Newport man denies stealing GoFundMe cancer treatment cash
Mark Davis, 51, from Newport has been charged with defrauding India Davis out of £4,059.27 while he was the administrator of a GoFundMe account.
The defendant, of Fleetwood Close, is alleged to have transferred the money into his own bank account between September 1, 2021 and December 1, 2021.
He is due to stand trial on April 21 next year with the case expected to last between two and three days.
Davis was represented by Jac Brown and the prosecution by Tom Roberts during the hearing at Cardiff Crown Court.
He was granted bail by the city's recorder, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke.
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Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
Has deporting illegals become illegal?
The circus around Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia – whose full name the New York Times likes to trot out as if citing an old-school English aristocrat – speaks volumes about the immigration battle roiling the US. Our friend Kilmar is what we fuddy-duddies insist on calling an illegal immigrant. The Salvadoran crossed clandestinely into the US in 2012. As for what he's done since, that depends on whom you ask. According to his GoFundMe page, Kilmar is a 'husband, union worker and father of a disabled five-year-old'. Left-wing media portray 'the Maryland man' – a tag akin to Axel Rudakubana's 'a Welshman' – as an industrious metalworker devoted to his family. His wife has rowed back on the temporary protective order she once requested, claiming she'd been over-cautious. Yet according to the Trump administration, Kilmar is a member of the notoriously violent street gang MS-13 who's derived his primary source of income from smuggling hundreds of illegals over the southern border for several years. Choose A or B. In 2019, Kilmar was arrested for loitering along with three other men, one a suspected MS-13 member. He was carrying marijuana, for which (of course) he wasn't charged. From his clothing, tattoos and, more persuasively, a 'past proven and reliable' confidential source who verified he was an active gang member using the moniker 'Chele', police adjudged that Kilmar was a gangbanger, for which (of course) he wasn't charged. He was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement – whose acronym, ICE, reinforces its rep as cold-hearted – which moved to deport him. Kilmar (of course) contested his removal. The immigration judge hearing Kilmar's case concurred that the defendant was indeed a gang member and deportable; the Salvadoran (of course) appealed the decision, which nevertheless was upheld. Kilmar (of course) then filed for asylum, as well as for a 'withholding of removal'. A subsequent immigration judge stayed his deportation to his home country, where his wellbeing might be endangered by local gangs. Now, you might suppose that putting yourself in the way of other famously rivalrous gangs would come with the territory when you join one yourself. Like, inter-gang violence seems a natural hazard of this line of work. But it's not only British immigration judges who are soft touches. Only mass round-ups and swift group trials could effectively address the millions of gate-crashers Kilmar (of course) remained in the US. In 2022, he was pulled over for speeding while driving eight other Hispanic men of uncertain immigration status in an SUV altered to add a third row of seats for extra passengers. The officers suspected human-trafficking; Kilmar's driving licence had expired; a run of his number plate through the database turned up a federal note on likely membership of MS-13. Yet when the patrolmen contacted the feds, ICE (of course) declined to pick him up. So Kilmar was (of course) released without charge. Even so, his claim that he was merely transporting construction workers between jobs did not, under investigation, hold up. Fast-forward to 2025 and why this otherwise obscure Salvadoran who is or is not a thug merits such a detailed lowdown. Meaning (of course) that this case has to do with Donald Trump – whose evil minions in March flew more than 230 purported criminals to a Salvadoran prison, including none other than Kilmar, whom ICE did finally pick up (no 'of course' there). The flights' timing was judicially dodgy. The planes did or didn't take off after a federal judge ruled that the flights could not proceed until the deportees were given the opportunity to challenge their removal. The administration appealed to the Supreme Court, which directed Trump to 'facilitate' Kilmar's return to the US. Because, remember, there was only one country to which he could not be deported because of that credulous 2019 decision: his own. Hence the Justice Department's acceptance that Kilmar's deportation was an 'administrative error'. During this proxy war with Trump, Democrats have pretended to hair-tear over poor Kilmar, mouldering away in a nasty foreign prison and deprived of due process. But the story I just laid out has due process, not to mention leniency or even dereliction on the part of the authorities, up the wazoo. Meanwhile, after slyly getting their jurisprudential ducks in a row, last week Trump and co finally got Kilmar flown back to the US, only to arrest him immediately for human-trafficking – with every intention of convicting the guy and then deporting him right back to El Salvador. What do we make of this farce? The American commentariat has focused on a potential showdown between Trump and the judiciary, claiming to fear a flat-out executive refusal to follow court orders but secretly rather hoping that Trump does defy the courts and thus reveals himself as an unconstitutional tyrant. I view this absurd tale through a different lens. All these trials and flights for a lone illegal alien are expensive. The amount of 'due process' the American justice system affords every single illegal makes deportation at any scale impossible. There isn't enough time and money and there aren't nearly enough judges to make any but a token gesture toward the mass deportation of illegals that Trump has promised. That amounts to a victory not just for Democrats but also for disorder. I'd assess the odds that Kilmar is a thug at about 90 per cent. But proving membership of unofficial allegiances in court is a bastard. If every individual deportation case must be adjudicated according to exacting evidentiary rules and appeal procedures, America's drastic, undemocratic demographic change will proceed inexorably. Only mass round-ups and swift group trials could effectively address the staggering ten million gate-crashers during the Biden administration alone. What are the chances of that? In New York at the weekend, ICE raids were impeded by LA-style crowds of righteously indignant protestors screaming: 'Let them go! Let them go!' The officers just doing their jobs looked beleaguered, tired, numb and pre-defeated. After all the ICE agents' thankless labours, what proportion of their detainees will still get to stay in the country in the end? I'll take another stab at 90 per cent.
