Nerys Lloyd: Details of fatal paddleboarding trip instructor's police sacking revealed
Police have revealed details around the dismissal of the co-instructor in a fatal paddleboarding trip.
Nerys Lloyd was jailed last month for the gross negligence manslaughter of Paul O'Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40.
The 39-year-old had also pleaded guilty to one offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The four were of the River Cleddau in Pembrokeshire.
They got into difficulty after their paddleboards passed over a weir in the town of Haverfordwest during "extremely hazardous conditions" in October 2021.
Lloyd was the owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd, the firm which had organised the tour.
The defendant, who worked as a firearms officer for South Wales Police, was separately accused of breaching the standards of professional behaviour.
The misconduct hearing took place on 14 January 2022, but the publication of the outcome was postponed.
Now that criminal proceedings have concluded, South Wales Police has published the outcome of the hearing, which details that Lloyd was accused of making a fraudulent insurance claim.
Lloyd was dismissed without notice and placed on the police barred list.
The decision on the outcome, compiled after the hearing, states that Lloyd did not attend it and neither had she submitted a written response to the allegations.
Lloyd made a claim against the South Wales Police Federation group insurance scheme for her vehicle's repair costs.
The cost of the work to repair the vehicle was somewhere between £16 and £20 but the insurance claim made by Lloyd was for £577.55.
Read more from Sky News:
The report into her dismissal states that, when the matter came to light, she admitted her wrongdoing and immediately apologised.
She was interviewed under caution on 11 October 2021, less than three weeks before the fatal paddleboarding tour.
When interviewed by police, Lloyd said she had made a "massive error of judgement" in relation to the insurance claim and she later repaid the amount in full.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Molotov cocktail police attacker jailed for life
A man who tried to murder a police officer while armed with Molotov cocktails has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years. Alexander Dighton, 28 from Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, was wearing body armour when he carried out the attack outside Talbot Green police station in January. Counter terror police said Dighton was interviewed by officers a year before the attack, but was believed not to be a threat. Dighton injured several officers and admitted trying to murder a police officer with a knife and was sentenced at the Old Bailey in London. Due to the time Dighton spent on remand he will spend a minimum term of 21 years and 235 days before he can be considered for parole. The court heard he was also made subject of terrorist notification requirements for 30 years. Judge Mark Lucraft KC said the crimes committed by Dighton "satisfies all the offences have terrorist connections." "You targeted the police as a keystone of government power," he added. He added Dighton had wanted to make a statement that the government had failed in its duties to uphold law and order and his attack had involved "significant planning" with the intent of "serious violence". "I note your online activity shows increasing fixation on issues like diversity, paedophilia, immigration, anti-Islamic sentiment and dissatisfaction with the British government," he added. Frank Ferguson, head of CPS special crime and counter terrorism division, said: "By his own admission he wanted to take the life of a police officer, to cause damage and spill blood." Dighton arrived at Talbot Green police station in January armed with a hatchet, a pole and Molotov cocktails. Brandishing his weapons, he told PC Stephanie Fleming, who confronted him: "I'm fed up, I'm done." Dighton threw one Molotov cocktail at a police van, but it failed to ignite, so he poured petrol onto another and set it alight. He then used a long wooden pole to smash the van's windows. Dighton was tasered and sprayed with Pava spray, but it had no effect. He attacked Sgt Richard Coleman in the station foyer, hitting him in the head with the pole, and then punched Det Con Joshua Emlyn. At this point three police officers attempted to restrain Dighton, and he stabbed Det Con Jack Cotton in the leg, wounding him. Dighton represented himself in court at a previous hearing and admitted attempted murder with a knife, attempted arson, attacking two other police officers, and threatening a third - pleading guilty to a total of 11 charges. Two officers were treated in hospital for their injuries. The judge told the Old Bailey on Friday the officers were in a state of shock and some thought they were going to die. Before sentencing, Ch Supt Stephen Jones, of South Wales Police, said the officers were doing "remarkably well", but said it has had a "profound impact" on their families. "Ultimately officers are public servants, but they're also fathers, mothers, wives and husbands and sons and daughters, and the impact on their families has been really heartfelt," he said. "We face these perils, and quite often unexpectedly", he said. He said the officers had to respond to a "committed, lone individual who was exceptionally aggressive". After, Ch Supt Jones insisted Talbot Green remained a "very safe and quiet area" but acknowledged it had experienced two separate major incidents within a few weeks of each other. "We have increased patrols and increased the number of officers working out of Talbot Green to protect the community," he added. At a previous court hearing Dighton told the judge, Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb: "Authority is not my problem - but the use of authority that I have seen since I was 15, that is my problem." Dighton was motivated by anti-government ideology, and when he was arrested he said: "I've been damned from birth." Police believe Dighton began planning his attack a month before the incident. When his home in Pontyclun, was searched journals containing anti-immigrant ideologies and a return to "traditional" society were found. Dighton was already known to counter-terrorism police in Wales, he was interviewed by officers a year before the attack. He was referred to the Prevent, a counter extremism programme in January 2024, by