Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court Sentencing Results

Victoria King, while employed as finance manager at Eftech Ltd in Rhigos, Wales, from 2021, abused her position by making 21 fraudulent payments totalling £140,197 to her own account between October 2021 and July 2023. She falsified payments to mimic those of a genuine supplier and paid herself an extra £7,500 monthly on top of her £45,000 annual salary. The fraud was discovered during a financial review after she left the company in April 2023, leading to a police investigation. This offence occurred despite her prior conviction for a similar crime.

Jamie Thomas, 48, was spotted exchanging packages with individuals outside Sports Direct in Caerphilly on April 1, 2025. He was searched and found in possession of 104g of cannabis in snap bags. A subsequent search of his home in Bargoed revealed additional cannabis, drug paraphernalia including six weighing scales and zip lock bags, as well as a machete with a 2.1-foot blade. He claimed the cannabis was for personal use and the machete was for decoration.

Jonathan Hayton, 45, was found in possession of more than £1,000 worth of crack cocaine, £2,215 in cash, weighing scales, empty grip seal bags, and a phone containing a 'tick list' and messages linked to supplying crack cocaine during a police raid at his partner's home in Aberdare on December 18, 2024. He was arrested, and further evidence confirmed his involvement in drug dealing.

Lester Gibson, 46, from Bettws, Newport, ran a drug line from his Bettws flat. During a warrant in October 2024, officers from Gwent Police’s Serious and Organised Crime team seized cash, mobile phones, digital scales, and a tick list of stolen items such as jackets and gift sets. He had previously been arrested in December 2022 after police recovered a bag of Class A drugs and a stash of £6,681.48 cash from another Bettws address.

Iestyn Raven ran the 'Ronnie and Reggie' drug line, which supplied crack cocaine and heroin throughout the Vale of Glamorgan. He was identified after being caught on CCTV topping up data for one of the phones used to sell drugs. He was arrested on September 30 when officers spotted him in the passenger seat of a car at a McDonald's drive-through in Barry. A search of his home found a drug phone, crack cocaine, heroin, cash and high-value designer clothing.

Luke Jones, 28, of Cwmbach, Aberdare, crashed his Vauxhall Tigra through a fence in Llwydcoed, near Aberdare, on August 3, 2024, and flipped the car. He attempted to flee the scene with blood on his face, picking up scattered drug wraps containing class A drugs. Police located him nearby outside a Chinese takeaway. A search of his home revealed additional drug wraps, £2,315 cash, and drug paraphernalia.

Tanya Maria Nasir, 45, from Hertfordshire, lied about her qualifications, work experience, and military service to secure employment as a senior nurse in a neonatal unit at Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, starting in September 2019. Her deception began in 2010 when she failed to disclose a prior conviction while studying at Buckinghamshire New University, fabricating a letter from Hertfordshire Probation Service to continue her studies. She qualified in 2014 but falsely claimed 2010 registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. She provided false references, including fabricating her own from a Cadet Force email, and claimed non-existent military service including being shot twice overseas. Concerns arose in January 2020 during revalidation, leading to her suspension in February 2020. Investigations revealed she never attended three claimed universities, was not awarded a qualification from the fourth, and was not employed in claimed roles by previous employers. She also provided a false reference for another woman in July 2019. Arrested on 21 April 2021, her devices and documents were seized, leading to conviction.

Jodie Beer, a 30-year-old former prison officer at Parc Prison in Bridgend, was caught with a large amount of Class A, B, and C controlled drugs in her car in the prison carpark on 4 February 2022. The drugs were found in a zip lock bag with light brown powder and white tablets in the centre console, and in plastic bags disguised as orange juice cartons on the front passenger seat. She admitted being asked by a prisoner to smuggle the pre-packed drugs into the prison for £5,000, which she collected from an unknown person in a layby. Almost £4,000 in cash was seized from her address.

After arresting a suspect as part of a separate investigation, officers seized a phone which contained messages sent from Richards that subsequently linked him to the supply of Class A drugs to Ferndale and surrounding Rhondda areas. Detectives from the Mid Glamorgan Organised Crime Unit arrested Richards, from Llandough, on 7 February 2023. He was charged and remanded.

On October 22, 2023, 20-year-old Johnny Morgan from Merthyr Tydfil was pulled over by officers while driving a red Volvo on Avenue De Clichy. Messages on his phone confirmed he was en route to a drug deal. He was found hiding 40 wraps of cocaine in his underwear. Analysis of three seized mobile phones showed he was messaging 413 contacts offering crack cocaine and high-purity cocaine, instructing others on producing crack cocaine, and demanding bank cards and PIN numbers from customers to secure payment.

In July 2020, officers acting on intelligence forced entry to a property in Aberdare, containing two flats occupied by the Llewellyn brothers and their partners, including Sian Jones. During the search, officers located a quantity of heroin prepared for street deals, cash, and a number of mobile phones. The four were arrested and charged.

In July 2020, officers acting on intelligence forced entry to a property in Aberdare, containing two flats occupied by the Llewellyn brothers and their partners, including Hayley Lloyd. During the search, officers located a quantity of heroin prepared for street deals, cash, and a number of mobile phones. The four were arrested and charged.

In July 2020, officers acting on intelligence forced entry to a property in Aberdare, containing two flats occupied by Lee Llewellyn and his brother, along with their partners. During the search, officers located a quantity of heroin prepared for street deals, cash, and a number of mobile phones. The four were arrested and charged.

Thomas Doyle, 23, of Pontlottyn, was pursued by police through the south Wales valleys in a Vauxhall Astra. After the vehicle was stopped in Pontlottyn, Doyle fled into a wooded area carrying a blue carrier bag but was detained. Officers recovered 249g of cocaine, 20g of crack cocaine, and 238g of heroin (street value £50,620-£50,780), along with cash, phones, cannabis, a Canada Goose jacket, a machete, 19 nunchucks, and a metal baseball bat. Phone messages showed drug supply activity. He had developed a gambling problem leading to £15,000 debt after losing his job.

Tracy Johnson, 52, dishonestly claimed £10,557.96 in housing benefit and £1,686.20 from the council over a two-year period – over £12,000 in all. She said she was living in Hove and was a house-bound agoraphobic who was chronically afraid of other people. In fact, Ms Johnson was travelling the world, enjoying trips to Argentina, India, New York and Madrid. The fraud came to light when Brighton & Hove’s officers received a housing benefit claim from a third party claiming to rent Ms Johnson’s flat from her as she had gone travelling. Ms Johnson subsequently moved to Wales but continued to live abroad while claiming benefits in the UK. The combined overpayments to her were more than £50,000, with offences continuing up until 2012.

Ward facilitated payments through her bank accounts as part of the prison drug supply operation.

Police traced a mobile phone number connected to a drug dealing operation to Nicole Locke's home. Officers executed a warrant and found her in a bedroom alongside the phone used to operate the drugs line. Searches recovered a bag of white powder believed to be cocaine and £155 in cash, and a further search of her vehicle uncovered another bag of white powder, £180 in cash, and a Kinder Egg capsule containing additional white powder. She admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and crack cocaine and acquiring or using criminal property.