South Wales Evening Post
I’M JUST SO GRATEFUL TO STILL BE ALIVE
“I DIED, really. I shouldn’t even be here. I don’t remember anything about the accident.” Alex Spooner was heading to the top of Yr Wyddfa on Saturday, almost a year to the day since the crash that should have claimed his life. He can’t walk up...
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SHOCK OVER ‘MULTIPLE FIRES’ AT RETIREMENT COMPLEX
MULTIPLE fires lit within a large retirement complex in Swansea have left leaseholder residents shocked and scared. Firefighters responded to two fires at Homegower House, St Helen’s Road, on Tuesday, August 4 and returned the next day to put another...
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HEARTLESS ‘CONMAN’ TARGETED OAPS OVER WORK HE’D NOT DONE
A MAN targeted elderly and vulnerable pensioners, including one who was aged 98, pretending he had carried out work on their properties before demanding money in what has been described as a “despicable” spree of offending. Swansea Crown Court heard...
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FARMERS’ FEARS OVER FOOD PRICE INCREASES
FARMERS have told how they are drilling boreholes amid ongoing drought conditions across the country Andrew Stevens said his beef farm in the north-west of Swansea county did not have the capacity for a reservoir, unlike larger farms, and that he...
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BEACH BBQ WARNING AS PEOPLE LEFT WITH BURNS
BEACHGOERS have described suffering severe burns to their feet after walking on hot sand where they had earlier been enjoying barbecues. Their injuries, which landed them in hospital and off work, have prompted warnings from medics at Morriston...
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DEMAND FOR EVIDENCE AS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST WRU REIGNITED
SWANSEA Council said it intends to recommence legal action against the Welsh Rugby Union, claiming the governing body breached assurances it gave when it last week set out of its roadmap for reducing the number of regions from the current four to...
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CAFE FIRE DAMAGE ‘WORSE THAN FIRST FEARED’
THE devastated owner of beloved Swansea restaurant Verdi’s said fire damage is “worse than we first feared”. On Thursday morning many regulars had gone down to the Mumbles seafront cafe hoping to get their usual morning coffee and ice cream, but they...
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Holiday let rules on second homes to be reviewed
THE Welsh Government has opened a 12-week consultation about the hugely controversial 182-day letting rule. Since April 2023, self-catering properties in Wales can pay nondomestic rates rather than council tax, but only if a property is available to...
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OWNERS OF SEAFRONT CAFE LEFT DEVASTATED BY BLAZE
AN ICONIC Swansea cafe said it is “absolutely devastated” after it was hit by a fire overnight. The family who run Verdi’s in Mumbles said the cafe and restaurant will be closed after the blaze. The business, which was operated by the Moruzzi family...
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OSPREYS V SCARLETS
THE Ospreys and Scarlets are now in a straight shootout for the final regional place after the Welsh Rugby Union confirmed Cardiff and the Dragons are in line to secure two of the three licences in Welsh rugby’s proposed new structure. This means that...
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PLEA TO ABANDON HOSPITAL CUTBACKS
THE campaign against proposed cuts to community hospitals across Powys, including Ystradgynlais Community Hospital in the Swansea Valley, has passed a major milestone, with more than 3,500 people signing a petition. It calls on Powys Teaching Health...
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CARER TOLD DEMENTIA PATIENT: ‘I HOPE YOU DIE’
A CARER was caught on camera abusing an 81-year-old woman with dementia. The family of the victim, Elizabeth Anne Shipton, have shared with our Walesonline website their footage of the disturbing meltdown by carer Louise Harris, who drunkenly screamed...
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MAN HELD WOMAN CAPTIVE THEN HE BEAT AND RAPED HER
A MAN held a terrified woman captive in his flat and raped her and subjected her to a brutal beating, a court has heard Jamie Rawson had downed around 17 or 18 pints of beer before deciding to engage the services of a sex worker but once behind closed...
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PERSISTENT OFFENDER ‘HIGHLY SEXUALLY PREOCCUPIED’
A SERIAL offender poses such a risk to children he has been given an extended sentence to protect the public. Jamie Nugent-squires has a history of offending and concerning behaviour involving children, ranging from sexually assaulting a five-year-old...
