Swansea Crown Court Sentencing Results

Carl Rago attacked his partner at a home in Haverfordwest in the early hours of May 25. The couple had been in a relationship for about eight weeks. After drinking at a public house in Haverfordwest, an argument developed after Rago kept the victim awake while taking cocaine. As they lay in bed, Rago wrapped his arm around the victim's neck in a chokehold, then blamed her, saying she made him do it. He subjected the victim to a second, more forceful chokehold during which she could not breathe and believed she was about to die. She fled the property and police arrested Rago around 6am. Rago admitted intentional strangulation.

Christopher Wright, a former soldier, kept a large collection of weapons at his home in Ystradgynlais, including revolvers, shotguns, a rifle, two Samurai swords and an AK-47. After an incident on February 22, officers searched the property and found weapons in accessible places including a bedroom, garden shed and a glass-fronted cabinet. Wright had buried military-style ammunition boxes in the garden and set up a tripwire alarm using a blank shotgun shell. In December 2025 he began buying firearms and making his own ammunition, used threats of suicide involving firearms, and pointed a Colt revolver at his partner's head and then at himself. He was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, comprising five years for possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and a consecutive two years for possessing a firearm without a certificate.

Elisha Chikwezvero, a computer science student, downloaded child sexual abuse and bestiality images from the dark web between September 2022 and December 2024. A specialist online crime unit raided his accommodation and seized his phones. He admitted bulk downloading pornographic images and storing them in a secure vault on his phone. He was also made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and will be a registered sex offender for the same period.

Joshua Pope, known as 'log book Josh', was involved with a significant number of stolen cars. His main role was obtaining fraudulent registration documents for the vehicles. He was also convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Daniel Peter Bryant was actively involved in stealing cars for the gang, acting on instructions from the group's leader and on his own initiative. He was also concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis.

Jake Barry Thomas was actively involved in stealing cars for the gang, acting on instructions from the group's leader and on his own initiative. He offered to sell stolen cars and was asked to look for Range Rovers and Jaguars in particular. Phone evidence detailed his involvement in supplying heroin, ketamine, cocaine and cannabis.

Michael Brain was responsible for collecting goods from suppliers across the border for the car theft operation, making multiple journeys during May and June 2025 at the direction of the group's leader. ANPR and communication data evidenced those trips. He was also involved in a separate conspiracy to supply cocaine and other drugs. Heroin seized when he was arrested had been adulterated with a potent veterinary sedative whose effects cannot be reversed by Naloxone.

Mumen Khan worked delivering vehicles for a car dealership during the conspiracy. He made regular trips to the West Midlands to collect stolen Land Rovers and Range Rovers for the gang and on occasions tipped off other members about the locations of customers' cars he had just delivered.

Sean Dennis McCabe ran an organised crime group that stole high-value cars including Jaguars, Mercedes, Range Rovers and Land Rovers across Wales and England over a 10-month period. The gang used electronic devices to bypass keyless entry systems, cloned number plates, changed VINs, resprayed or rebadged vehicles, and obtained fraudulent DVLA registration documents. McCabe bought a plate-making machine and keyless-entry bypass devices, and was also involved in the commercial-scale supply of cocaine and cannabis. His phone contained messages about multi-kilo drug quantities and plans to use drones to deliver drugs to prisons, and he had contact with drugs gangs in Essex.

Ashley John posed as a teenage sheep farmer on Snapchat under the name Dillwyn Richards and sent sexual messages, explicit images, and videos to an account he believed belonged to a 12-year-old girl. The account was actually a decoy operated by police. During chats in October 2024 he sent pictures of himself and videos of himself masturbating, requested indecent photos, made sexual comments, and encouraged the child to perform a sexual act. He was arrested and later pleaded guilty.

Christopher Ponting attended Swansea Crown Court as a member of the public during a murder trial involving a man he had befriended while previously incarcerated. He filmed inside the courtroom, including members of the jury and the judge, causing the murder trial to collapse and be restarted. He admitted a gross contempt of court.

Matthew Membury acted as the driver and principal seller of the stolen tin ingots. He made repeated visits to the Tata Steel plant in a van, collecting almost 49 tonnes of ingots over 15 months. He sold the metal to dealers across Wales and England, depositing £744,000 into his bank account, and distributed the cash. He received £339,770 for his role. When arrested on 11 October 2024, police found three swords in his van. He initially failed to attend sentencing on 2 June 2026, and was sentenced on 12 June 2026.

Over an extended period, Swansea Council investigated animal welfare concerns at Erasmus' field at Bolgoed Road, Pontarddulais. Officers found pigs and goats kept in old windowless shipping containers awash with liquid faeces, urine, and rotting food, and outdoor pens which were just mud. Several pigs died after being removed from his care. Erasmus continued to buy animals after previous removals. The charges covered 27 goats, kids, and pigs. He also disposed of animal by-products including bones, skeletons, and entrails in a watercourse.

Thomas Ashford, 35, a cast house supervisor at Tata Steel in Trostre, Llanelli, conspired with colleagues to steal 50 tonnes of tin ingots worth almost £1.2 million between July 2023 and October 2024. He used a forklift to load the ingots into a transit van driven by co-conspirator Matthew Membury. Ashford orchestrated the scheme and admitted it was his idea. He was arrested in October 2024 and kept over £250,000 from the sales.

Stewart Jones, 56, a security supervisor at Tata Steel in Trostre, Llanelli, abused his position to facilitate the theft of 50 tonnes of tin ingots worth almost £1.2 million between July 2023 and October 2024. He provided a fake ID for Matthew Membury to enter the site and sent messages to alert him when the site was safe. Jones was arrested in October 2024 and received more than £80,000 in proceeds.

Andrew Eldred, a 35-year-old personal trainer from Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, contacted a vulnerable 15-year-old girl via Instagram in March 2024 under the pretence of offering personal training. He rapidly escalated contact, groomed her, and engaged in sexual activity with her. He sent controlling and coercive messages calling himself her 'king' and 'pimp', and referring to her as his 'slave'. He incited her to perform sexual acts on camera and insisted she keep their contact hidden from her parents. After the girl's mother confronted him and after police arrested and released him on bail, he continued messaging the girl. He deleted evidence before handing his phone to officers. He was convicted at trial and sentenced to 11 years in prison, placed on the sex offenders' register for life, and made subject to a 15-year sexual harm prevention order.

On 1 April 2026, Daniel Pridmore and the victim were involved in an altercation inside a flat in Swansea. Pridmore armed himself with a bicycle spoke and the violence moved onto High Street. Witnesses saw Pridmore thrust the spoke towards the victim's neck in a punching motion. A bystander intervened. Pridmore was arrested and later pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon.

On 24 January 2026, Matthew Draper, aged 40 and living in a hostel for people with complex needs on The Strand in Swansea city centre run by The Wallich charity, set fire to lockers against an external wall using a source of ignition and an aerosol as accelerant shortly before 4.45pm. He stayed at the scene to watch the blaze take hold. The flames reached a window 15ft above ground but did not enter the building. Staff alerted emergency services, the hostel was evacuated, and the fire was extinguished quickly. Draper told his support worker earlier that day he wanted to return to prison for three square meals a day and gym access. He was arrested and answered no comment in interview.

Jamie McCallum, 46, of Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire, distributed hundreds of indecent images of children using an online messaging service to share the material with 29 contacts over several months.

John Langdon, 63, a care worker from Machynlleth, sent sexually explicit AI-generated videos to someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl on a chat app; the profile was operated by a paedophile hunter group.