The criminals jailed for crimes in west Wales in November
The defendants were locked up for charges including causing death by dangerous driving, rape, making indecent images of children, burglaries, talking to children online, trafficking cocaine, and growing cannabis. They were jailed for more than 37-and-a-half years combined.
Here's a round-up of their cases.
Nathan John
He was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in the early hours of October 2, 2022, after they had been out drinking in Milford Haven the night before, and also raping a second 16-year-old on May 16 this year when walking with her in Haverfordwest under the guise of walking her back to her friends.[2] The jury heard John unleashed "a frenzy of sexual violence" against the first victim, and told the second victim 'If you don't do it I'm going to kill you' - having shown her earlier in the walk that he was carrying a knife. The court was told that John, now 19, "didn't care if they consented or not" and "doesn't take no for an answer".
Both victims reported the rapes immediately. When he was arrested and at trial, John claimed the girls had consented[3]. The court heard that John, now 19, "didn't care if they consented or not" and "doesn't take no for an answer". John, of Richard John Road in Milford Haven, was found guilty of three offences of rape, as well as sexual assault by penetration, sexual assault, and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent following a trial.[4]
He also admitted two offences of making indecent images of children - relating to a Category B and a Category C picture - and possessing extreme pornography - involving a video depicting bestiality - after the trial. Judge Huw Rees jailed John for an extended 20-year sentence, made up of 16 years in custody at a Young Offender Institute and four years on licence.[5] He must register as a sex offender for life, and was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
Each of the victims were granted life-long restraining orders against him.
Mateusz Sikorski
Swansea Crown Court heard that a BMW being driven by Sikorski had been travelling on the wrong side of the road "for at least half a mile" before crashing in to Mr Boyle's taxi. Sikorski - an Italian national born in Poland - initially said he was on the correct side of the road. However, he later told officers: 'I think it may have been my fault.
I think I was on the wrong side of the road'. Despite the efforts of the fire service and paramedics, Mr Boyle was pronounced dead at the scene at 11.32pm. Sikorski pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving[7].
The defendant, who had been staying in Pembrokeshire whilst looking for work at a local restaurant, was also disqualified from driving for six years and two months[8], and must pass an extended retest if he is to regain his licence.
Wayne Mansbridge
Sentencing Mansbridge, Judge Huw Rees branded the defendant's sexual interest in children as "unhealthy" and "degenerate". Police attended Mansbridge's home on June 26 last year and arrested him in relation to an unrelated matter which has since been discontinued. His phone was seized and analysed, and 149 indecent pictures and videos of children were found on Mansbridge's phone - which involved children as young as eight years old.
Mansbridge attended Haverfordwest Police Station on January 5 this year relating to the unrelated matter, and was then further arrested for possession of the indecent images. He pleaded guilty to three offences of possessing indecent images of children - of categories A, B and C - and two offences of making indecent images - of categories B and C - of children. Mansbridge must register as a sex offender for 10 years[10], and was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
Bernard Jones
Bernard Jones, 67, was caught trafficking cocaine worth up to GBP420,000 in to south Wales from Merseyside. Jones' van was stopped by police on the A4067 at Ystalyfera on September 21. Inside, officers found a 1.1kg block of cocaine.
Upon searching the vehicle further, another 11 blocks of cocaine were found concealed underneath a panel in the back of the van. The court was told the 1.1kg block of cocaine would be worth between GBP27,000 and GBP35,000 when sold on the streets, whilst the total value of the 12 blocks could be between GBP324,000 and GBP420,000. Jones, of Naylorsfield Drive in Liverpool, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine on a basis that he had been paid GBP300 to deliver 1kg of cocaine to an address in Swansea and was unaware of the other 11kgs of drugs stashed in the car.
This basis of plea was accepted by the prosecution, and Jones was jailed for four years and four months[11].
Freeman Sithole
Freeman Sithole, 26, of no fixed abode, sent a picture of his penis and explicit messages to who he thought was a teenage girl on a dating app. Sithole, formerly of Llanybydder, messaged a profile which claimed to be a 14-year-old girl on the SweetMeet dating app on August 24. It had actually been set up by a member of a paedophile hunter group.
The decoy told the defendant she was 14, and he replied: 'You are very young', before adding: 'My d*** is very big sweetheart'. Sithole then sent a "series of messages of a sexual nature", including asking if he could have sex with the 'girl', inviting her to visit him, asked the 'girl' to send pictures of herself, and sending her a picture of his penis. He was located by a paedophile hunter group, this was passed on to the police and he was arrested.
The defendant pleaded guilty to attempting to sexually communicate with a child, and was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment[12]. He must register as a sex offender for 10 years, and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.
