into custody, or you can apologise. You are very lucky the member of staff you assaulted has taken a very fair attitude. You have humiliated yourself.”

McKenzie, not being invited to speak, said: “I haven’t.” The judge said: “Yes, you have.” The judge again turned to the grandfather and said: “Why did you, in a courtroom, decide to call a man in custody a c***?”

Bryan Ayres replied: “The reason being is that this case has been adjourned and adjourned. I thought it would be finished today. I apologise.”

The judge said: “Well you are showing more sense than the man to your left (referring to McKenzie). Things have to be done fairly in court and it does not help in any way at all when you have a mob in court.

"I have sat in court as a judge for 15 years and I have never had to deal with people in this way. Spread the word to your family and friends that this sort of behaviour will never be tolerated. I am going to let you go, but you should both be utterly ashamed.”

Save for if they ever have to appear in court as defendants, members of the Ayres family who were involved in the disorder have been banned from returning to Cardiff Crown Court.

Outside court McKenzie Ayres didn't take kindly to being approached about his behaviour and assaulted the reporter who had attended originally to cover Cummings' case.

 

[Snekposter]

I'm gonna side with this man since Nathan Cummings sounds a giant cunt what with his fondness for strangling people.

 

[Made In Wales]

'I'm a 47-year-old virgin - I'm terrified of being intimate with anyone'​

Andrew Brookman says he is no longer ashamed of being a virgin as he nears 50​

Link: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/real-life/im-47-year-old-virgin-31745102
Credit: Howard Lloyd Regional content editor, 09:07, 29 May 2025
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/HWmbk



Andrew Brookman says he is 'petrified' to be intimate with anyone
A man says he is still a virgin at 47 as he is "petrified" to be intimate with anyone. Andrew Brookman says he's always been "timid" and struggled with bullying at school.

His parents divorced when he was aged 10 which fuelled his fear of being social, getting into a relationship or being intimate with anyone, he claims. Andrew did not want to go through arguments and had a "fear of life" so felt he would "rather be on my own".

He says his fears also stemmed from suppressing his sexuality and homophobia he saw at the time he was growing up. Porn became his "only outlet" and reference for sex and Andrew says he struggled with an addiction to watching it for up to a two hours a night everyday when he was in his 30s.

Now he is starting to open up about his sexuality and is no longer ashamed of being a 47-year-old-virgin. He feels he can relate to those on Channel 4's new show, Virgin Island - a unique course in intimacy to help them overcome the fears that are holding them back.



Andrew says childhood struggles have had a major impact on his life
Andrew, a cleaner, from Pontypridd, Wales, said: "I've never been in a relationship. Watching other people get divorced - and seeing arguments gave me a fear of being social and intimate.

"I didn't want to go through all that - I'd rather be on my own. You feel a sense of shame (being a virgin). Having no confidence, no self-esteem and no self-worth and being repressed of sex drove me to seek therapy because I was petrified of getting intimate with anybody. I am not ashamed of being a virgin at 47."

Andrew struggled growing up and always felt he was "different". He said: "I've always been timid and quiet, I've always been afraid, I've always been emotional. I got bullied in school. I was different. I was odd."

As a teenager he "fancied girls" but didn't know how to progress any further. He said: "I wanted to move forward but I couldn't because of my confidence."



Andrew is writing a book about his life
At aged 16, Andrew realised he was attracted to men and gay but he was fearful of opening up about his sexuality due to homophobia in society at the time. He said: "The fear grew. I went into the closet."

In his late 20s he had therapy and was put on anti-depressants but Andrew still struggled to get past his fear. He also tackled a porn addiction in his 30s when he got his own place - which saw him watch it every night.

Andrew said: "It was my only outlet. It was my only way of feeling sex and seeing sex. I wanted to be doing it as well. I was jealous of them (porn stars). I was enraged that I couldn't even have sex in private."

Now he is starting to let his walls down by writing a book - 'Colours of a rare bird'. He says writing how he feels down has helped him overcome shame and he has volunteered for the first time ever at his local pride.

Andrew says he dislikes that people will laugh about others being virgins. He said: "It's not funny. By now I should be openly gay - I should be in a relationship. I'm not afraid to admit (that I'm a virgin) now."

Find out more about Andrew's book here - https://www.merlinuspublishers.co.uk/andrew-brookman/

 

[Made In Wales]

Wales could lose £466m in welfare reforms​

Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2jy20k8ezo
Credit: Felicity Evans, Money Editor, BBC Wales News
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/IAZIn



At a protest in London, people expressed their upset at the UK government's disability welfare reforms

The incomes of people in Wales could be cut by £466m by 2029-30 as part of the UK government's disability welfare reforms, according to new analysis.

Data analytics company Policy in Practice told Walescast that almost 190,000 people are likely to be affected - 6% of the population.

