THESE west Wales criminals have been locked up throughout March.
The defendants were accused of offences including rape, child sexual abuse, illegally entering the UK, assaults, drug dealing, affray, breaching a restraining order and growing cannabis.
They were jailed for more than 43 years combined.
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Here’s a round-up of their cases.
Gary Hicks
Rapist Gary Hicks, 64, has been jailed for sexually abusing two young children in the Milford Haven area in the late-1980s.
Hicks, who was aged between 27 and 29 at the time, faced a series of child sex abuse offences involving two victims between 1987 and 1989.
In a trial last August he was convicted of two charges of indecency with a child and three of indecent assault. He was cleared of one charge of rape and one charge of indecent assault, and the jury were unable to reach a decision on a second rape charge.
A retrial was heard in February over the second rape allegation, and after just under two hours of deliberations the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict.
Hicks was found to have forced the girl to masturbate him on a number of occasions, sexually assaulted her with his fingers on multiple occasions, and vaginally raped her.
He was also found to have made the boy put his penis into Hicks’ mouth and urinate.
Hicks threatened the girl by telling her that if she ever told anyone about the abuse, “she wouldn’t be believed and she would have no friends”.
The allegations eventually came to light in 2022, when the police were called in the early hours of October 13 after the female victim disclosed what had happened to her.
After these emerged, the male victim then disclosed what the defendant had done to him.
In interview on March 6, 2023, Hicks denied that the offences had taken place.
Hicks, now of Oregon Way in Luton, was jailed for a total of 16 years, with a further one year on licence. Both victims were granted indefinite restraining orders, and Hicks must register as a sex offender for life.
Guta Sima
Guta Sima used false names to enter the UK illegally at Fishguard and repeatedly through Gatwick, Stanstead and Luton airports.
Sima was made the subject of a deportation order on December 12, 2017, and was deported two weeks later.
Despite this, he sought to obtain leave to enter the UK by deceptive means – by using a false name, supplying Romanian passports using that name, and not declaring his previous convictions – on November 10, 2020, and January 5, 2024.
Both of these applications were revoked.
He was also charged with ten offences of knowingly entering the UK in breach of his deportation order, as he booked himself on Wizz Air and Ryanair flights to the UK.
Sima entered the UK illegally at Stanstead Airport on December 16, 2022, and May 3, 2023; at Luton Airport on March 14, May 31, October 12 and October 29 in 2023, and January 1 and 27 in 2024; and at Gatwick Airport on April 13 last year.
The most recent offence related to Sima entering the UK at Fishguard on January 10, 2025. Checks established that he was subject to a deportation order, and he was found with two Romanian passports under different names.
He was further charged with exposure, after he dropped his trousers and exposed his genitals at a traffic warden who had just given his car a ticket in the Lambeth area of London on October 18, 2023.
The court heard Sima had returned to the UK to receive treatments at King's College Hospital in London for medical issues which were not able to be treated in Romania.
He pleaded guilty to all charges
Craig Jones
Craig Jones trashed his partner’s car and home after stealing her car and assaulting a bouncer following a Christmas party.
Jones’ partner met him for her work Christmas party on December 7 last year, and later that night they went to Eddie’s nightclub in Haverfordwest.
Jones “became aggressive” with the bouncer – calling him a “paedo” and a “nonce”. His partner tried to calm him, but was unsuccessful so left him and went inside.
He then hit the bouncer in the mouth with his elbow, chipping his tooth.
The police were called and Jones was spoken to, but he was allowed to go back to the hotel.
When his partner returned to the hotel, she found her car was gone. Doorbell camera footage showed Jones – who had been drinking – had driven her car back to her Fishguard home.
Jones was seen on the footage damaging the interior of her car, before then moving into the house and ransacking it.
He damaged two TVs, a Christmas tree, ornaments, appliances, windows and doors, a mirror, Ugg slippers, and stabbed the kitchen units with a knife.
Police attended – including firearms officers – and “a stand-off quickly developed” as Jones was seen through the windows arming himself with knives and a meat cleaver.
He also set fire to cash on the hob, and shouted out to police that he had turned the gas oven on whilst the fire was alight. This caused neighbouring homes to be evacuated.