Brian Davis
Davis and his accomplice broke in to Sinclair Garages in the early hours of April 2 last year, and they made off with a Mercedes CLA, an Audi A1, an Audi Q3, and a Volkswagen Tiguan. The pair forced their way in to the back of the business, and pried open the board where the keys were stored with a crowbar, and nine sets of keys were stolen. The Volkswagen Tiguan - worth GBP36,577, Audi A1 and Audi Q3 were recovered the following day, whilst the Mercedes CLA, worth GBP12,382, was only found in January of this year.[13]
The total cost of just replacing the locks on the cars for which the keys had been stolen was GBP5,541, whilst the stolen cars were valued at around GBP90,000 combined. Police officers found a glove in the footwell of one of the cars which provided partial prints for the defendant's left ring and index fingers. Davis was arrested after he attended Haverfordwest Police Station on August 14 this year.
He was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment[14] after pleading guilty to three offences of non-dwelling burglary[15].
Armando Beti
Inside, they found a total of 594 cannabis plants growing. The defendant was previously jailed for 14 months in May 2022 for producing cannabis as part of "a significant operation in Cardiff". Judge Geraint Walters said Beti had been released from his sentence early after notifying the Home Office he "wanted to return to his home country as quickly as possible".[17]
"The state therefore paid for the cost of your return to Albania," Judge Walters said. However, he was then jailed for 16 months at Canterbury Crown Court in August 2023 for knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order after he was caught being smuggled in to the country in a lorry. The 37-year-old, of no fixed abode, the re-emerged at the cannabis factory in Pembroke Dock, and pleaded guilty to being concerned in the production of cannabis.
He was jailed for two years and eight months[18]. Judge Walters added that it would be up to the Home Office if and when Beti will be deported.
Graham Potter
Graham Potter, 42, of Vine Road in Johnston, breached a restraining order by sending his ex-partner a series of messages over a four-day period. "Nasty bully" Potter had been barred from contacting his former partner for two years after he was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison on January 2 for assaulting her and smashing her TV.[19]
Potter messaged his ex-partner at around midday on October 11 asking her to message him back. The victim didn't reply and contacted the police. The following day, Potter sent her "a series of text messages", including asking her what he had done wrong and asking for her to call him back.
The victim told him: 'Stop phoning me'. Potter continued to message the victim over the next two days, telling her that he "loved her" and "didn't know what to do with himself" without her. In a further message, he threatened to take his own life if she didn't call him back.
The victim reported Potter to the police again on October 14, and he was arrested the following day - having sent her approximately 21 messages over the four-day period. He admitted breaching the restraining order[20], and was jailed for a total of 48 weeks for breaching the restraining order and breaching a suspended sentence order[21].
Amarildo Daja
Daja, of no fixed abode, was arrested at the scene when police raided at the former Lloyds Pharmacy building - which had been left vacant - on Main Street in Pembroke at around 10am on Friday, October 18.[22] Officers found around 575 cannabis plants growing inside, and Daja pleaded guilty to being concerned in the production of cannabis. A drugs expert estimated that the plants could have produced up to 45 kilograms of cannabis, which would have had a potential street value of "just over GBP500,000".[23]
Police seized two mobile phones in the raid, however one had been wiped and the other had been damaged. In his interview, 27-year-old Daja told the police he had paid a criminal gang to smuggle him in to the UK by lorry. He had worked in London for a time, but was not earning enough to pay off his debt to the gang, so agreed to move to Pembrokeshire and work at the cannabis farm three months prior to his arrest.
He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment[24], and was told that the Home Office will make a decision on if and when he is deported.
Spencer Lepetit
Spencer Lepetit, 35, of Hawthorn Rise in Haverfordwest, repeatedly phoned and left flowers for his ex-partner and showed up at her home, despite being barred from doing so by the police. Lepetit was in a brief relationship with the victim between June and August this year. However, she ended things "because of the defendant's needy and clingy nature".
When he went to collect his things from her home, he then sat outside her home in his car for around half an hour. The court heard that the pair briefly reconciled, however this ended shortly afterwards. As Lepetit went to collect his things again on August 16, the defendant "became paranoid about there being another person there".
He was arrested and released on bail on the condition of not contacting his ex-partner. Despite this, Lepetit showed up at her home on September 4 and left flowers on her doorstep, before phoning her from a withheld number the following day. The victim reported that flowers were left outside her house again the following week, and the defendant called her again from a withheld number on September 15.
She answered, and told him not to contact her again. Two days later, Lepetit was caught on the victim's Ring doorbell walking up and down her street for around an hour and 10 minutes, before then being seen attempting to duck under the camera's field of vision. He pleaded guilty to stalking[25], and was sentenced to 63 days imprisonment[26].
His victim was granted a five-year restraining order against him.
Graham Sypliwtchak
By ripping out the piping, he caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the address. The defendant, 50, of Alltywerin in Pontardawe, admitted burglary and criminal damage The court heard Sypliwtchak had more than 60 previous convictions for 208 offences.
Sypliwtchak was jailed for 27 months for burglary, and 18 months - running concurrently - for criminal damage[27].