Brian Evans from Swansea, who receives support for multiple health problems, said the uncertainty meant he was constantly anxious with "the worry of what's going to happen to me".

The Department for Work and Pensions said it would not compromise on protecting people "who need our support", and that reforms "will mean the social security system will always be there for those who will never be able to work".



Brian Evans says the uncertainty over what might happen to his Personal Independence Payments is "weighing heavy on my mind"
Mr Evans, 62, receives the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for which eligibility will be tightened under the reforms.

PIP was designed to cover the extra costs of being disabled, and Mr Evans uses it to run his mobility car, which he fears losing.

"I haven't got a television because I can't afford one, everything's being spent," he said.

"So if things are cut back any further I really don't know how I'll manage."

Disability benefit cuts in Wales​

​

People affected and financial impact of disability welfare changes by count​

Number of people affected per thousand 40 (lightest blue) to 93 (darkest blue)





Source: Policy in practice

When the changes were proposed in March, First Minister Eluned Morgan asked the UK government for an assessment of their impact on Wales specifically.

The Department for Work and Pensions has published an impact assessment, external for England and Wales.

The analysis by Policy in Practice, which has been working with the Welsh government and local authorities in Wales to encourage people to claim the benefits they are eligible for, breaks down the impact of the reforms on each region.

Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil and Neath Port Talbot were the worst affected areas per head of population.

Sam Fathers, of Policy in Practice, told Walescast that for some people the reforms could mean "knocking 60% of their income out in one hit" and cutting thousands of pounds per year among people on some of the lowest incomes in the UK.

The number of working-age people claiming health-related benefits in the UK has increased by 45% since 2019-20.

The UK government proposed the reforms to save £5bn a year by 2020-30, though the number of claims is still expected to grow.

Ministers have said the plans would offer a £1bn package of extra support for people to return to the workplace, with a "try before you buy" approach enabling people to try a job without automatically losing benefits.

"Anything that will get people back into work is welcome," said Mr Fathers, but he added that even "the very best campaigns around employability with disabled people have got about 5% more people into work".

He said Policy in Practice had modelled the impact of getting up to 10% of claimants back into work and even in that scenario Wales would see "an increase in the levels of poverty".

Labour Member of the Senedd, Mick Antoniw, called for the UK government to work with the Welsh government to reform the welfare system.

"Some of these things aren't thought out," he said. "What we don't have is a clear anti-poverty agenda that is the driving force of policy change."

"A Labour government is there to resolve poverty and help people into work," said Antoniw.

"There are a lot of good things that are happening, I just think that the messaging has been the wrong way round and the driving force has probably been the wrong way round."

The Department for Work and Pensions said: "The majority of people who are currently getting PIP will continue to receive it.

"We will never compromise on protecting people who need our support, and our reforms will mean the social security system will always be there for those who will never be able to work, and their income is protected.

"We have also announced a review of the PIP assessment, and we will be working with disabled people and key organisations representing them - including in Wales - to consider how best to do this."

A report on this can also be heard on 'Walescast' via iPlayer or BBC Sounds

 

[Made In Wales]

Some news in brief:

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/reform-uk-gets-first-carmarthenshire-31754275?int_source=nba

Reform UK win council by-election in Carmarthenshire (Mark Drakeford's old back yard, and a recent gain for Plaid Cymru at the 2024 General Election).

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/wynne-evans-dropped-bbc-31756661

Wynne Evans/The 'Go Compare' guy axed by the BBC

In Welsh Sport:

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/wrexham-transfer-liverpool-england-klopp-31748829?int_source=nba

Danny Ings and Callum Wilson linked with free transfer moves to Wrexham FC.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/everything-know-cardiff-citys-manager-31749659?int_source=nba

The wait goes on for Cardiff City's new manager (the announcement should have been made last week).

 

[Made In Wales]

'Road from hell' fully reopens after 23 years​

Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpvkdvrm1wpo
Credit: Peter Shuttleworth, BBC News and Stephen Fairclough BBC News
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/WS1cN



Planners hope the new upgraded Heads of the Valleys road will cut down on travel times to schools and the area's main general hospital

It's been called the "road from hell" but after 23 years of roadworks and congestion, one of the UK's most expensive and complex road upgrade projects is finally complete.

The last traffic cone and contraflow was removed from the A465 Heads of the Valleys road in south Wales on Friday night after a £2bn upgrade that started back in 2002.

The 28-mile (45km) improvement is designed to bring prosperity to one of the UK's most deprived areas and cut journey times between west Wales and the Midlands.

Welsh ministers said the upgrade would boost the region but opponents have criticised how long it has taken and the "extortionate" price tag.

Margaret Thatcher's Conservative UK government initially drew up the upgrade programme in 1990 because of frequent tailbacks and serious crashes on parts of the route.

Work to turn the road into a full dual carriageway began when Tony Blair was prime minister in 2002.