After several hours, officers armed with Tasers were able to get into the home and arrested Jones. He continued to be aggressive towards officers, and at the police station, he assaulted two officers.
Jones, 29, of Kesteven Court in Carew, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, taking a vehicle without consent, three offences of criminal damage, arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, affray, and two offences of assault of an emergency worker.
He was jailed for three-and-a-half years, and a further six months were activated of his suspended sentence – running consecutively.
Shaun Clawson
Drug dealer Shaun Clawson tried to hide a stash of cocaine under the seat of a police car after he was arrested.
Police stopped a Seat Leon in the St Clears area on February 1 in which Clawson was a passenger.
Officers seized a phone from on the passenger seat, and a cling film wrap and a spoon containing traces of white powder were also recovered from the passenger footwell.
Clawson was arrested, and when he was brought out of the police car, officers found another cling film wrap stashed under the seat.
The wrap contained 49.91 grams of cocaine.
Clawson, 39, of Nantucket Avenue in Milford Haven, denied being a drug dealer in his interview, claiming that he would not be able to afford that amount of drugs.
However, he later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine.
He was sentenced to six years imprisonment.
Lohan Chapman and Harry Fairbairn
Lohan Chapman admitted assaulting a woman and offering her hush money as he was jailed alongside another man for dealing cocaine and cannabis.
Chapman, 19, of Primrose Close in Neyland, had been accused of battery and strangulation against a woman on August 1 last year.
He was also charged with doing an act to pervert to course of public justice, after he was alleged to have offered her £1,000 to withdraw her complaint to the police.
The defendant pleaded guilty to battery and perverting the course of justice, but denied strangling her, and these were accepted by the prosecution.
Chapman was also accused of possession with intent to supply cocaine, MDMA, and cannabis jointly with 19-year-old Harry Fairbairn.
He denied this on the basis that he was not working with Fairbairn, but instead pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine between July 2023, and January this year, and being concerned in the supply of cannabis between last May and this January.
Fairbairn, of no fixed abode, admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine, MDMA, and cannabis.
Fairbairn was sentenced to a total of two years and four months imprisonment.
Thomas Hearn
Thomas Hearn, 22, of no fixed abode, has been jailed for child sexual assault.
Hearn was charged with two offences of sexual assault of a girl aged under 13 by touching.
It was alleged that the offences took place in Lower Brynamman between April 30 and October 1 in 2021.
He pleaded guilty to both offences on December 18 at Swansea Magistrates’ Court.
Hearn appeared before Swansea Crown Court on March 7 and was jailed for 16 months. He must register as a sex offender for 10 years.
The defendant was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order.
Sean Williams
Domestic abuser Sean Williams has been jailed for repeatedly attacked his partner whilst under the influence of drugs.
Sean Williams, 30, of Ger Ty Mawr in Carway, was accused of attacking his partner on March 12, April 1, and August 25 last year.
He was also accused of damaging a door handle at a Carmarthenshire Council property on June 29 and a door frame on August 6.
Williams, previously of Pontyberem, described the allegations as “a load of rubbish” in his interview, and said they “simply didn’t happen”.
However he later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two offences of battery, and two offences of criminal damage.
Williams acknowledged the impact his drug taking had on his behaviour.
The court heard that the defendant was already in prison after his suspended sentence had been activated for non-compliance.
Williams denied further charges of strangulation, assault by beating, and criminal damage, and Judge Walters entered formal not guilty verdicts.
Gerald Phillips
Eglwyswrw pensioner Gerald Phillips breached a restraining order by contacting his ex-girlfriend from three decades ago, telling police that he was ‘madly in love with her’.
The 75-year-old was convicted of stalking without fear of alarm and distress on August 5 last year after he rang her several times and was seen loitering outside her address between June and August last year.
He received a 12-week suspended prison sentence and a two-year restraining order., banning him from contacting her.
Despite this, he rang her on two occasions in October last year – which caused his victim ‘some anxiety as she was scared that he would try and contact her again’.
In his interview, Phillips said that he was aware of the restraining order and that he was ‘madly in love’ with his victim and ‘knew that she loved him’.
Phillips pleaded guilty to one offence of breaching a restraining order.
The court passed down a five-month prison sentence; made up of three months for breaching the restraining order and a consecutive activation of two months of the suspended sentence.
