South Wales Echo
£20K REWARD OFFERED IN MISSING MUM CASE
A £20,000 reward has been re-issued for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the disappearance and suspected murder of Cardiff woman Charlene Hobbs, as police mark two years since her disappearance. South...
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Stars ‘in raptures’ over Welsh locations for new TV thriller
A NEW psychological thriller that was shot across south Wales will be airing on the BBC One and BBC iPlayer this weekend. The Rapture which stars Queen Charlotte’s India Amarteifio, Doctor Who’s Ruth Madeley, Game of Thrones’ Iwan Rheon, and Gavin &...
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Michelin Guide restaurant owner swaps hospitality for hospital ward
A WOMAN who ran three wellknown restaurants in Cardiff, including one Michelin-rated one, has had a total career change. Deb Lewis and her husband Phil previously ran Kindle, Dusty’s and Nook, but the death of a family member inspired her to change...
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Man, 51, denies city bar sex assault allegation
A MAN has appeared in court accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a bar in Cardiff. It is alleged the incident happened at Retro on Mill Lane in June 2025. Simon Headley, of Neath Road, Resolven, Neath Port Talbot, was charged with sexual assault...
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Students face holiday exam resit after error
STUDENTS at Cardiff University say they feel “let down” after an error by the university left them facing an inperson resit during the peak summer holiday period. A student, who has asked to remain anonymous, claimed they and about 200 classmates were...
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WOMAN’S STALKING ORDEAL AT HANDS OF FRAUDSTER
A WOMAN who was relentlessly stalked by her ex-partner has described being so terrified that she had to change her locks and be chaperoned to and from her front door for months. Curtis Pring’s chilling methods included pretending to be multiple people...
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TRIBUTES TO RUGBY PLAYER AFTER CANCER BATTLE
FORMER Beddau, Caerphilly and Pontypridd prop Geraint Liddon has died at the age of 45 after a brave battle with cancer. The former Wales U21s front-row passed away on Tuesday, having been diagnosed just months ago. Following the diagnosis, Geraint –...
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CONMAN SWINDLED £20K FROM PENSIONER
A 21-YEAR-OLD conman defrauded a woman in her 80s out of £20,000 by pretending to be from the police. Cleonest Massera contacted the woman in November 2025 claiming she had been the victim of a scam. The 21-year-old, from Pentwyn, Cardiff, offered to...
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Cyclist, 72, killed by drug-driver in ‘brutal, traumatic tragedy’
FRESH plans have emerged to demolish a deteriorated and unsafe former hospital building in Merthyr Tydfil and turn the site into housing. Housing association Trivallis has announced plans to transform the former Merthyr General Hospital site into new...
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CLIFF COLLAPSE SHOCK AT BATHING SPOT
BEACHGOERS watched in shock as part of a cliff collapsed where people had been sunbathing. The incident happened at around 4.30pm on Friday between Penarth beach and Cardiff Bay Barrage. A dramatic photograph shows a large cloud of dust near to...
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‘HELL’ OF GIRLS ABUSED BY DEPRAVED PAIR
TWO Indian takeaway staff drove vulnerable girls in care to a remote location after plying them with drink and drugs before one of the men raped a teenager. Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella KC told Newport Crown Court on Friday Wasee Shikel and Azad...
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STALKER LEFT VICTIM WANTING TO END HER LIFE
A STALKER exhibited “sinister” behaviour after following a woman who did not wish to have a relationship with him and told her: “I wouldn’t go to sleep tonight – there isn’t anyone to protect you.” The harassment became too much for the victim and she...
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£12M ‘WINNING’ LOTTO TICKET THROWN IN BIN
A MUM is adamant she has won £12 million on the Lotto – but faces an anxious 30-day wait to find out for sure after a shopkeeper threw her ticket in the bin. Kath Main, 46, read online that the June 6 jackpot was unclaimed, and when she looked at the...
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‘CAR EXPLODED WHILE I WAS INSIDE’
A MAN whose car exploded on a busy Cardiff road whilst he was inside before it burst into flames has spoken about the terrifying ordeal. Stephen Harris, 36, was found slumped over the steering wheel of his Land Rover Discovery when it caught fire on...
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ARRESTS AFTER EBIKE CRACKDOWN
MORE than a dozen illegal e-bikes and scooters were seized and destroyed during a police clampdown in Cardiff. Officers from South Wales Police and Cardiff Council staff took part in the operation on Friday for AntiSocial Behaviour Awareness...