his sister where officers carried out a three week "detailed assessment" of Dighton. Prosecutor Nicholas Hearn said she had stated he was "vulnerable as he has gone missing previously and has attempted suicide." Det Supt Andrew Williams of Counter Terrorism Policing Wales said: "He was referred to us following concerns around his anti-immigration stance, his anti-Islam stance and his general racist views." He said Dighton was interviewed "at length" and "due-diligence checks" were carried out to make sure officers "knew about him and his history". He said Dighton "did not fit the criteria" to be included on the Prevent programme. "There was no information at all from that assessment or from that referral that would give any indication whatsoever that Alexander Dighton would go on, a year later, to commit an attack of this nature," Det Supt Williams said. He said he believed the initial assessment of Dighton was correct. "I am very confident in the assessment and skills of those officers and support them completely in the decisions they undertook," he said. Asked if he was satisfied Dighton was de-radicalised, or did not present a threat, Det Supt Williams said: "I am happy that's the case, yes." Dighton previously pleaded guilty to attempted arson and attempting to murder Det Con Jack Cotton. He also admitted assaulting Sgt Richard Coleman, threatening PC Stephanie Fleming, assaulting Det Con Joshua Emlyn, having an adapted wooden pole as a weapon, having a knife, having a hatchet, damaging a police van, and damaging a second police van.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Officers showed ‘exceptional bravery' during unprecedented police station attack
Officers showed 'exceptional bravery' when confronting a man armed with weapons and a firebomb in an 'unprecedented attack' outside a police station. Alexander Dighton, 28, attacked officers outside the Talbot Green police station in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, on January 31, stabbing one officer in the thigh and knocking another unconscious. He also used a Molotov cocktail to try to set fire to a police van. The attack, which officers said had a 'profound effect' on the community, is one of two major incidents to happen in Talbot Green this year, in a town normally regarded as one of the 'quietest areas' that South Wales Police covers. Speaking ahead of sentencing, Chief Superintendent Stephen Jones praised the officers who attended the incident, saying they showed 'absolutely exceptional bravery and professionalism'. He said: 'It is a moment of rarity that we see such a targeted attack at a police station, but it does underscore the absolute perilous and unpredictable nature that police officers face on a daily basis. The officers' actions were truly commendable. 'However, it has had a profound effect not only on the officers themselves but their families and the wider community. 'After all, the officers are not only public servants, they're husbands and wives, fathers and sons and mothers and daughters, and the impact has been far-reaching, particularly on the families supporting these officers.' Mr Jones said one officer received a deep wound to his inner thigh, narrowly missing his femoral artery. The officer has made a physical recovery. Another officer was knocked out during the attack and has suffered prolonged concussions as a result. 'But I think the impact of the mental scars will take some considerable time to heal,' he said. He added: 'This was one of the most serious, premeditated violent attacks that I have experienced – second-hand – in my service. The level of violence and preparation is unprecedented.' Mr Jones insisted that Talbot Green remains a 'very safe and quiet area' but acknowledged it had experienced two separate major incidents within a few weeks of each other. On March 9, five weeks after Dighton's attack, Joanne Penney was shot in the chest at an address in the town. Eight people have appeared in court in connection with her murder. Mr Jones said: 'Incidents like these are exceptionally rare for areas like Talbot Green, albeit I do recognise that we've had two significant major incidents occurring in Talbot Green within the space of weeks. 'We realise that it has an impact on the community, and it makes some people feel less reassured and more vulnerable. 'We have increased patrols, we have increased the number of officers working out of Talbot Green to look after the officers working there and also to protect the community.'
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Frederick Forsyth, British author of the thriller ‘The Day of the Jackal,' dies at 86
LONDON — Frederick Forsyth, the British author of 'The Day of the Jackal' and other bestselling thrillers, has died after a brief illness, his literary agent said. He was 86. Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, said Forsyth died at home early Monday surrounded by his family. 'We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers,' Lloyd said. Born in Kent, in southern England, in 1938, Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a foreign correspondent. He covered the attempted assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle in 1962, which provided inspiration for 'The Day of the Jackal,' his bestselling political thriller about a professional assassin. Published in 1971, the book propelled him to global fame. It was made into a film in 1973 starring Edward Fox as the Jackal and more recently a Peacock television series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. In 2015, Forsyth told the BBC that he had also worked for the British intelligence agency MI6 for many years, starting from when he covered a civil war in Nigeria in the 1960s. Although Forsyth said he did other jobs for the agency, he said he was not paid for his services and 'it was hard to say no' to officials seeking information. 'The zeitgeist was different,' he told the BBC. 'The Cold War was very much on.' He wrote more than 25 books including 'The Afghan,' 'The Kill List,' 'The Dogs of War' and 'The Fist of God' that have sold over 75 million copies, Lloyd said. His publisher, Bill Scott-Kerr, said that 'Revenge of Odessa,' a sequel to the 1974 book 'The Odessa File' that Forsyth worked on with fellow thriller author Tony Kent, will be published in August. 'Still read by millions across the world, Freddie's thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire,' Scott-Kerr said.