Now after enormous overspends, major delays, a global pandemic and hundreds of carriageway closures, drivers can travel direct between Swansea and Monmouthshire without passing through roadworks for the first time in 23 years.

Why were there roadworks on the Heads of the Valleys?​

The A465 crosses the south Wales coalfields, a national park and in some parts, twists close to people's homes.

Almost 70 structures - including more than 40 new bridges and a dozen new junctions - have been built as part of the upgrade.



Engineers said the Heads of the Valley's old configuration with poor visibility and few overtaking places meant the road needed to be upgraded

Workers have planted 285,000 trees to mitigate its significant environmental impact - offsetting more than seven million kilograms of CO2 a year - in a country which declared a climate emergency six years ago.

Creatures including bats, dormice and great crested newts have also been moved.

"In 50 years' time, experts will look back and say the single biggest thing the Welsh government has done to raise the prospects of Heads of the Valleys communities is building this road," Wales' Transport Secretary Ken Skates previously said.

"This is about generating jobs, prosperity, opportunities and better connecting and benefiting communities across the region."

How much has the Heads of the Valleys upgrade cost?​

The Heads of the Valleys upgrade had been split into six sections - done from the most to least dangerous for drivers.

The final stages cost £590m to physically build the road but because of the way the project is funded, it will cost £1.4bn - and the Welsh government has not yet paid a penny.

The final stretch between Dowlais Top in Merthyr Tydfil to Hirwaun in Rhondda Cynon Taf is being financed using something called the Mutual Investment Model (MIM) - which is a bit like getting a car on finance.

Instead of paying it off in one lump sum, the Welsh government will pay more than £40m a year for 30 years in return for an 11-mile stretch of road that will be maintained by a private firm until it is brought back into public ownership in 2055.

Plaid Cymru has called this way of funding a "waste of public money" and said private firms would "cream off" a "substantial amount of profit".



The A465 is very close to homes in some of the major towns along its route like here at Merthyr Tydfil

The Welsh Conservatives have said the cost and delays "epitomises Labour's 25 years of failure in Wales" and added the final "gargantuan" cost would have almost covered the scrapped M4 relief road around Newport - where there is about four times more daily traffic.

The Welsh government said without borrowing cash the way it has, it would not have been able to finish the final section.

That is because the UK left the European Union in the middle of the entire scheme, meaning access to money that had helped on previous sections was no longer available.

The entire cost of the whole 23-year, 28-mile scheme will be about £2bn when everything is included.

The Labour Welsh government said it had learned lessons from the project, changing construction contracts and reviewing indicators of contractor performance.

'It was worth it'​

According to taxi driver Michael Gate from Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, it was a "nightmare" travelling between Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil when the works were taking place.

"It was really dangerous because it was one lane over there and one lane back," said the 63-year-old who has owned his taxi company since 2005.

He added: "Now it's fantastic, it's got to be the best road in Wales. It's money well spent."

Meanwhile, Claire Urch, 50, said the work had made journeys shorter but the constantly changing road lay-outs were "very difficult" for her daughter while learning to drive.

"I've seen cars driving thinking it's a one-way street because they haven't had any signposting there and it's almost caused an accident on at least two occasions that I've been on there," Ms Urch said, speaking about one diversion by Aberdare.

Erin Lancaster said driving along the A465 as a new driver during the roadworks had been "very difficult".

"A lot of the time I would find that I would be driving on my own late at night and the road would be closed, so I would have to go along the back roads on my own as a woman and it was quite scary to do that," she added.



Michael Gate thinks the Heads of the Valleys is now the best road in Wales

Nikki Webb, 49, lives in Hirwaun which she said had been "stuck right in the middle of it all".

She said the work caused "chaos all the time" with lorries coming into the village but felt the "hassle was definitely worth it".

Ms Webb added: "You can get to Merthyr so much quicker, I don't find there's traffic like there used to be."

Mike Moore, who works as an operation manager for a traffic management company, said dualing the road "only made sense" from a safety point of view.

"It's been five years of probably frustration for the public but in reality it pays dividends in the long run," he said.

"These things have got to be built."

It has come a long way from the start of this year when one affected man from Merthyr Tydfil described the Heads of the Valleys as "like the road from hell".

He added: "Not even Chris Rea would dare come here."

"As a whole, the Heads of the Valleys project is one of the UK's biggest road upgrade projects for many years," said Keith Jones of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

"And what's been so challenging is keeping the existing road operational while the work has gone on in some challenging and bleak terrain."

Analysis​

By Gareth Lewis, BBC Wales political editor

So Wales DOES build roads after all - albeit expensive ones that take a long time to complete.

The scheme to upgrade the Heads of the Valleys road predates a Welsh government decision to scrap all new major road projects on environmental grounds back in 2023.