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SCHOOLGIRL STABBED MULTIPLE TIMES
A TEENAGE girl whose body was found in woodland died as a result of multiple stab wounds to her neck and chest, an inquest has heard. The body of Lilly Jones, 14, was discovered in Duffryn Park, Blaina, on Monday, June 22. A 14-year-old boy has been...
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Record-breaking 10k run
IT WAS a record-breaking year for the 2026 Brecon Carreg Porthcawl 10K, with the largest number of entrants the race has ever seen. More than 6,800 runners signed up to take part across the 10K and junior races – the third event in the 2026 R4W 10K...
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Unis face challenge as rankings decline
UNIVERSITIES in Wales have been warned they face a challenge to maintain their position in the international market as the UK’s advantage begins to erode. Three of the five Welsh universities rated in the prestigious QS World Rankings 2027 saw their...
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Last house in a vanished village sells for £50,000
THE last surviving house in a vanished village that was demolished due to concerns that the mountain behind it would one day engulf it, has been sold after going to online auction with a guide price of just £1. A fierce online battle began with 13...
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MAN HELD BY POLICE AFTER GIRL, 12, ‘KIDNAPPED’
A 35-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault following reports that a 12-year-old girl was kidnapped on Tuesday. Police issued a statement on Tuesday evening saying they received reports of two kidnappings in the Treherbert area...
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Welsh Government open to talks with Reform ahead of vote on its spending plans
RHUN ap Iorwerth, the First Minister of Wales, said he hoped to lead a ‘cooperative government’. The Welsh First Minister has said his government is open to discussions with Reform ahead of a vote on its spending plans. Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Plaid...
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FORMER CARDIFF TORY MP ADMITS ELECTION DATE BETS
CRAIG Williams, a former Welsh MP and aide to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has admitted placing three bets on the date of the General Election in 2024 based on confidential information. Williams, 41, who also spent a spell as MP for Cardiff North, had...
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‘HE’S SHOWN NO REMORSE FOR MUM’S MURDER’
“IT’S just madness. They can do all that, come out and have a better life than people who are struggling and working for years. He has been allowed to change his name. I don’t understand how he was able to do that.” These are the words of a woman who...
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EXPLODING CAR SETS SHOP ON FIRE
A WELL-LOVED shop on a Valleys high street has been ruined by a devastating fire. Card and gift shop Occasions in Bargoed has suffered extensive damage after a fire which destroyed a car spread to the shop front. Emergency services were called to...
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‘WE’LL LIVE WITH THIS PAIN FOR REST OF OUR LIVES’
SIX people have been jailed for life for murdering a woman who was shot dead when a turf war between rival gangs turned violent. Joanne Penney, 40, was shot in the chest at almost point blank range by Marcus Huntley, 21, after she opened the door of a...
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BOY ARRESTED AS BODY FOUND IN HUNT FOR MISSING GIRL
A 14-YEAR-OLD boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a body was found in a South Wales park following the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl. The body was found in the Duffryn Park area of Blaina, near Abertillery, at about 10.10pm on...
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NOW SOUTH WALES ON RED ALERT
THE Met Office said this week’s heatwave will see temperatures exceed 37°C in the shade and could even see them rise to 38°C to 40°C in some parts of Wales and England, as human-driven climate change intensifies the impact of a “heat-dome” settling...
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Clean-up begins as Travellers leave sports pitches
A GROUP of Travellers who set up camp illegally on a football pitch in Bridgend and reportedly subjected locals to abuse and intimidation have left the site. Around 13 caravans and up to 20 cars first appeared on Litchard playing fields last...
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Teen found with drugs after running from cops
A TEENAGER who fled from an uninsured scrambler bike when spotted by police was found to be in possession of drugs. Cardiff Crown Court heard how Harlee Bindon was seen by police on a scrambler bike at the end of Ball Lane in Cardiff at 10.30am on...
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E-BIKING THUGS WARNING AFTER TAFF TRAIL ROBBERIES
PEOPLE using the Taff Trail in Cardiff and nearby roads have reported being attacked or robbed by youths wearing balaclavas on e-bikes. Police have increased patrols in the areas after reports that young men dressed in balaclavas riding electric...
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FACES FROM A £1M RIOT MOB
THERE were angry scenes at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday as the first of the people involved in rioting in Ely three years ago were sentenced. Ten rioters appeared in the dock, with nine being locked up for a total of 48 years, while the tenth...
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Take That fans full of patience for stars’ gig
TAKE THAT fans flocked to Cardiff in their thousands last night to watch the chart-toppers at the Principality Stadium. But by the time Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald had sung their first notes at the home of Welsh rugby, some superfans had...