Callum Williams
Callum Williams claimed to police his partner had fallen down the stairs after he assaulted her and left her "battered and bruised". Concerns were raised by the victim's aunt on the evening of September 8 after she felt the victim's messages weren't making sense. After calling the victim, she then contacted the victim's mum.
When the victim's mum was unable to contact her, they arranged to go to her home to check on her. As they arrived, Williams left the property and "appeared to be intoxicated". Inside, the victim's family found her lying on the floor.
"She had blood on the left-hand side of her face and ear and was going in and out of consciousness" and told them that Williams had assaulted her, the court heard. The police and ambulance were called, and the victim had to be immobilised by paramedics as she was taken to hospital. Williams was stopped in the Waunarlwydd area of Swansea at just after 10pm.
When breathalysed, he recorded having 57 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35. He told officers "I didn't do anything to her, she had fallen down the stairs", Ms Parry said.
Williams, 29, of Tanydarren in Cilmaengwyn, admitted an offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment. The victim was granted a three-year restraining order against him. Previously, at Swansea Magistrates' Court on September 9, Williams admitted drink driving and was disqualified for 16 months.
He was also fined GBP500 and was ordered to pay a GBP200 surcharge and GBP85 in costs.
Oscar Allen
Fisherman Oscar Allen admitted escaping lawful custody and criminal damage - relating to his curfew monitoring ankle tag - following an incident whilst he was on bail.[28] Allen was on bail awaiting trial for a series of offences against his now ex-partner[29] - for which he was acquitted[30]. A term of Allen's bail was that he was subject to a curfew between 7pm and 4am - which he breached on July 12.
Police attended Allen's address at just after 3am on July 17 and arrested him. They allowed the defendant to get dressed, but he "jumped headlong out of a window". The defendant was found around 40 minutes later.
He asked the officers to adjust his handcuffs, and then attempted, unsuccessfully, to make another escape. The court heard that Allen had breached his curfew due to his fishing ship suffering engine failure. The court was told Allen's actions were "born out of a sense of panic" rather than a genuine attempt to evade capture.
Allen was sentenced to four months for escaping lawful custody and one month, running concurrently, for damaging his electronic tag[31].
He had admitted criminal damage relating to his ex-partner's washing machine and mobile phone, for which he was fined GBP200 and was ordered to pay GBP269 in compensation.
References
- ^ here (www.facebook.com)
- ^ He was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in the early hours of October 2, 2022, after they had been out drinking in Milford Haven the night before, and also raping a second 16-year-old on May 16 this year when walking with her in Haverfordwest under the guise of walking her back to her friends. (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ When he was arrested and at trial, John claimed the girls had consented (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ John, of Richard John Road in Milford Haven, was found guilty of three offences of rape, as well as sexual assault by penetration, sexual assault, and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent following a trial. (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Judge Huw Rees jailed John for an extended 20-year sentence, made up of 16 years in custody at a Young Offender Institute and four years on licence. (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ jailed for two years and four months (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Sikorski pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ The defendant, who had been staying in Pembrokeshire whilst looking for work at a local restaurant, was also disqualified from driving for six years and two months (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Mansbridge, 57, of Oak Grove in Twycross, was sentenced to a total of 14 months after being found with 149 pictures and videos of child sexual abuse on his phone. (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Mansbridge must register as a sex offender for 10 years (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Jones was jailed for four years and four months (www.southwalesguardian.co.uk)
- ^ was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment (www.tivysideadvertiser.co.uk)
- ^ The Volkswagen Tiguan - worth GBP36,577, Audi A1 and Audi Q3 were recovered the following day, whilst the Mercedes CLA, worth GBP12,382, was only found in January of this year. (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ He was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ pleading guilty to three offences of non-dwelling burglary (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ police raided an address on Dimond Street on October 3 (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Judge Geraint Walters said Beti had been released from his sentence early after notifying the Home Office he "wanted to return to his home country as quickly as possible". (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ He was jailed for two years and eight months (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ "Nasty bully" Potter had been barred from contacting his former partner for two years after he was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison on January 2 for assaulting her and smashing her TV. (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ He admitted breaching the restraining order (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ was jailed for a total of 48 weeks for breaching the restraining order and breaching a suspended sentence order (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ when police raided at the former Lloyds Pharmacy building - which had been left vacant - on Main Street in Pembroke at around 10am on Friday, October 18. (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ A drugs expert estimated that the plants could have produced up to 45 kilograms of cannabis, which would have had a potential street value of "just over GBP500,000". (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ He pleaded guilty to stalking (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ was sentenced to 63 days imprisonment (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Sypliwtchak was jailed for 27 months for burglary, and 18 months - running concurrently - for criminal damage (www.southwalesguardian.co.uk)
- ^ admitted escaping lawful custody and criminal damage - relating to his curfew monitoring ankle tag - following an incident whilst he was on bail. (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ a series of offences against his now ex-partner (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ he was acquitted (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Allen was sentenced to four months for escaping lawful custody and one month, running concurrently, for damaging his electronic tag (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)