But a change of transport secretary from Lee Waters to Ken Skates last year means similar schemes could now happen in the future, if they reflected the climate emergency and were at the forefront of design.



A relief road for Wales' most congested stretch of road - the M4 at Newport, about 25 miles south of the Heads of the Valleys - was scrapped in 2019

Welsh Labour has realised that some of its transport policies including the 20mph speed limit have been unpopular.

The economic potential for the road was not lost on one Labour MS who commissioned a report by a think tank, external into it back in 2021.

And with a Senedd election next year, expect Labour to signal the scheme's completion for all they're worth as it loops its way through many of the party's traditional south Wales heartlands.

 

[Made In Wales]

Police investigate hate crime after passenger called 'woman from Taliban' on Cardiff to Bristol train​

The woman was travelling with her family on a service south Wales from Wales to London and asked another passenger not to sit on the table. What happened next left them shocked​

Link: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/police-investigate-hate-crime-after-31759440
Credit: Shaurya Shaurya, Wales Online
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/yGgIl



Cardiff Central train station (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

A train passenger says she was called a "woman from Taliban" after a disagreement about seating on a train service from Cardiff to Bristol. The woman was travelling with her two daughters when the incident took place, and reported the matter to British Transport Police (BTP). The woman who allegedly hurled the abuse had sat on the table the family were sitting around. When requested to move to another seat, they allegedly refused to budge.

The woman's daughter, who works for the NHS and wishes to remain anonymous, said: “We were traveling from Wales to London. Whilst the train had stopped at Cardiff, quite a few people got on. My mum and I were sat on one side of the table, with my mum on the aisle seat. So quite a few people got on the train and it was a bit busy. My mum had her iPad with her and she was reading and I had a drink as well.”

The woman explained how another passenger then proceeded to abruptly sit on the table between the family.

The NHS worker said: “A woman came and she saw that my mum was on the iPad and she just turned her back to my mum and sat on the table. You how train tables are, they're quite weak, and she knocked my mum's iPad.

“My mum was just a little bit taken aback… and the woman kept sitting down with her back to my mum on my mum's table. So my mum said, 'Excuse me, do you mind not sitting on the table, please?'

”The woman just looked at my mum and looked away, and people could hear. Then my mum quietly asked again, saying, 'Please, can you not sit on this table?' And the woman just looked at my mum in a disgusting manner and said, ‘Why?’

“My mum was so shocked and she said, 'I'm just trying to read and my daughter's drink is here.' The woman just looked at my mom really angrily and just laughed, before eventually getting up.”

However, the woman said the woman continued to stare at her mother “the whole time” that she was standing. Eventually, as the train got a little quieter, the woman sat two seats behind the family.

The NHS worker explained: “I heard this woman loudly talk about something, laughing, and then she said, ‘Oh, some woman from the Taliban just told me I can't sit on her table.’"

They immediately confronted the passenger. “Something just came over me automatically, and without thinking I just got up and said ‘What did you just say?’ The woman was talking to a man and they just laughed. I said, ‘No, what did you say? Don't you dare say that. Who do you think you are?’”

The NHS worker said that even though the woman was confronted, she kept on laughing. She said: “The woman just looked at me and said, ‘I'm not talking to you’, and then the guy next to her said 'you shouldn't be eavesdropping’, even though that woman deliberately said it so loudly. She was just laughing the whole time.”

The NHS worker added: “If I was on my own maybe I wouldn't have said anything and stood up for myself but the reason I did was because it was my mum.

“I wanted to do it for my mum because she wears a head scarf and I didn't want her to lose her confidence and I didn't want her to think I'd be upset about it because deep down I was, I wanted to just cry.

“One other woman, a young girl who was sat next to us, she said to the woman, ‘No, I saw that, what you did, that was wrong.’ And then the woman who said the comment was laughing and looking away and ignoring us.”

The woman's daughter said she reported the incident to BTP at Bristol but was left disappointed with their response. "I informed the officer and he said, ‘Oh, sorry, but what do you want to do about it?’" she said.

“I was shocked because obviously we didn't know what to do about it. He said you can just do a statement so we have it on record for next time. I was shocked that this policeman didn't want to go and find out where she had gone because all you had to do is look around the area or ask people.

"They could have found her you know from looking at CCTV footage but it was obviously not his priority. He apologised that this had happened, and then my mum was like, 'well, I guess that's it.”

The incident, which happened on the 6.20pm Cardiff to Bristol service on April 21, has left a long-term impact on the woman, as her daughter explained: “That event in itself lasted a few minutes, but long term my mum doesn't want to use the public transport system."

BTP confirmed to Wales Online: “We received a report of a hate crime on board a train from Cardiff to Bristol Parkway just before 6.30pm on 21 April. Enquiries are ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 2500064117.

