THE HERALD FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10 2017
Like us on Facebook
facebook.com/thepembrokeshireherald
A WOMAN who claimed
‘Trump was right’ while racially abusing a police officer attended court this week to face three charges. Cherish Watts, aged 25, of
Hamilton Terrace, Milford Haven attended Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court (Feb 7). She pleaded guilty to damaging a taxi, assaulting a police officer and causing harassment, alarm, or distress in a racial manner. Sian Vaughan, prosecuting, said
that the police were called to Milford Haven at approximately 2am last Saturday (Feb 4). Watts had previously been
banned from Hamiltons and the Astoria nightclub, as well as the majority of licenced places on the BOBB scheme. She had been being ‘a nuisance’
outside the Astoria and had been seen jumping up and down on a taxi before throwing a bottle at its window. When police arrived, Watts was
standing by the nightclub. She was handcuffed and put into the police car. She struggled and tried to bite one of the officers. Ms Vaughan added that Watts
shouted, “He’s only arresting me because I’m white, the Chinese p***k,” before telling the male officer that she would find his daughters and ‘torch them’. Watts also called the officer a
‘Chinese paedophile’ and said that ‘the Chinese were impregnating all the white people’, before stating that
of the
‘Trump was right’. Mike Kelleher, defending
Watts, said that this ‘unusual situation’ started off as a ‘righteous indignation’. The defendant wanted to get
police attention for an unrelated matter and did so by throwing a bottle at the taxi. “She wanted the police called but
went about it the wrong way,” said Mr Kelleher, stating that a ‘red mist’ had come down. He added that Watts had not
said that she would set the officer’s children ‘on fire’, but ‘put them out for hire’. The court also heard that Watts does not accept that she is a racist. Julie Norman of the probation
service said that the defendant was extremely apologetic before going on to explain that all offences that Watts commits are under the influence of alcohol. Magistrates fined Watts £120
for the racist harassment and issued a community order for the other offences. The order will last 12 months and
will include a 20 day rehabilitation activity requirement and a curfew of 7pm to 7am for three months. The bench awarded £100
compensation to the taxi driver and a further £100 to the officer the defendant assaulted. Watts will also pay £85 in
prosecution costs and an £85 victim surcharge.
MEMBERS
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park will visit the Blackpool Mill site before making a decision on the application to restore the building. The application was brought
before the Park’s Development Management Committee on Wednesday, February 8. Cllr Rob Lewis described it as a
‘major development’ and suggested that the committee visit the site in Narberth and that was supported by a unanimous vote. Bluestone National Park Resort
unveiled plans for the site in January which are set to cost around £2.5m. The plans will see the existing
Mill restored and converted to provide a heritage storage facility.
There will also be a light narrow
gauge railway with platform and an all-weather events barn which will be constructed. Two ancillary buildings,
including the miller's cottage, will also be brought back to life, and community and cultural events will be held in the riverside meadow. Blackpool Mill is currently lying
disused and in a state of disrepair having last been used during the Second World War but a full set of machinery still survives. The plans are sympathetic to
the site's heritage and ecology and the building expected to open to the public in the autumn once plans are approved. The site visit is scheduled to take place on Monday, February 27.
A RETROSPECTIVE planning
application for a timber lodge in Wisemans Bridge has been refused by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The Park’s Development
Management Committee were presented with the application, recommended for approval, on Wednesday, February 8, but members had a number of concerns about the site. Those concerns included the cesspit,
the inappropriate design and the impact on the surrounding landscape. A caravan was previously placed on
the site and a certificate of lawfulness was also granted but since then a timber lodge has been built without permission. Officers stated that the lodge
does fall as a caravan under building regulations but councillors were not convinced that the new lodge could be classed as a caravan. Objecting to the plans, Mr Tony
Dinan said: “Planning was turned down previously for a bungalow but this structure is in fact a small bungalow. This is a sneaky way of putting a bungalow on a caravan site.” Mr Dinan also revealed that he
had received a phone call from the developers asking if they could knock down his wall to get to the caravan site but when that was refused developers eventually took down a hedge row at the other end of the site. There is also a 3800 litre cesspit
installed but Mr Dinan added that if two people occupied the site, it would have to be emptied every 14 days and if there were six people on the site it would have to be emptied every four days. Cllr Mike Evans was concerned
about the close proximity of the building to the lane and said: “It is unacceptable to site a residential building in close proximity to somebody else’s property.” Cllr Tony Wilcox added: “This is not a caravan, someone has taken an
Councillors in council tax arrears EIGHT county councillors in
Pembrokeshire have been issued with reminders regarding unpaid council tax since 2012, new figures have shown. Obtained via a freedom of
information request by BBC News, the figures revealed that a total of 17 arrears reminders were sent by
Pembrokeshire County Council to eight different councillors during this period. Since 2011, nearly 400 reminders
were issued to councillors across Wales, some of whom were in arrears of over £1,000. A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesperson said: “Councillors
are treated no differently to other members of the public in terms of non–payment of Council Tax payment.” Last year, councillors voted to
increase the council tax precept by five per cent (the maximum increase allowed in any given year), which will take effect on April 1.
informed liberty with the regulations. We’re all aware that Wisemans Bridge has suffered historically because of the amount of sewage. “The tank is only 3800 litres and if
eight people are on the site it will have to be emptied every three-four days and that is just not viable.” Cllr Michael Williams said: “This
is entirely inappropriate. The landscape impact will be very marked, mitigation is impossible because of the way the fence is sited along the lane and I feel sorry for planning officers who have been put in an impossible situation. “This is a very special part of the
National Park which deserves the level of protection normally afforded and if we allow this we would be failing to uphold the basis of National Park planning. No mitigation could make up for this.” Cllr Lyn Jenkins asked: “Does this mean that anyone who has a caravan
can decide to go and build a chalet? I think it’s a precedent we should be very careful not to set.” Cllr Evans went to say that this was
a ‘poor development’ while Cllr Wilcox added that ‘it shouldn’t be there’. Amroth Community Council had
also said that they cannot support the application as the developers had not replaced the caravan like for like. It was also mentioned that the
applicant may appeal any decision to refuse but Cllr Reg Owens said that the threat of an appeal shouldn’t be hanging over them and that they should stand by their beliefs. The application was initially moved
for approval but only three voted in favour with eight voting against and one abstention. It was then proposed that the
application be refused and that was supported by twelve votes with one voting against.
5 News
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