South Wales Argus
6 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Ashton Jones is fighting for his life in Thailand
Ashton Jones, 29, went on a last minute trip to Bangkok but was separated from his friends on a night out. His family have no idea what happened before he was found in a hospital having emergency brain surgery - and is now fighting for his life nearly 6,000 miles away from home. And to make it worse, Ashton didn't take out holiday insurance before jetting off 6,000 miles to Bangkok. Ashton's family have no idea what happened before he was found in hospital in Thailand (Image: Wales News Service) His worried grandmother Beverley Walker, of Cwmbran, Gwent, is desperately trying to raise money to pay for his medical care and bring him back home to Wales. She said that Ashton had travelled to Thailand with his lifelong friend on May 30, and on arrival met up with another friend. But five days into his trip, the family received the worst news that he had gone missing after a night out partying. His friends spent hours searching for Ashton after he went missing from the nightclub they were in. He was found in hospital in Thailand and medics believe Ashton, who suffers from epilepsy, was violently attacked. Ashton's grandmother, Beverley, is desperately trying to raise money to pay for his medical care and bring him back home to Wales (Image: Wales News Service) Beverley said: "I am deeply concerned that without immediate financial or diplomatic assistance, my grandson may not survive. "The emotional toll on our family is immense. We are heartbroken and fearful, watching from afar while Ashton suffers without the care he urgently requires." Beverley said on Monday, nearly a week after Ashton went into hospital on June 3, workers at Chonburi Hospital tried to wake him up. She added: "It was a success but he still has a long way to go, he's bed-bound and suffering with fits, cannot talk, eat or drink and isn't aware. "We all as a family are worried sick with fear for Ashton and how we can bring him home." But Ashton's treatment and funding to bring him to the UK will cost the family thousands - which is way more than they can afford to pay. Ashton was separated from his friends on a night out in Bangkok (Image: Wales News Service) As he went out to Thailand at the last-minute, Beverley said he "did the unthinkable" and hadn't taken out any insurance. The family have set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise £50,000 to help cover medical expenses and to bring him home. So far, over £3,000 has been raised by 113 donors since the fundraiser was launched a day ago. Beverley said: "The hospital in Thailand is asking for the cost of his treatment on going that is far beyond what our family can afford. "In the meantime, Ashton's condition continues to deteriorate, and it feels as though we are being left helpless as time runs out. "We have already put together life savings for medical bills, flights, travel, accommodation to be with him but would never be able to afford to get him home to better health care and his family." "We all as a family are worried sick with fear for Ashton and how we can bring him home. "So please, any donations made towards getting Ashton home is apprenticed beyond words can describe. "From the bottom of our hearts, thank you." You can donate to the fundraiser here. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting a British man who has been hospitalised in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities."
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Brit who vanished on last minute trip holiday found on life support in hospital
Ashton Jones, 29, is believed to have been violently attacked before requiring emergency brain surgery with his family now desperately working to bring him back home A British tourist who vanished during a last minute trip to Thailand has been found alive on life support in hospital. Ashton Jones, 29, booked a trip to Bangkok and became separated from his pals as they explored the city on a night out. His family had no idea what had happened to him before he wound up in hospital requiring emergency brain surgery. Ashton is now fighting for his life some 6,000 miles away from his home. His concerned grandmother Beverley Walker, of Cwmbran, South Wales, is not desperately trying to raise funds needed to pay for his care and bring him back home. She said her grandson travelled to Thailand with a long-term friend on May 30 and met with another pal after they touched down in the South East Asian country. But just five days into the trip, Ashton's family were given the devastating news that he had vanished while the group was out partying. His friends spent several hours searching for Ashton after he went missing from a nightclub they had been in, Wales Online reports. Ashton, who also suffers with epilepsy, was later found in a hospital in the country with medics believing he had been violently attacked. Beverley said: "I am deeply concerned that without immediate financial or diplomatic assistance my grandson may not survive. The emotional toll on our family is immense. We are heartbroken and fearful, watching from afar while Ashton suffers without the care he urgently requires." She said on Monday, about a week since Ashton went to hospital on June 3, that staff at Chonburi Hospital had tried to wake him up. She added: "It was a success but he still has a long way to go. "He's bedbound and suffering with fits, cannot talk, eat, or drink and isn't aware. We all as a family are worried sick with fear for Ashton and how we can bring him home." Ashton's treatment and cost to bring him home far exceed the amount his family have on hand. Beverley said Ashton "did the unthinkable" and travelled without taking insurance. His family has since set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise the £50,000 needed to cover his treatment and transportation back to the country. "The hospital in Thailand is asking for the cost of his treatment on going that is far beyond what our family can afford," the distraught grandma added. "In the meantime Ashton's condition continues to deteriorate and it feels as though we are being left helpless as time runs out. "We have already put together life savings for medical bills, flights, travel, accommodation to be with him but would never be able to afford to get him home to better health care and his family. We all as a family are worried sick with fear for Ashton and how we can bring him home. "So please any donations made towards getting Ashton home is appreciated beyond words can describe. From the bottom of our hearts thank you."