"Everybody deserves to feel safe when they travel , and we are continuing to work with our community partners and partners in the rail industry to ensure those on the rail network feel secure as they travel. Abuse, intimidation, and violence – especially that which is motivated by hate – will never be tolerated."

Great Western Railway has said: “We did receive a complaint from the customer following her journey, and we responded the following day letting her know to contact the British Transport Police who have the power to investigate further. We have not received any further correspondence from the customer or the BTP. We are really sorry to hear of the customer's experience and expect that all of our customers can feel safe when they travel with us."

The NHS worker added: “It makes you feel really, really pathetic because we at the NHS treat patients without any judgment. Our priority is not someone's skin colour, not where they are from, not their social circumstances - it's just whether they are sick, whether they need treatment and we prioritise according to that.

“There are long hours that we work, and the least you expect from a public service is that you get the same respect in return. When that's not acknowledged, you feel as though you're just a nobody, that nobody really cares for you, that you're not supported, and it makes you compare the services.

“I hope that woman gains insight and some education, and learns not to say this to anyone. Because what she said was just a fleeting comment and she might not make much of it, but it has had a lasting impact on us and I hope that one day someone stops her and tells her that she was wrong.”

 

[Made In Wales]

Welsh Labour MP tells court of 'terrifying' harassment​

Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, are on trial at Cardiff Magistrates' Court accused of harassing Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones in the lead-up to the general election​

Link: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-labour-mp-tells-court-31773287
Credit: Jonathon Hill News reporter and Claire Hayhurst PA
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/UndwO



Pontypridd Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones has spoken in court during the trial of two people accused of harassing her (Image: Daily Mirror)

A Welsh MP has recounted in court how she was left "terrified" after a confrontation with two pro-Palestinian campaigners while on an election trail. Alex Davies-Jones, Labour MP for Pontypridd, relayed the incident at Cardiff Magistrates' Court during the trial of Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, who are contesting harassment charges.

The trial, part heard at the magistrates' court on Monday, disclosed that while Ms Davies-Jones, a justice minister, was visiting Treforest village, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on June 26, she encountered Behit and Ahmed distributing controversial leaflets that labelled her a "full-blown supporter of this genocide", alluding to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Giving her testimony, Ms Davies-Jones said: "I was asked a number of questions around the conflict in Israel and Palestine, and my conduct as an MP, if I had taken part in votes, membership of organisations such as Labour Friends of Israel."

She further explained: "They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote."

Describing the intensity of the incident, she told court: "It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated and we wanted to leave the situation."

Concerned for her team's safety, she added: "I had a number of young members with me. They already felt uncomfortable, I didn't want them to feel more at risk.

"They began to follow us. They were shouting and bellowing down the street at us: 'Why do you support genocide, why are you murdering babies, Alex Davies-Jones, do you support genocide?'."

Ms Davies-Jones recounted how her team had entered the University of South Wales campus and resumed their canvassing, only to encounter Behit and Ahmed again roughly 20 minutes later.

She detailed the unsettling experience of Labour volunteers engaging with residents, while being shadowed by the two defendants distributing leaflets and accusing her of "supporting genocide and murdering babies".

The decision was made to wrap up early after they found one of their vehicles had been "covered with stickers and leaflets".

The same day Behit and Ahmed escalated their campaign against the Labour office in Pontypridd, which served as the hub for Ms Davies-Jones' general election efforts, plastering it with posters alleging complicity in "enabling genocide".

In a further act of provocation, they fixed stickers to the office in bold black letters stating: "Alex Davies-Jones how many murdered children is too many?". They also positioned a poster on a nearby bus stop declaring "Alex Davies-Jones supports genocide".

Ms Davies-Jones told the court: "I was terrified. I was scared about what things they were going to do and what they were doing."

A video of the confrontation was then uploaded onto social media, with the caption describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist.

She added: "The abuse was endless. It was awful. It was relentless. I felt under attack. The video was clipped and manipulated in a way that made it seem I had lied."

Following the daunting experience the MP for Pontypridd since 2019 has significantly cut back on public engagements, now having to be escorted by security personnel.

Ms Davies-Jones spoke of the heartbreak surrounding the killings of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, stating: "They have an impact on all of us. They have changed our lives fundamentally in how we live and work."

When testifying in court, Ahmed disclosed her and Behit's intentions to spread information about Ms Davies-Jones' stance on Palestine before the elections.

Ahmed, residing in Treforest with Behit, shared their spontaneous encounter with the MP saying: "I was genuinely really surprised when I saw her. I've lived in Treforest for a couple of years, I've never seen her."

She likened spotting the MP to a rare sighting: "It was like seeing a celebrity almost, like a unicorn in the wild. I took the video because I thought nobody would believe me. It was a surprise when she approached us and said hi and she was willing to have a conversation."

According to Ahmed, the exchange seemed civil despite differing viewpoints: "It felt like a really normal conversation between people who don't agree on something. Have you ever seen MPs talk to each other in the House of Commons? They can be quite brutal to each other."