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RIOTER TORCHED CAR
TWO people accused of playing leading roles in the Ely riot appeared in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday. Matthew Evans, who used an aerosol can as a makeshift flamethrower to torch a car, and “prolific missile thrower” Cameron Carter both...
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NHS WORKER DIED DUE TO HOSPITAL FAILINGS
MULTIPLE failings and system breakdown caused the death of a man wrongly injected with insulin during his operation, an inquest has found. No-one intended to kill greatgrandfather Donald Gough at Wales’ biggest hospital, coroner David Regan concluded...
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‘Drinks are on me!’ Barman’s £3.5m luxury mansion prize
A WELSH barman has won a £3.5m mansion in Cornwall and celebrated by declaring “drinks are on the house”. Darren Summers, 50, was pouring pints during a busy shift at The Pencelli Hotel, Treorchy, when the Omaze team walked in to tell him he’d won a...
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300-year-old country pub hit by fire
AN AWARD-WINNING 300-year-old village pub was ravaged by fire yesterday. Fire crews were called to the scene of the blaze at the Hare & Hounds pub in Aberthin, Cowbridge. The pub’s owners said yesterday there were still “working out what comes next”,...
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‘LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME WITHOUT HIM’
TRIBUTES have been paid to an A-level student who “could put a smile on anyone’s face” who was killed in a crash in Cardiff. Dominic Luke Bailey, who was 18 and from the Ely area of the capital, died at at the scene of a collision in an area known as...
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TEEN DIES IN SERIOUS CRASH
A TEENAGER has died and two others were rushed to hospital following a serious collision in Cardiff. Emergency services were called to a crash involving two vehicles on the A48 near The Tumble in St Nicholas shortly after 8pm on Saturday. An...
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HOSPITAL HIT BY NEW RAPE CLAIM
A HOSPITAL is refusing to confirm whether it has suspended an employee who has been arrested on suspicion of rape. The Echo understands the University Hospital of Wales staff member was released under police investigation after his recent arrest. It...
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MAN STABBED IN SUSPECTED ROBBERY
A MAN is in hospital after being stabbed in the early hours of yesterday morning on a street in Cardiff. Two people have been arrested on suspicion of robbery following the incident in Caerau. Officers from South Wales Police responded to a report...
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NOT LOVIN’ IT
A POPULAR McDonald’s branch in Cardiff has been forced to close following a “pest sighting”. McDonald’s on St Mary Street in the city centre has been closed for around four weeks to allow a pest control firm to deal with the issue. It is understood...
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Prison officer felt ‘snap and crack’ during assault
A SERVING prisoner left a prison officer with a fractured spine after he began kicking out while complaining about conditions at the jail. The officer tried to grab hold of the inmate but inadvertently bent his body backwards, causing the...
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BOYS STABBED IN CITY PARK
TWO teenage boys were hospitalised on Sunday after being stabbed in a park in Cardiff. Officers from South Wales Police were called to reports of a serious assault in Lydstep Park, Gabalfa, just before 7pm on Sunday. Two local boys aged 16 and 17...
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MAN RUN OVER IN ROAD-RAGE HORROR
A MAN was seriously injured after being run over when a road-rage dispute descended into scenes of “disgraceful” violence. People were left horrified when a violent altercation broke out in broad daylight following a row, a court was told. Jack...
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SHE BURNT, STRANGLED AND CUT HUSBAND
A WOMAN subjected her husband of more than four decades to abuse which included holding a scorching hot frying pan to his cheek. Cardiff Crown Court heard how Susan Rees, 73, subjected her husband of 42 years, Phillip Rees, to physical and verbal...
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E-BIKERS TERRORISING COMMUNITY
RESIDENTS in a Cardiff community have described fears over dangerous bike riding and anti-social behaviour after a police dispersal order was introduced in the area this week. Introduced by South Wales Police in Gabalfa, the order gives officers...
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ARREST IN ATTEMPTED MURDER PROBE
AN ATTEMPTED murder investigation has been launched after an incident on a quiet road in a Cardiff suburb. A cordon was put in place at Aberdulais Crescent, Gabalfa, yesterday after police were called at around 4am. A 47-year-old woman was taken to...
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‘MORE POLICE’ PLEA AFTER SEASIDE STABBING
BARRY Island traders have criticised the lack of police presence in the popular sunspot as thousands of youths, many drinking alcohol, packed into the area around the beach on Bank Holiday Monday. A 17-year-old was stabbed and an 18-year-old arrested...
