Swansea Crown Court Sentencing Results

Aleksander Cela was found in a disused restaurant in Swansea that had been converted into a commercial-scale cannabis farm with 903 plants worth up to £395,000. He had paid people smugglers to enter the UK illegally and was in debt to them. He was living in the premises and tending the plants, which included watering them, prior to a police raid on May 8, 2025. The operation involved sophisticated growing equipment across multiple floors.

On May 2, 2024, Mathew George Jones assaulted his 62-year-old neighbour in Penydre Road, Clydach, after involving himself in a dispute that was not his concern. He shouted abuse, grabbed the victim by the throat, took him to the ground, and repeatedly punched him in the head with considerable force, causing a broken nose, fractured eye socket, and a seven-centimetre gash on the forehead that required 17 stitches. The victim, who had undergone heart surgery months earlier, was left bleeding heavily, and neighbours failed to assist. Jones later gave a false account to police and the victim suffered ongoing anxiety, vision issues, and had to relocate from his home of 32 years.

On January 20, 2025, Lee Lock drove a VW Golf erratically, swerving across the road, clipping a kerb, and remaining stationary at green lights. He was seen staggering at a garage forecourt. Later, he lost control on a roundabout, causing a head-on crash into a van, which left the other driver trapped and injured. Additionally, a bladed article was found in his vehicle during a prior investigation in June 2024.

On 1 May 2023, during a Fleetwood Mac tribute performance at Swansea's Grand Theatre, Dean Snooks engaged in a verbal altercation with two brothers over disruptive behaviour, which escalated into a physical fight involving kicks and shoving a security guard. Police were called, and he was apprehended; victim impact statements highlighted anxiety and fear in the victims.

On February 26, 2025, Daniel Thyer was seen sitting on a grass bank near a children's play area in Morriston Park with his trousers around his ankles, masturbating while holding his mobile phone. He had been grooming a young boy by giving him vapes, money, and energy drinks, and had engaged in physical acts including putting his hands down the boy's trousers, pushing his erect penis into the boy from behind over his clothes, and touching the boy's bottom. There were no children in the play area at the time, but two teenage boys were nearby.

On 1 May 2023, at Swansea's Grand Theatre during a Fleetwood Mac tribute event, Jackie Snooks participated in a verbal dispute over disruptive behaviour that turned violent, involving a brawl with kicks despite attempts by theatre staff to intervene. Police were summoned, and victim statements noted the incident caused anxiety and fear.

Jamie Hancock, after his release from prison in late February, bombarded his ex-partner with up to 1,000 calls and text messages, including threats to 'smash up' and disfigure her face so nobody would want her. This harassment began after their 12-month relationship ended in October of the previous year and followed a prior restraining order. The victim reported being too scared to live normally, fearing for her safety both at home and outside.

On 1 May 2023, during a Fleetwood Mac tribute performance at Swansea's Grand Theatre, Kirsty Davies was involved in a verbal altercation over disruptive behaviour that escalated into a physical fight with kicks. Theatre staff tried to defuse the situation, but it persisted until police arrived; victims reported ongoing anxiety and fear of crowds.

Darren Richards used an AI 'undressing' app to digitally remove clothing from innocuous images of girls on Instagram, including from a 15th birthday party, making them appear naked. The offending came to light when the altered images were found on a phone he lent out, leading to his arrest and guilty plea. He had no prior convictions and expressed deep shame.

Tyrone Harding was released from prison on May 6, 2025, and on May 11, 2025, he was found in Brynmill Park, Swansea, in breach of his indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which prohibits him from entering any public park or recreational area. He was sitting on a bench near children playing, and he had failed to notify police of his post-release address as required by the sex offenders register. This incident is part of a pattern of repeated breaches and sexual offences dating back to 2015.

Brian and Frances Rowe made a fraudulent claim for Universal Credit in February 2019 by failing to disclose that Brian owned a second property worth approximately £170,000, which they were renting out for £500 per month. This omission led to them receiving £48,517 in overpayments they were not entitled to, between February 2019 and August 2023.

Ashley James Edwards broke into his ex-partner's house in the early hours of April 23, climbing through a window and shouting at her about her new relationship. He pinned her down on the couch, held a screwdriver to her throat, and dismissed her pleas regarding her young daughter. He then sent approximately 250 aggressive, abusive, and threatening texts and calls, including threats to kill and a photograph from her back garden, which he accessed by climbing over a neighbour's fence. The victim reported feeling like she was walking on eggshells during their relationship due to relentless abuse and cocaine use, and she stated his actions shattered her life and her daughter's.