Ahmed commented that it was her inaugural experience distributing leaflets, following previous engagement with Ms Davies-Jones through email and peaceful demonstrations. "This wasn't really about her, it was about Palestine," she clarified.

Behit informed the court: "She was running for MP and where I lived there were posters everywhere. It was constant, everywhere you looked was pro-Alex.

"My intention was to show a different perspective, to get people to do their own research. It was never about Alex as a person. Part of her job as an MP is having people look at her policies, her opinions and how she voted."

Both accused reject the notion that their conduct constituted harassment. Their trial continues.

 

[Made In Wales]

Partner of mum who stole daughters' £50,000 inheritance at risk of losing 'large chunk' of his house​

Katherine Hill has been ordered to pay back every penny of the money she took or face more time in prison after a judge described her as 'utterly dishonest'
Link: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/partner-mum-who-stole-daughters-31770633
Credit: Jason Evans Court and crime reporter, 16:20, 02 Jun 2025
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/SOJEz



Katherine Hill outside Swansea Crown Court during her trial in April, 2024 (Image: WNS)
A "thoroughly dishonest" mother who stole her daughters' £50,000 inheritance has been ordered to pay back every penny she took. Katherine Hill was a trustee of the inheritance - which had been left to the girls by their maternal grandmother - but in the space of just 12 months exploited her position of trust to empty the account.

Former bank employee Hill was convicted at Swansea Crown Court of fraud in April, 2024, after a court heard she recruited her elderly father as a "stooge" to help her steal the money that was intended to go to her daughters.

At the trial, Hill denied knowing anything about large sums of cash being withdrawn from the account where the inheritance was held until every penny had gone, saying it was her 93-year-old father who had done it.

That version of events was supported by her father who - unlike his daughter - gave evidence from the witness box. They were both convicted of fraud.

The trial heard that the £50,000 was left to the teenage girls in 2016 by their grandmother, Margaret Hill - Katherine Hill's mother - with Katherine and Gerald Hill acting as trustees for the money until the girls turned 25.

The cash was placed into a Barclays Everyday Saver account in the names of the defendants, something that went against the advice of solicitors and financial experts who had advised them that the inheritance should be appropriately invested.

Katherine Hill, aged 53, then recruited her father - the ex-husband of Margaret Hill and the victims' grandfather - in her plan to embezzle the inheritance.

Over the course of just 12 months all the money was taken out of the account in a series of large cash withdrawals - some as big as £15,000 - from the Barclays bank branch on Swansea Enterprise Park.

Katherine Hill worked a matter of yards away from that branch at the neighbouring Lloyds bank.

The thefts came to light when one of the daughters asked for her share of her money early in order to put down a deposit on a house - under the terms of the inheritance the money could be given to the girls early if the trustees agreed.

It was the prosecution case that the defendants were guilty of a "blatant and brazen" fraud in respect of the inheritance, and that Gerald Hill had been "recruited" and exploited by his daughter to act as a "useful stooge" in the dishonesty.

After deliberating for two-and-a-half hours the jury unanimously found Katherine Hill, of Heol Glynderwyn, Alltwen, Pontardawe, and Gerald Hill, of Rose Tree Cottages, Fairwood, Gower, guilty.

The judge, Recorder Greg Bull KC, told the defendants they were "thoroughly dishonest people" who had betrayed the trust placed in them.

He said he had no doubt Katherine Hill had been the driving force behind the fraud and had done so out of "spite" because of the money the victims had been left and because her daughters had chosen to live with their father following her marital breakdown.

He told Katherine Hill she had used the money left to her daughters as a "weapon" against them, conduct which was "disgraceful".

The judge said he was satisfied that Gerald Hill had been recruited as a "patsy" for the dishonesty but noted the pensioner had participated in the offending over a 12-month period and for that he should be "thoroughly ashamed" of himself.

He said he was also sure Katherine Hill had "orchestrated" the evidence her father had given at trial, and described the account given to the court as "laughable" and one which jurors had quickly dismissed.

Katherine Hill was sentenced to 30 months in prison while Gerald Hill was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months.

Following their convictions, investigators began combing through the finances of the Hills to see if they could find where the money had gone and whether the defendants had any realisable assets. The matter then came back before the court for a contested proceeds of crime hearing.



Gerald Hill arriving at Swansea Crown Court by car for his trial in April, 2024 (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
James Hartson, prosecuting, told the court that the mortgage payments on the Alltwen house where Hill lived with her partner Philip Lloyd had come solely from Hill's bank account between March, 2017, and June, 2024, payments amounting to some £36,000.

He said by the payments Hill had established a beneficial interest in the equity of the property, equity currently standing at some £123,000. The barrister said it was accepted that Mr Lloyd had bought the house before the couple had met and that he was the lawful owner.

