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Four in court from Newport, Caerphilly and Rhymney

Four in court from Newport, Caerphilly and Rhymney

The four defendants were accused of shoplifting, drug-driving, and using a phone at the wheel.
Their cases were heard at Newport Magistrates' Court and Cardiff Magistrates' Court.
Here's a round-up of the cases.
Jason Thomas, 37, of Ty Coch in Rhymney, admitted shoplifting and criminal damage.
Thomas was alleged to have stolen £290 of goods from Victoria Garden Centre in Tredegar on November 28.
He was also accused of damaging fencing at the garden centre.
Thomas pleaded guilty to both offences at Newport Magistrates' Court on July 8.
The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. Thomas was granted bail and will return to court on July 30.
Ronald Connors, 50, of Rembrandt Way in Newport, has pleaded guilty to using a phone whilst driving.
Connors was behind the wheel of a Nissan Qashqai on Rembrandt Way on July 25 when he was caught using his mobile phone.
The defendant switched his plea to guilty at Newport Magistrates' Court on July 8.
The case was adjourned, and Connors will be sentenced on July 30.
Rachel Wiegold, 54, of High Street in Abertridwr, went equipped with a de-tagger to McArthur Glen Outlet Village and stole from two shops.
Wiegold was accused of shoplifting £439-worth of items from Cosmetic Co. and clothing valued at £131.98 from Sports Direct on March 27.
She was also charged with going equipped for theft – relating to taking the de-tagger to the shops.
She pleaded guilty to each of the charges, and the case came before Cardiff Magistrates' Court on July 8.
The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be prepared, and she will return to be sentenced on July 23.
Wiegold was granted bail, and has been banned from entering McArthur Glen.
Craig Roberts, 37, of Chaffinch Way in the Duffryn area of Newport, has pleaded guilty to driving whilst under the influence of drugs.
Roberts was driving Volkswagen Golf on the M4 between junctions 32 and 30 at Cardiff on January 19.
When tested, he recorded having more than 240 micrograms of benzoylecgonine – the main metabolite of cocaine – per litre (µg/L) of blood and 5.7µg/L of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.
The legal limits are 50µg/L and 2µg/L respectively.
Roberts pleaded guilty to two charges of drug-driving at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on July 8.
The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to prepared, and Roberts was hit with an interim driving ban.
The defendant was granted bail and will return to court to be sentenced on August 5.
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Spider-Man who performs at children's parties sexually abused girl for years
Spider-Man who performs at children's parties sexually abused girl for years

Daily Mirror

time11 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Spider-Man who performs at children's parties sexually abused girl for years

