Latest news with #Pontypridd
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Disgraced police worker who leaked confidential information to her drug-dealing boyfriend is jailed for almost three years
A police administrator has been jailed for almost three years after leaking confidential information to her drug dealer boyfriend. Lucy Langmead, 44, started a relationship with 37-year-old Daniel Cozens in 2020 while working for South Wales Police, and began providing him with police intelligence. Langmead, who is pregnant with her fourth child, accessed the police computer system numerous times to obtain information on Cozens, his family and friends, and also to satisfy her own 'morbid curiosity' about cases in the news. At Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke handed Langmead and Cozens sentences of two years and 11 months and one year and eight months respectively. A police investigation was launched after a community support officer was approached while on foot patrol in Pontypridd in 2021 by a woman who Langmead had informed of an investigation into her boyfriend. The court heard the woman told the officer she thought they were looking into him because 'I have a friend who works in the courts, and she told me he was being watched'. The woman and her boyfriend later approached another officer, questioned the number of police patrols, and mentioned information that could only have been obtained from the police systems. Langmead, from Tonteg, Pontypridd, and Cozens, from Treforest, pleaded guilty to a series of offences, including conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office between May 23, 2021, and February 25, 2022. The judge said that throughout training and every time the system is accessed, users are warned about misuse, with every access logged. Addressing Langmead, the judge said: 'From the outset you knew you were committing criminal offences and appeared to do so partly from idle curiosity and partly to elevate your status - in other words you were showing off - including to offenders. 'This was a very serious breach of trust that is placed in police employees. 'You have, by your actions, done serious harm to policing and the public interest.' She said Cozens's offending was 'significantly less serious' because he did not work for the police. The judge said there had been 'no financial reward' for either of them, but it had put them in 'good standing' among offenders they were assisting, with one disposing of drugs he was dealing after a tip-off. Langmead had also accessed records to satisfy her curiosity, including the case of Logan Mwangi, a five-year-old whose body was discovered in a river near his home in Sarn. 'Logan Mwangi was a five-year-old child who had been murdered and whose body had, at that time, recently been found in a river,' Judge Lloyd-Clarke said. 'There was a lot of publicity around his death, and you could only have been continuing to access the file to satisfy your own morbid curiosity.' Langmead pleaded guilty to 13 offences of securing unauthorised access to computer material and five offences of unlawful disclosure of personal data. Cozens pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug of class C (Benzodiazepines), being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug of class C (Pregablins) and possession of a controlled drug of class B (cannabis). Both will serve up to half their sentences in prison, with the rest on licence. Langmead resigned from South Wales Police in May 2022. Chief Superintendent Bella Rees, head of professional standards at South Wales Police, said: 'Police officers and staff have access to personal and private information and it is both a public expectation and a legal requirement that information should be treated in the strictest confidence, properly protected and used for legitimate policing purposes only. 'Accessing confidential police information without a legitimate policing purpose is an abuse of position and, as this case demonstrates, will be treated robustly.' John Griffiths of the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Lucy Langmead had the complete trust of her employer in having access to sensitive information and she betrayed that trust. 'Her actions could have placed criminal investigations at risk. 'Daniel Cozens used his relationship with Langmead to try to gain an advantage over the police in his criminal behaviour. 'However, the audit trail from the police computer systems led investigators to them, and together with other evidence allowed the Crown Prosecution Service to present a strong case to the court and ensure these defendants were brought to justice.'
The Independent
9 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Police administrator jailed for leaking information to drug dealer boyfriend
A police administrator has been jailed for almost three years after leaking confidential information to her drug dealer boyfriend. Lucy Langmead, 44, started a relationship with 37-year-old Daniel Cozens in 2020 while working for South Wales Police, and began providing him with police intelligence. Langmead, who is pregnant with her fourth child, accessed the police computer system numerous times to obtain information on Cozens, his family and friends, and also to satisfy her own 'morbid curiosity' about cases in the news. At Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, handed Langmead and Cozens sentences of two years and 11 months and one year and eight months respectively. A police investigation was launched after a community support officer was approached while on foot patrol in Pontypridd in 2021 by a woman who Langmead had informed of an investigation into her boyfriend. The court heard the woman told the officer she thought they were looking into him because 'I have a friend who works in the courts, and she told me he was being watched'. The woman and her boyfriend later approached another officer, questioned the number of police patrols, and mentioned information that could only have been obtained from the police systems. Langmead, from Tonteg, Pontypridd, and Cozens, from Treforest, pleaded guilty to a series of offences, including conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office between May 23 2021 and February 25 2022. The judge said that throughout training and every time the system is accessed, users are warned about misuse, with every access logged. Addressing Langmead, the judge said: 'From the outset you knew you were committing criminal offences and appeared to do so partly from idle curiosity and partly to elevate your status – in other words you were showing off – including to offenders. 'This was a very serious breach of trust that is placed in police employees. 