Giving evidence under oath from the witness box both Hill and Mr Lloyd denied Hill had ever made any financial contribution towards the house, neither in terms of making mortgage payments nor in terms of paying anything towards maintenance or utility bills.

Both the witnesses told the court that Mr Lloyd was a self-employed window cleaner and that income from his business - in the form of both cash payments and bank transfers - would go into Hill's account out of "convenience" and that mortgage payments would then go out.

Both witnesses said all the money that went to pay off the mortgage from Hill's account was Mr Lloyd's only. The prosecution barrister described that version of events as "palpable nonsense".

Mr Lloyd told the court that the house was his and had always been his, and "it's the only thing after my divorce I have got". The prosecution barrister told Lloyd that "like it or not" Hill owned a share of the property and he was in danger of losing "a large chunk of your house through the actions of a fraudster".

Mr Lloyd told the court Hill had no financial interest in the house. He also denied the pair had become engaged during a holiday to Turkey, saying that was a "family joke".

Mr Lloyd told the court that he typically earned around £70 to £80 a day from his window cleaning business but that the amounts went up and down. The court heard that Mr Lloyd had not declared any income to HMRC since before 2018.

Recorder Greg Bull KC asked Hill what she had done with the money she stole from her daughters - Hill said she had not taken the money.

The judge said in his view Hill's account that her father had taken the money was "utterly dishonest" and he said he was satisfied she had £50,000 in cash which she had taken from her daughters but that she was not prepared to tell the court what she had done with it.

He said: "She may still have money hidden somewhere for all I know. All I know is £50,000 is a lot of money to vanish into thin air".

He said he was satisfied that she and Mr Lloyd had been "living as man and wife" in the Alltwen house and that Mr Lloyd knew what was going on and had helped Hill "launder" the money she had taken. He said: "They shared money looted by Katherine Hill from her daughters".

The judge said he was satisfied Hill had acquired a constructive equity in the Alltwen property, and set the figure at 40%.

Harry Dickens, for Gerald Hill, said financial investigators had identified some £9,000 in savings and he invited the court to have in mind his client's age and the money he would need for "his final years" and for funeral expenses.

The judge said he could not accept Hill's assertion that her father had taken the money from the trust and said he doubted Gerald Hill had any great benefit from the fraud, but he said he accepted the father may have been trying to help his daughter "in his muddled way".

Recorder Bull made a confiscation order in the sum of £50,000 in respect of Katherine Hill and gave her three months to pay with six months in default in prison.

A confiscation order of £6,000 was made in respect of Gerald Hill and he faces three months in prison if it is not paid. The judge ordered that the confiscated money be paid to the victims of the fraud in the form of compensation.

 

[Made In Wales]

Paedophile breached court order when found with animated images of child abuse​

Scarlett Lee, 30, was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sex offender notification requirements when she was previously convicted of possessing prohibited images of children.​

Link: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/paedophile-breached-court-order-found-31781572
Credit: Philip Dewey, Court Correspondent for Wales Online, 21:25, 03 Jun 2025
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/QeFO0



Scarlett Lee, 30, was found in possession of animated images depicting children being sexually abused (Image: South Wales Police)
A paedophile was found with a folder of animated images depicting child sex abuse despite being made subject to a court order for the same offence. She also breached an order after using a different name to access social media accounts, after she had transitioned.

Scarlett Lee, 30, previously known as Scott Henwood, was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in February last year when she was convicted of possessing a prohibited image of a child. She was made subject to a two-year community order, as well as sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard the defendant was living in support accommodation and on May 11 last year, a support worker cleaning her room noticed a message of a sexual nature on Lee's phone.

The worker notified her senior manager who spoke to the defendant, who then showed the manager an animated sexual image on her computer.

Prosecutor Dominie Patel said Lee was asked if she had accessed the dark web, which she denied but she said: "There's probably stuff I shouldn't have on my laptop".

The police were called and a number of devices were seized, including a PC tower.

An examination of the device revealed a folder containing 80 animated images depicting adults engaging in sexual activity with children.

The defendant was bailed but on March 12 this year, she breached the SHPO she was subject to after using a name other than Scott Henwood to access a YouTube account.

When questioned by police, the defendant said had changed her name to Scarlett Lee by deed poll, and believed the SHPO had been updated to include her new name.

Lee, of The Parc, Bridgend, pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited image of a child and breach of a SHPO.

The court heard she has three previous convictions for breaching a SHPO and had previously been made subject to an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

In mitigation, Bethan Evans said her client has a number of "personal difficulties" including her mental health, being diagnosed with autism and bipolar disorder, bullying and isolation. It was also said she has lost contact with her family following her "transition".

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: "You have no regard for orders made by the court. You have a persistent interest in child abuse images, but you deny having a sexual interest in children or of understanding the SHPO."