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CHILD HURT AS CAR CRASHES INTO M4 SERVICES
AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD child was among three people hospitalised yesterday after a car reportedly hit pedestrians before crashing into a motorway service station. The collision happened at around 11.45am yesterday at Cardiff Gate services just off junction...
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NOT A FAIR COP
SOUTH Wales Police force is blocking us from naming yet another disgraced former officer. The married man sexually harassed a junior female colleague, and when she rebuffed him he tormented her to the point she felt scared to go to work, but in a...
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RACIST KILLERS’ SENTENCES REFERRED TO COURT OF APPEAL
THE sentences of two teenage boys jailed for life for the racist murder of a much-loved husband and father stabbed to the heart with a kitchen knife have been referred to the Court of Appeal over concerns the terms were “unduly lenient”. Kamran Aman,...
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SURGEON’S SEX WITH PATIENT LED TO ‘BLACKMAIL FOR DRUGS’ CLAIMS
A SURGEON was in a sexual relationship with a patient while prescribing her highly addictive painkillers under the counter. He claimed he was “blackmailed” into continuing the supply of drugs as he feared she would expose the relationship. Dr Chirag...
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518 ARRESTS IN GANG CRIME CRACKDOWN
A CRACKDOWN on gang crime in a Cardiff neighbourhood has seen three major drug lines dismantled, police have said. South Wales Police launched the operation in an attempt to curb “serious organised crime” in Butetown where the force said it was...
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SHOP FINED £4K AFTER RATS GNAWED AT CUSTOMER’S BREAD
A CUSTOMER who bought bread which rats had gnawed tipped the council off to issues at a Cardiff shop. When council staff inspected the shop they found an active rat infestation including droppings across the shop floor, on food shelves and in storage...
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TAKEAWAY BOSS ‘LEFT FAMILY PETRIFIED’
A CONTROVERSIAL pizza shop owner terrorised his ex-girlfriend and her family, a court has heard Sam Ransom, the 35-year-old franchisee of the Papa Johns takeaway in Caerphilly, repeatedly snuck onto the family’s property at night to damage their cars,...
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COUNCIL’S TOP DOG TO STEP DOWN
ONE of Wales’ most respected local authority chief executives, Paul Orders, is standing down. Mr Orders was appointed chief executive of Cardiff Council in 2013, succeeding Jon House, having returned to the council after a twoyear stint as chief...
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MAN JAILED FOR KILLING DAD WITH PUNCH
A MAN has been jailed for more than 10 years after punching and killing another man outside a Wetherspoon pub because he felt “disrespected”. Kyle O’Callaghan, 30, previously pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Marcus Carpenter, 37, who died in...
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FURIOUS PUBGOER SMASHES BULLDOZER INTO BAR
A MAN drove a bulldozer into a village pub and caused £22,000 worth of damage after a comment was made about his marriage ending. He continued his rampage after driving over vehicles belonging to his family and was only stopped after his father used a...
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177 NEW HOMES FOR CITY
A MAJOR step has been approved for a huge new “garden city” project that will transform part of Cardiff. Cardiff Council has approved the finer details of the 177-home portion of the larger Plasdwr development that promises to build up to 5,970 new...
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‘SOMETHING HAS STIRRED IN THE SOUL OF WALES’
RHUN ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, has been named the next First Minister in what he described as an “historic moment”. Mr ap Iorwerth won the most votes from Members of the Senedd yesterday, making him the first politician not from Labour...
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FAMILYARE LEFT WITH NOTHING AFTER FIRE
A FAMILY described as the “pillars of kindness” in their community have been left with nothing but the clothes on their backs after a devastating house fire tore through their home. Lisa Owen, 55, was at the property in Glamorgan Street in Perthcelyn,...
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GREENS TO BACK RHUN FOR FIRST MINISTER
THE Greens will give their backing to Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth as the next First Minister, the party’s Welsh leader has said. Anthony Slaughter said Mr ap Iorwerth had a “clear mandate” to lead after winning the most seats in a historic Welsh...
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FIRST MINISTER QUITS AS LABOUR HUMBLED
FIRST Minister Eluned Morgan announced she will resign as leader of Welsh Labour after her party suffered heavy defeats. Mrs Morgan lost her seat as Plaid Cymru marched into the lead as the votes were counted yesterday in the Senedd election. She...
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MURDER TRIAL TOLD OF SHAMED SINGER’S FINAL MOMENTS
A PRISONER accused of murdering paedophile Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins told jail staff: “If I’ve killed him, you could be talking to someone famous,” prosecutors have told a jury. Former Welsh rock star Watkins was stabbed to death in his cell...
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