'You have, by your actions, done serious harm to policing and the public interest.' She said Cozens's offending was 'significantly less serious' because he did not work for the police. The judge said there had been 'no financial reward' for either of them, but it had put them in 'good standing' among offenders they were assisting, with one disposing of drugs he was dealing after a tip-off. Langmead had also accessed records to satisfy her curiosity, including the case of Logan Mwangi, a five-year-old whose body was discovered in a river near his home in Sarn. 'Logan Mwangi was a five-year-old child who had been murdered and whose body had, at that time, recently been found in a river,' Judge Lloyd-Clarke said. 'There was a lot of publicity around his death, and you could only have been continuing to access the file to satisfy your own morbid curiosity.' Langmead pleaded guilty to 13 offences of securing unauthorised access to computer material and five offences of unlawful disclosure of personal data. Cozens pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug of class C (Benzodiazepines), being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug of class C (Pregablins) and possession of a controlled drug of class B (cannabis). Both will serve up to half their sentences in prison, with the rest on licence. Langmead resigned from South Wales Police in May 2022. Chief Superintendent Bella Rees, head of professional standards at South Wales Police, said: ' Police officers and staff have access to personal and private information and it is both a public expectation and a legal requirement that information should be treated in the strictest confidence, properly protected and used for legitimate policing purposes only. 'Accessing confidential police information without a legitimate policing purpose is an abuse of position and, as this case demonstrates, will be treated robustly.' John Griffiths of the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Lucy Langmead had the complete trust of her employer in having access to sensitive information and she betrayed that trust. 'Her actions could have placed criminal investigations at risk. 'Daniel Cozens used his relationship with Langmead to try to gain an advantage over the police in his criminal behaviour. 'However, the audit trail from the police computer systems led investigators to them, and together with other evidence allowed the Crown Prosecution Service to present a strong case to the court and ensure these defendants were brought to justice.'
Sky News
13 hours ago
- General
- Sky News
Activists convicted of harassing MP Alex Davies-Jones over Israel-Hamas war
Two activists have been convicted of harassing a government minister over the Israel-Hamas war. The pair were found guilty of the charge against Alex Davies-Jones, the Labour MP for Pontypridd. Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, filmed a confrontation with Ms Davies-Jones, who had been campaigning in Treforest, Rhondda Cynon Taf, ahead of last year's general election. In evidence she gave during the trial, Ms Davies-Jones said she was "terrified" after being confronted on 26 June last year. As she made her way to the meeting place, she saw the defendants with leaflets which described her as a "full-blown supporter of this genocide" - referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict. "They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote," Ms Davies-Jones said. "It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated, and we wanted to leave the situation." She said the defendants began to follow her and "a number of young members" and were "shouting and bellowing down the street" at them. 'Like a unicorn in the wild' Later that day, Behit and Ahmed put posters, that referred to politicians "enabling genocide", on Ms Davies-Jones's campaign office in Pontypridd. A video of the confrontation was also uploaded to social media, describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist. Ahmed said the action taken against Ms Davies-Jones "wasn't really about her, it was about Palestine". "I was genuinely really surprised when I saw her. I've lived in Treforest for a couple of years, I've never seen her," she said. "It was like seeing a celebrity almost, like a unicorn in the wild." Behit added that their intention was "to show a different perspective, to get people to do their own research". Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring sentenced the defendants to a conditional discharge, and both were ordered to pay £650 costs and a £26 court surcharge. "This was part of a deliberate and sustained campaign targeting the complainant," he said. "This course of conduct was clearly designed to cause alarm and distress to her and she did experience alarm and distress. She stopped canvassing." The judge said the case went "beyond the boundaries" of freedom of speech and was "beyond robust scrutiny or political process". Ahmed, a final-year architecture student at Cardiff University with no previous convictions, was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge. Behit, who has a previous conviction relating to a protest in Cardiff last year, was given an 18-month conditional discharge. Behit confirmed both defendants would appeal against their convictions. Ms Davies-Jones said in a statement after the conviction that she was "not the first politician to experience this kind of abuse, and unfortunately probably won't be the last". "What today's verdict has shown is that harassment and intimidation of politicians is unacceptable. We are human beings doing our jobs. And now, I'm back to getting on with mine," she added.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Two activists convicted of harassing justice minister over Israel-Hamas conflict
Two pro-Palestinian activists who accused a Government minister of supporting genocide relating to the Israel- Hamas conflict have been convicted of harassment. Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, were found guilty of the charge against Alex Davies-Jones, the Labour MP for Pontypridd, following a trial at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday. They had filmed a confrontation with Ms Davies-Jones, a justice minister, who had been campaigning in the village of Treforest, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in the lead-up to the general election, on June 26 last year. Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring found both defendants guilty of harassment and sentenced them to a conditional discharge and fine. Giving evidence during the trial, Ms Davies-Jones told the court she was 'terrified' after being confronted by the two activists. As she made her way to the campaign meeting place, she saw Behit and Ahmed with leaflets describing her as a 'full-blown supporter of this genocide' – referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Ms Davies-Jones said: 'They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote. 