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‘QUESTIONS ARE NEVER GOING TO BE ANSWERED’
AN INQUEST into the death of a man whose remains were discovered by a gardener 20 years after his disappearance left more questions than answers yesterday. Russell Scozzi’s remains were found among brambles and weeds by a resident at Waverley Place in...
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PERVERT THOUGHT HE WAS CHATTING TO TEENS
A MAN sent messages to two people he believed to be teenage girls telling them he was “naked, stoned, and horny”, a court has heard. But 47-year-old Jason Brooks didn’t realise he was chatting with volunteers from paedophile hunter groups, who...
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SOURCE OF THE FLIES
THE source of a horrific fly problem that has left residents “physically sick” has been confirmed following an investigation. The issue has been affecting people in the south of Llanelli since June and resulted in Carmarthenshire Council investigating...
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EX-MP DENIES GROPING WOMAN ON TRAIN
A FORMER Labour MP allegedly groped a woman on a train, a court has heard. Gwynoro Jones, 83, denies sexually assaulting a woman on the Great Western Railway service from London to Swansea in July 2024. A trial at Swansea Crown Court yesterday heard...
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YOUNG MUM ‘CONSTANTLY WALKING ON EGGSHELLS EVERY DAY’
AN ANGRY young man left the mother of his baby with a broken bone and fearing for her life. Heavy drinker Adam Gates, 27, is now behind bars after subjecting her to his vile outbursts throughout their twoand-a-half year relationship. The victim,...
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FANS CAN LINE THE STREET TO SAY FINAL FAREWELL TO BONNIE
FANS have been invited to line the streets to pay tribute to music icon Bonnie Tyler. The Total Eclipse of the Heart Singer, who was born Gaynor Hopkins, died in hospital in Portugal last week at the age of 75. Her family has announced details of her...
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GROUNDS FOR A DEAL REACHED
COUNCIL chiefs have agreed to sell the Swansea.com Stadium to Swansea City football club. It’s not known how much for but council leader Rob Stewart said it was in excess of a “fair open-market value”. Cabinet members agreed unanimously to the sale,...
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EIGHT MEN CHARGED IN ‘GROOMING GANG’PROBE
EIGHT men have been charged with more than 30 offences as part of an investigation into group-based child sexual exploitation. Detectives from Gwent Police carried out a targeted operation on July 14 to arrest them. It included activity in Swansea,...
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RETURN OF ‘THE PLAGUE’
RESIDENTS living in one town say they are plagued by an infestation of flies. The issue has been affecting people in the south of Llanelli since June and investigations are ongoing to determine the cause. Residents say they feel “physically sick” and...
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CRASH VICTIM ‘LOVED MORE THAN ANY WORDS CAN SAY’
THE family of an 18-year-old man whose death in a crash sparked a murder investigation have paid tribute to their “precious baby boy”. Ceiran Evans died after the crash between a car and an off-road bike in Gorseinon on July 9. Tyler Ford, 18, from...
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TEENAGER TO FACE MURDER CHARGE
AN 18-YEAR-OLD who died after a collision involving a car and an offroad bike in Gorseinon has been named by police. South Wales Police say although formal identification has not yet taken place, the family of 18-year-old Ceiran Evans, from Gorseinon,...
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ARRESTS AS TEEN KILLED IN CRASH
A TEENAGER has died and another has been injured in a crash that has seen five people arrested in total. Multiple streets in the Gorseinon area of Swansea were closed throughout Thursday afternoon and evening as police co-ordinated a major response to...
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Family’s £1 win turned out to be a whole lot more!
A FAMILY syndicate thought they had won £1 in a new Lotto game – but that was only the start of their luck. The group of seven actually won a “bonus” £1m on a second round, securing a life-changing future for the family. Syndicate leader Alison...
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‘INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS’ MAN GETS 23-YEAR TERM
A RAPIST who subjected a young girl to years of sexual abuse has been given a 23-year sentence as an offender of particular concern. Damien Jones denied any wrongdoing but was convicted at Swansea Crown Court of a total of 16 sexual offences against a...