James Thomas, 37, was jailed after he previously pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity A vulnerable girl who suffered sexual violence has revealed the sight of her abuser wearing a Spider-Man costume for children's birthday parties was the "final straw." James Thomas, 37, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on July 10, 2025, after he previously pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The court heard how In his mid-20s Thomas groomed a young girl into a petrol station where he worked in Swansea and abused her in the stockroom. The victim, whose name we are changing to Chloe for legal reasons, has revealed how his horrific actions in 2012 and 2013 "altered her life completely." She has disclosed how the trauma destroyed her mental health and caused her to miss extended periods of school. She also turned to drugs as she struggled to cope. Chloe said the trauma had eaten away at her for a decade but the final straw came when she discovered Thomas was advertising himself on Facebook as a children's party entertainer who dressed up as Spider-Man. She bravely confronted Thomas in 2023 on social media, to which he confessed his heinous crimes. Chloe has now decided to speak out in the hope it will empower other victims - and warn others of his behaviour. She has partially waived her lifelong right to anonymity so WalesOnline could publish her story. Chloe said she first met family friend Thomas when she was around eight or nine years old. Prior to the sexual abuse starting when she was around 13 or 14 years old, until she was 15, Chloe said Thomas seemed 'over familiar' towards her, despite nothing obviously illegal happening. She said: 'He didn't do anything sexual at that point, but he seemed over familiar and was gaining my trust in a gradual way. It was nothing obviously illegal, but he was pushing my boundaries. 'Then it started with high fives and hugs - very tight hugs, not just a friendly hug. 'He would give me a high five and hold on to my hand, keeping it there as long as he could. Then he [started working at the] garage on Wychtree Street in Morriston (which has since changed hands).' Chloe said Thomas began inviting her to the garage. He would buy her cigarettes - from the age of 14 - in a bid to gain her trust and attention. On rainy days he would invite her to take shelter there with him, she said. 'He got my number and he started texting me, asking if I wanted to come down and help him stack the shelves and have a chat,' she said. 'That's when things became weird. 'He would ask me to come down on my own, and tell me not to come down with anyone. He would ask if I wanted to go into the back room and restock the storage cupboard so it was all tidy. 'He would follow me and that's when [the abuse] would happen. ‌ 'It started with hugs and kisses, then moved on to more sexual stuff after a few weeks. He put his hands down my trousers and then he would ask me to touch him and do stuff to him 'That sort of stuff went on for a few months.' Chloe said at the time she knew something didn't feel right, but that as a lonely and shy child Thomas' actions made her feel close to him. ‌ Now, aged 27, she understands that this was Thomas using her vulnerability to his advantage. Chloe said she put an end to their interactions when she felt that Thomas pushed things too far one day. She said Thomas continued to text her, asking her to come and see him, but that she declined to see him on her own ever again. ‌ As she got slightly older and began to fully understand the gravity of Thomas' actions, Chloe said she began using drugs as a coping mechanism. 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'When I saw that he had been dressing up like Spider-Man for children I felt awful. I wish I said something sooner so that it didn't get to that point 'I look back and there were a lot of ifs and buts. 'But after [so many] years I didn't want to risk just coming out with it with no evidence, no dates, no times. In a court of law that's not going to get very far is it?' ‌ Chloe said the only way she believed she could take the matter any further was to confront Thomas and get a confession, so she bided her time until a suitable opportunity arose. She said: 'A couple of weeks before I reported it I saw him and he was quite upset about something. 'Afterwards he messaged me on Facebook with a broken heart emoji and this was the only opportunity I had to get some sort of confession out of him ‌ 'I asked him why he liked me when I was so young? I said: 'If you are really sorry you will apologise for what you have done and tell me what you did'.' In screenshots seen by WalesOnline Thomas clearly told Chloe: 'It was so wrong.' He continued: 'Yer I do remember I'm still feeling bad over it. I'm disgusted with myself for doing it. If I could take it back I would x.' He proceeded to state a number of sexual acts that he subjected Chloe to and apologised for each of them, adding: 'It had to stop.' ‌ Chloe went on to tell him about how his actions affected her and directly led to her drug use. Thomas responded saying he has anxiety, before asking: 'Can we still be mates tho?' Later that evening he randomly told her to check out marketplace 'Temu', adding 'it's worth it', having completely dismissed and misunderstood the seriousness of their previous conversation. ‌ Chloe said: 'The day after I confronted him I saw him walking to Asda and he walked up to me and hugged me. This was less than 12 hours after he admitted it to me.' After speaking to Chloe, WalesOnline found and searched through Thomas' public Facebook page which has more than 500 members. Hundreds of pictures have been posted to the page showing Thomas dressed up like Spider-Man in tight clothing at numerous children's parties and events. He can be seen hugging, carrying and high fiving many children. ‌ In further public social media posts Thomas bragged that he had been invited into a primary school to talk about being Spider-Man in front of hundreds of children. Thomas, of Tawe Street in Morriston, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on July 10, 2025. He has no previous convictions and a judge said it was clear from psychological and probation reports that Thomas' intellectual and emotional age was less than his chronological age. Thomas was sentenced to four years and four months in prison. ‌ He will serve up to half that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life. Describing the profound impact Thomas' abuse had on her life, Chloe said: 'It altered my life completely, starting with the drugs. 'Through doing that I missed a lot of school and I didn't get the education I needed to get a job ‌ 'As I got older I became more withdrawn and my anxiety worsened. 'I tried to hide it and avoided going to the doctors for [mental health] help in case someone asked why I was going and I felt like I had to tell them. She said it has even continued to impact her in motherhood. ‌ She said: 'I have felt worried about going out in case I see him, and worried about taking my children out. 'My child went to the school opposite to where he lives and it got to the point where I couldn't walk to the school and my children were missing days off school because I couldn't face going down there. 'There were days when they would be late because of the fact I didn't want to go down there. ‌ 'I have moved them to a different school now so I don't have to face going down there, but it has impacted their education as well. 'Just walking down the lane to the school you can see his house and you can see the garage. Going into the carpark and the school yard, you can also see it.' Reaching out to other victims she emphasised that once she reported Thomas' crimes to the police, she felt listened to and taken seriously. She said: 'Be brave, be strong, you can do it.' ChildLine provides help and support for children and young people. It's a private and confidential service for children and young people up to the age of ChildLine website and Helpline (0800 1111) are always available for information and support on issues like domestic and sexual abuse. If you, a family member, a friend, or someone you are concerned about has experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence you can contact the Live Fear Free Helpline 24 hours a day seven days a week for free advice and support or to talk through your options: 0808 801 08 00.

Four Newport and Abergavenny residents appear in court
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South Wales Argus

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  • South Wales Argus

Four Newport and Abergavenny residents appear in court

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Pensioner dies after car crashes down embankment onto railway
Pensioner dies after car crashes down embankment onto railway

Metro

time2 days ago

  • Metro

Pensioner dies after car crashes down embankment onto railway

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