Brian and Frances Rowe made a fraudulent claim for Universal Credit in February 2019 by failing to disclose that Brian owned a second property worth approximately £170,000, which they were renting out for £500 per month. This omission led to them receiving £48,517 in overpayments they were not entitled to, between February 2019 and August 2023.

John Joseph McEvoy subjected his partner to a three-year campaign of abuse starting from April 2022, which included placing a tracking device in her car, repeatedly assaulting her in various locations such as hotels in Swansea, Cardiff, and Bridgend, threatening her with machetes and knives, suffocating her with a pillow on Christmas Eve, making threats to kill and harm her family, and engaging in controlling behaviour such as demanding lie detector tests and following her to Essex. The abuse involved physical violence, verbal degradation, and psychological manipulation, leaving her an emotional wreck.

On August 19, 2023, Samuel Bolton punched a seated man in the face at the Pontardawe Inn pub in Pontardawe during an altercation involving his brother, leading to a scuffle where the victim fell to the floor. The victim suffered a fractured eye socket, bleeding in the eye, and deteriorated vision, which impacted his ability to participate in kickboxing and caused emotional distress. Bolton was on bail for a similar prior incident in April 2022 at the Bambu bar in Swansea, where he punched another man and fractured his eye socket.

Brogan Scarfe admitted causing unnecessary suffering to pigs, sheep, poultry and dogs kept on her land between 25 January 2022 and 18 April 2023. The animals were reported to be so malnourished that they started trying to eat each other.

Richard Scarfe admitted causing unnecessary suffering to pigs, sheep, poultry and dogs kept on his land between 25 January 2022 and 18 April 2023. The animals were reported to be so malnourished that they started trying to eat each other. He had previously been disqualified from keeping animals.

On 5 March 2025, Anthony John Felton, a headteacher, armed himself with a metal wrench at his school and sought out the victim, a colleague. While the victim sat in a chair, Felton paced behind him and struck him multiple times to the head with the weapon. Colleagues heard the disturbance and called emergency services. The victim suffered a cut to the head requiring hospital treatment. Felton pleaded guilty to attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.

Peter Gilmore drove dangerously on the A487 between Aberystwyth and Llanrhystud, hitting the kerb and swerving over the central white line, narrowly missing oncoming traffic. He later turned onto the B4337 towards Lampeter and, in the Talsarn area, went around a bend on the wrong side of the road, causing a head-on collision that left the other driver seriously injured. He refused to provide a blood sample while in police custody.

Anthony Felton, the headteacher of St Joseph's Roman Catholic Comprehensive in Aberavon, Neath Port Talbot, attacked his deputy, the victim, with a metal wrench on March 5, 2025, after discovering that the victim was the father of a fellow teacher's child and was in a relationship with the same teacher. The two had been friends and colleagues for 15 years. Felton struck the victim from behind, causing minor injuries that required hospital treatment, and later apologised via email to staff.

Wayne Evans, a registered sex offender, was flagged by the National Crime Agency in January 2024 for downloading indecent images of children via a Kik messaging app account linked to his email. Police arrested him at his home in Llandysul, Carmarthenshire, on January 28, 2024. Forensic examination of his Samsung Galaxy phone revealed 13 Category A images depicting the most serious forms of child rape and sexual abuse, eight Category B images, and two Category C images, involving children aged four to 12 years old. Evans has a history of six previous convictions for 23 offences, including a 15-year sentence in 2002 for rape of a child under 16, attempted rape, gross indecency, and five counts of indecent assault.

On 21 June 2023, Bridget Carole Curtis, a 70-year-old motorist from Begelly, Pembrokeshire, lost control of her car while dropping off her daughter at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest. She turned to help her daughter retrieve a handbag from the rear seat whilst still controlling the vehicle's pedals, causing the car to accelerate forwards and collide with a group of pedestrians. The vehicle struck a pram containing the eight-month-old victim, who later died of her injuries on the same day.

Bridget Curtis lost control of her car at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest on 21 June 2023 while turning to help her daughter retrieve a handbag from the rear seat. The vehicle accelerated forward and struck a group of pedestrians, including a pram carrying an eight-month-old baby who later died from injuries.

Tracy Francis helped Christopher Cooper cover up the murder of the victim by leaving the scene with him, concealing or disposing of their clothes, and booking a hotel to evade the police. She was found guilty of assisting an offender after a trial.

Mateusz Sikorski drove a BMW on the wrong side of the road on the A4139 at Penally near Tenby on September 2, 2024, colliding head-on with a taxi driven by the victim, a 57-year-old father-of-five. CCTV footage confirmed his vehicle was on the wrong side, and the victim died at the scene from traumatic injuries.