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GIRL, 5, IN FIGHT FOR LIFE AFTER CRASH
A FIVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL is fighting for life in hospital after a serious crash involving multiple vehicles in Bannau Brycheiniog. The collision happened on Sunday evening on the A4067 near Craig-y-nos, north of Ystradgynlais. Five people in total were...
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FAMILY MADE £250K FROM ILLEGAL DOG BREEDING
A FAMILY made more than £250,000 from illegally breeding and selling puppies, a court has heard. Members of the family advertised the puppies on a range of different websites, often using different names, addresses and phone numbers in a bid to avoid...
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UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE
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. Swansea University was one of three Welsh universities rated in the prestigious QS World...
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ROOFER SCAMMED ELDERLY
A CROOKED roofer scammed elderly victims out of tens of thousands of pounds, a court has heard. Richard Murnane carried out a series of jobs which were of an “abysmal” standard and were frequently “worthless”, taking large deposits for the work and...
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REMAINS OF MAN MISSING FOR 24 YEARS FOUND
THE remains of a man who had been missing for more than 20 years were discovered by a resident while cutting back brambles. An inquest was opened into the death of Russell Scozzi at Swansea’s Guildhall yesterday. He had not been seen since early May...
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EX-JUNIOR DOCTOR HAD CHILD RAPE VIDEOS
A FORMER junior doctor had videos of toddlers being raped on his phone and chatted about child sexual abuse with like-minded people, a court has heard. Thomas Jenkins was arrested after police received intelligence about his online activities and...
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THANKS TO RNLI HERO WHO SAVED MAN FROM DROWNING
“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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NOTORIOUS KILLER TURNS BACK TO CRIME
A CONVICTED murderer was caught dealing drugs while living in the community on licence, a court has heard. When police raided Christian Mason-jones’ flat they found more than two-and-a-half kilos of cannabis along with a stash of ketamine and hundreds...
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JOBS BLOW AS PROJECT IS DUMPED
A MULTIMILLIONPOUND project which was set to create more than 100 jobs in Port Talbot has been scrapped. Plans to create a major jet fuel facility in the town have been ongoing since 2012 but project leader Lanzatech has announced it has decided not...
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DRIVER BASHED MAN AND RAN OVER HIS DOG
A VAN driver attacked a man with a log, hockey stick and a knife before driving over and killing his dog, a court has heard. Tom Wilkinson then turned himself in to police and falsely accused his victim of assaulting him while claiming that he did not...
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SCHOOL’S OUT... FOR SOME
A MET Office red warning for extreme temperatures is set to come into force in Wales today – and schools across south west Wales are closed today as a response to the heat. A “heat-dome” settling over western Europe could bring temperatures of up to...
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Red warning alert for extreme heat
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 “heatdome” settling over...
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Whites great looking forward to return home
ONE of the All Whites’ most iconic captains is relishing the atmosphere his former ground will generate when its facelift is complete. Tony Clement spent more than a decade at the top of Welsh rugby with Swansea RFC. He won cups and league titles with...
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BINS MAY BE REMOVED AS RUBBISH LEFT TO PILE UP
COUNCIL bosses have warned people in Swansea that public litter bins could be removed completely if they are used to dump household or commercial waste. Swansea Council has put out the warning after noting “a rise in domestic rubbish” being dumped,...
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COALFIELD VILLAGES TO GET SHARE OF £13.5M
TWO former coalfield areas in Neath Port Talbot will receive a share of £13.5 million aimed at breathing new life into communities “overlooked for decades”, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced. Both Seven Sisters and Resolven are among six places...
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£145M PLAN TO SAVE WELSH NHS
THE new Welsh Government has made its first financial commitment to the NHS since taking over. The Plaid Cymru administration has announced how it will spend £145m of additional funding available to it within this financial year on health. On...
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NEW MOVE TO CURB USE OF MOBILES IN SCHOOLS
WEAK teaching, curriculum planning, and assessment “often” limits pupils’ progress in science at schools across Wales, a damning report from education watchdog Estyn says. Science teaching and quality of science provision “remains too variable” in...
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TATA CHIEFS DOWNPLAY FEARS OVER SUPPLY AFTER MAJOR FIRE
TATA Steel has given an update after a major fire at its Port Talbot site which took fire crews 36 hours to bring the blaze at the pickle line facility under control. Emergency services were called to the steelworks in Port Talbot in huge numbers on...