The judge added there was "no or little realistic prospect of rehabilitation".

Lee was sentenced to a total of two years and four months imprisonment.

She will remain subject to sex offender notification requirements and the SHPO.

 

[Made In Wales]

Welsh Government's £36m reserves announcement slammed 'You really couldn’t make it up'​

Wales Online readers have been discussing the recent announcement by the Welsh Government concerning their plans for £36 million in reserves​

Link: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/news-opinion/welsh-governments-36m-reserves-announcement-31785475

Credit: David Prince and Wales Online readers
Archive: https://archive.ph/op7uA



Wales' finance minister Mr Drakeford was speaking in the Senedd's finance committee (Image: Senedd TV)

Wales Online readers have been voicing their opinions on the recent revelation from the Welsh Government regarding the allocation of £36 million from reserves. The Welsh Government has announced it will utilise £36m from its reserves to address a shortfall resulting from a tax alteration by the UK Government.

The change by the UK Labour government has seen an increase in the contribution employers must make towards National Insurance. Previously, businesses were charged a 13.8% rate on employees' earnings over £9,100 annually, but this has risen to 15% on wages above £5,000.

Concurrently, the employment allowance – the sum employers can deduct from their NI bill – has gone up from £5,000 to £10,500.

While the UK Government anticipates these adjustments will generate £25bn a year, there's been considerable anxiety among charities and businesses about meeting the additional costs.

One reader, Alex Peters writes: "If they were really concerned, they wouldn’t be wasting millions increasing the size of the Welsh Assembly."

Tannerbanc says: "So the public sector is ok to carry on, e.g. expanding the Senedd, no need to review what are the ‘essential services’ and the private sector can get down to work harder to pay for it, from a man who has only lived in the public sector."

Morpick comments: "Perhaps the UK Government is getting tired of funding this circus that wastes enormous sums on its madcap ideas."

StevenBoyd replies: "Now now, there’s nothing ‘madcap’ about throwing hundreds of millions down the gaping airport hole. It goes to show just how bad Drakeford is at his job. That sum of money could be found by a decent manager tomorrow. Stop funding the Airport, stop any more Welsh language initiatives, like the next round that he himself announced last week, and cancel the WAG expansion."

Ykr believes: "He seems to be very calm about all of this, just imagine what he would be like if it was a Tory government in power at Westminster."

Middleclasssocialist writes: "As we were promised, the new Labour Government, under Sir Kier, has been far easier to deal with than that Tory Government it replaced and that new "partnership" has helped Wales prosper and thrive. Unlike the Tories, the new Labour Government pick up the phone and listen attentively to what their comrades in Wales think. You can't put a cost on that sort of partnership. £36 million is a drop in the ocean.

"As an example, that's only double the cost of what the badly needed, vital, 36 new Senedd Members will cost per year. Also, Caerphilly Council alone, apparently, spent £2.6 million keeping it's libraries open last year. Across Wales, simply closing all of them would cover this £36million easily."

Abetterchoice4wales thinks: "When you have built a society dependent upon the state and benefits is it any wonder Wales is the biggest failing economy in Britain."

Dyffrynteg says: "With money so hard to come by, possibly the millions wasted on unwanted 20 mph road signs and the millions which will be wasted year after year on an expanded Welsh assembly wasn’t such a good idea after all?"

Chalky Snr writes: "Quote yet again ‘I will provide £36 million’ Who the hell does he think he is? The fellow failed NHS Wales cabinet minister who put him there rather than out to pasture is unfortunately for us as much out of her depth as the last two so called first ministers were. Surely Wales deserves better."

Lustyboy adds: "You really couldn’t make it up. After years of being told that the tories were totally to blame for all of Wales’ problems and that Labour in Westminster and Cardiff would provide the platform for a bright future (despite 25 years of devolution administered by labour) What do we find? A Labour government treating with total contempt the Welsh Labour administration. Unbelievable."

Grumpygramps says: "Did I miss the point where he also wants the UK tax payer to cough up for the NI increases the Welsh private sector are going to have find? No, thought not."

Inreality feels: "Ummm, maybe spending all the UK money on extra senedd expansion was a bad idea!"

Styo asks: "Why not look at where we can reduce non-essential ‘vanity’ expenditure? basically if it isn't curing cancer, emptying bins, building roads, teaching kids or locking crims up, it is being wasted."

Simoncorkswill believes: "So in fact the Conservatives were obviously giving a great deal of money to Wales, but in an attempt to make them seem as if they were doing the opposite the Labour Welsh government squirrelled away the funds that could have been spent to aid the Welsh people, why is this not a surprise?"

Related article: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/welsh-government-use-36m-bail-31771227

 

[Made In Wales]

Now for some light entertainment from Ponty Pig:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdUFu88D4GU&ab_channel=DeanoValley