'It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated, and we wanted to leave the situation. 'I had a number of young members with me. They already felt uncomfortable, I didn't want them to feel more at risk. 'They began to follow us. They were shouting and bellowing down the street at us – 'why do you support genocide, why are you murdering babies, Alex Davies-Jones, do you support genocide?'' Later in the day, Behit and Ahmed put posters on the Labour office in Pontypridd – the base of Ms Davies-Jones' campaign for the general election – that referred to politicians 'enabling genocide'. They also placed stickers in black capital letters reading 'Alex Davies-Jones how many murdered children is too many?' on the office and a poster reading 'Alex Davies-Jones supports genocide' on a bus stop, while a video of the confrontation was uploaded onto social media describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist. Asked about how their actions made her feel, the politician, who was first elected as MP for Pontypridd in 2019, told the court: 'I was terrified. 'I was worried because of the risk to my team and supporters, and my reputation given it was the general election and what that would mean.' Sentencing, Mr Goldspring told Ahmed and Behit: 'This was part of a deliberate and sustained campaign targeting the complainant. 'This course of conduct was clearly designed to cause alarm and distress to her and she did experience alarm and distress. She stopped canvassing. 'It was not reasonable and it was oppressive.' The judge said the defendants did have rights to freedom of speech but this case went 'beyond the boundaries' of this protection and was 'beyond robust scrutiny or political process'. He sentenced Ahmed, a final year architecture student at Cardiff University with no previous convictions, to a 12-month conditional discharge. Behit, who has a conviction relating to a protest in Cardiff last year, received an 18-month conditional discharge. They were both ordered to pay £650 costs and a £26 court surcharge, at a rate of £20 per month. Mr Goldspring added: 'I would love to say you are remorseful. I suspect you are not. 'I suspect your views will be held until something happens very differently in that area of the world.' Ahmed, giving evidence, said she and Behit lived in Treforest and had wanted to raise awareness of Ms Davies-Jones' actions on Palestine ahead of the election. She said the defendants, both of Treforest, had planned to hand out and post leaflets that afternoon when they saw their MP coming towards them. Ahmed said: 'I was genuinely really surprised when I saw her. I've lived in Treforest for a couple of years, I've never seen her. 'It was like seeing a celebrity almost, like a unicorn in the wild.' Ahmed said the action taken against Ms Davies-Jones 'wasn't really about her, it was about Palestine'. Behit told the court: 'She was running for MP and where I lived there were posters everywhere. It was constant, everywhere you looked was pro-Alex. 'My intention was to show a different perspective, to get people to do their own research. It was never about Alex as a person. 'Part of her job as an MP is having people look at her policies, her opinions and how she voted.' Speaking outside court, Behit confirmed that both defendants would appeal against their convictions. In a statement shared after the convction, Ms Davies-Jones said: 'As the Minister for Victims in the UK Government, I know all too well how difficult it can feel to experience crime and go through the criminal justice system – but I also know how important it is to do so. 'I want to thank South Wales Police, the witness support officers, and the Chief Magistrate for their service to our justice system. 'I am not the first politician to experience this kind of abuse, and unfortunately probably won't be the last. I have great admiration for colleagues of all political parties who are working hard to serve their constituents – we should be able to do so freely and safely. 'I am always happy to engage in constructive debate and discuss differing views with any of my constituents. It's an honour to serve my community and I try to be as accessible as possible. 'What today's verdict has shown is that harassment and intimidation of politicians is unacceptable. We are human beings doing our jobs. And now, I'm back to getting on with mine.'
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Pontypridd MP terrified by pro-Palestine activists
A government minister was "terrified" after being confronted by two pro-Palestine activists while campaigning, a court has Davies-Jones said she felt "scared and intimidated" after being approached by Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, both from Treforest, Rhondda Cynnon Magistrates' Court heard Ms Behit and Ms Ahmed had leaflets describing the MP for Pontypridd as a "full-blown supporter of this genocide" in Gaza. Ms Davies-Jones, a justice minister, was approached while leafletting in the defendants' hometown on 26 June last year ahead of the general election - Ms Ahmed and Ms Ahmed deny their actions amounted to harassment. Ms Davies-Jones said she was asked questions "around the conflict in Israel and Palestine and my conduct as an MP, if I had taken part in votes, membership of organisations such as Labour Friends of Israel"."They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote," she added."It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated and we wanted to leave the situation."They began to follow us. They were shouting and bellowing down the street at us - 'why do you support genocide, why are you murdering babies, Alex Davies-Jones, do you support genocide?"' Ms Davies-Jones said the two defendants also handed out leaflets and put posters on the Labour office in Pontypridd that referred to politicians "enabling genocide".She told the court their actions left her feeling "terrified" and a video of the confrontation was uploaded on to social media with the caption, describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist, was "manipulated in a way that made it seem I had lied".Ms Davies-Jones said, as a result of the incident, she reduced campaigning sessions and had to be accompanied by close protection officers. Ms Ahmed said she and Ms Behit wanted to raise awareness of Ms Davies-Jones's actions on Palestine ahead of the election and had planned to hand out and post leaflets that afternoon when they saw their MP coming towards Ahmed said she filmed the video "because I thought nobody would believe me" adding that "it felt like a really normal conversation between people who don't agree on something".Ms Behit told the court "it was never about Alex as a person... part of her job as an MP is having people look at her policies, her opinions and how she voted," she trial continues.