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COLLEGE SET TO CREATE ‘TOP CLASS’ CAMPUS
THE former home of a well-known Swansea business which closed suddenly last year is to be transformed into a new college campus. M&P, located at Phoenix Way, Garngoch Industrial Estate in Gorseinon, had been a leading destination for motorcycle...
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EX-SWANS BOSS DIES AT 64
TRIBUTES have poured in following the death of former Wales international and Swansea City promotion-winning manager Kenny Jackett at the age of 64. The League Managers Association (LMA) announced yesterday that Jackett had passed away on Thursday,...
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HEADBUTTED, CHOKED AND PULLED KNIFE ON PARTNER
A MAN headbutted and throttled his partner before pulling a knife on her in a “sudden explosion of anger”, a court has heard. Dean Berg left his victim with a collapsed lung and displaced fracture of her shoulder in a brutal attack in her own...
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HELPLESS FAMILY SEE HOME RAIDED ON DOORBELL CAMERA
A SCRAP dealer driving the streets looking for metal saw a family packing their car to go on holiday and returned to burgle their home, a court has heard. James Connors donned a mask and gloves and drove a circuitous route to his target to try to...
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FIRM FINED £500K AS KEBABS HAD LITTLE LAMB
A COMPANY producing kebabs for takeaways and restaurants has been slapped with a half-a-million pound fine over the fraudulent way it labelled its products. Swansea Crown Court heard that kebabs produced by the firm and labelled as “lamb” were found...
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DVLA INSIDER HELPED DEALERS TO WIPE RECORDS
A TRUSTED DVLA employee abused his position with the agency to alter or delete vehicle records to boost their value and to issue new identities for stolen or crashed cars, a court has heard. Matthew Holloway accessed computer and paper-based systems...
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‘SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE’ FEAR AFTER BLAZE
A LARGE fire at the Tata Steel site in Port Talbot is said to have caused “substantial damage to a vital production line”. Large plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the plant near people’s homes after the blaze erupted on Wednesday. People who...
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PLAYER’S CLUBHOUSE ASSAULT ON VETERAN COMMITTEE MEMBER
A RUGBY player punched a veteran committee member unconscious in a clubhouse attack, a court has heard. Nathan Davies hit his victim in the face, causing the man to crash to the floor, lose consciousness and fracture an ankle in the fall. Swansea...
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THE £1.2M TIN THIEVES
THREE Tata Steel employees conspired with an outside man to steal tin ingots worth nearly £1.2m from the Trostre steelworks in Llanelli. Thomas Ashford, 35, Richard Jones, 39, and Stewart Jones, 56, all worked at the Tata steelworks and allowed access...
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‘MODERN-DAY MIRACLE’ FOR GRANDAD ON HIS DEATHBED
A man who was so critically ill that his family gathered to say their farewells has returned to the hospital that saved his life on two separate occasions within two years to express his gratitude to staff. Leighton Davies, from Cwmavon, is currently...
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ILLEGAL VID SHARED WITH COLLEAGUES BY LECTURER AT COLLEGE
ALUN Williams is celebrating 25 years at the helm of Swansea Building Society with a charitable fund to support good causes across Wales this year. The £25,000 funding will be distributed to charities and community organisations and is in addition to...
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‘PETRIFIED’ BOY SAVED BY HEROIC DADS
A GROUP of dads enjoying a drink in the sunshine at a rugby club saved a “petrified and screaming” boy who was trapped in a burning storage container. The club secretary of Trimsaran RFC has described what happened in the distressing incident which...
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13-YEAR-OLD ARRESTED AFTER BOY TRAPPED IN BURNING CONTAINER
A 13-YEAR-OLD boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a fire at a rugby club. An 11-year-old boy is in hospital after suffering serious injuries in the blaze at Trimsaran RFC, near Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire, over the...
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FORMER TATA WORKER TURNED TO CRIME
A FORMER Tata Steel worker was running a cocaine and cannabis edibles supply operation, a court has heard. Darren Phillips was intercepted by police en route to a customer with thousand of pounds worth of cocaine in his car – though he claimed he was...
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