Terrence Tennant
61-year-old scaffolder Terrence Tennant sent a letter to intimidate his partner whilst he was in custody awaiting a trial for assaulting her.
Tennant, of High Street in Pontardawe, was charged with assaulting his partner of eight years on December 3 last year after he was alleged to have entered her home whilst intoxicated and attacked her, pushed his fingers into her eyes, pulled her hair and kicked her.
He was remanded into custody to await a trial after denying assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He was found guilty at trial at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on January 28, and was jailed for 26 weeks.
However, Tennant appeared at Swansea Crown Court charged with witness intimidation relating to a letter he was accused of sending his now former partner as he awaited his assault trial.
On the afternoon of January 14, the victim saw a man connected with the defendant post a letter through her door. The letter was written and signed by the defendant.
‘All I ask you to do is tell the truth in court’, he wrote, before adding that if she lied in court ‘it could backfire on you’.
Tennant denied having written the letter or giving it to the man to deliver to the victim, adding that it would be “impossible” to get a letter of that sort to her from prison.
However, he later pleaded guilty to an offence of witness intimidation.
He was sentenced to six months imprisonment.
Ewan Holme-Slater
Ewan Holme-Slater unleashed a racist tirade at his partner before hitting and headbutting her in front of her teenage son.
The defendant, of Eversfield Place in St Leonards-on-Sea, travelled to Fishguard on holiday over the Christmas period with his partner and her 15-year-old son.
The group went out for a Christmas meal on December 25, however during this the victim believed that a member of staff was being racist towards her son, so she asked for their name.
Outside the hotel, Holme-Slater unleashed a racist tirade at his partner, calling her a “s***”, a “b****” and a “h**** s***”.
Having initially ditched the defendant, the victim returned to the holiday let and found he was intoxicated.
Holme-Slater began shouting and “using derogatory names” towards her again, and when she and her son went to one of the bedrooms, the defendant followed her, pulled her hair, and punched her.
The defendant punched his partner again to the back of the head – in full view of her son – before then headbutting her to the nose.
Holme-Slater initially admitted an offence of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm in the magistrates’ court, however in an interview with the probation service he said he “received bad advice in the lower court” and had “been stitched up” by the son.
An application was made to vacate his plea.
He pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm, despite at one stage claiming he had “no real recollection” of events.
The 39-year-old was jailed for 10 months.
Gabriel Stratulat
Gabriel Stratulat, 21, of Star Road in Peterborough, was jailed after police uncovered a drugs farm capable of producing up to £57,000 of cannabis.
When police raided an address in Pontardawe on February 13, Stratulat and his 17-year-old co-defendant – who cannot be named due to their age – were caught attempting to flee through the back door.
Inside the address, officers found 129 cannabis plants growing across three rooms, whilst two further rooms looked to have been recently harvested.
It was estimated the plants could have produced between 3.5 and 11 kilograms of cannabis, which could have had an estimated street value of up to £57,000.
In the living room, there were three vacuum sealed bags each containing around a kilogram of cannabis – estimated to be worth between £12,000 and £15,600.
Stratulat denied being responsible for the cannabis factory or being part of a criminal gang. He admitted being at the house “for approximately three weeks”, and said he ran because he “was an overstayer and didn’t want to go back”.
He pleaded guilty to producing cannabis, and was jailed for 12 months.
Jayden Mason-Forbes
Teenage drug dealer Jayden Mason-Forbes has been locked up for selling cannabis and employing drug runners across Ceredigion.
Mason-Forbes was stopped by police along with three others on Alban Square in Aberaeron at around 7.30pm on September 27 last year.
Upon searching him, officers found 8.48 grams of cannabis, 1.23 grams of cocaine, a cannabis grinder, £200 in cash, and two mobile phones.
Analysis of one of the phones found messages from between May 15 and September 25 showing his involvement in dealing cannabis.
The messages showed the defendant “advertising various strains of cannabis” and sending out deals for customers across Lampeter and Aberaeron. They also revealed that he was employing drug runners.
In interview, the defendant, from Aberaeron, denied that he was a cocaine dealer, insisting that the amount he was found with was for personal use.
Mason-Forbes pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis, as well as possession of both cocaine and cannabis.
The 19-year-old defendant was sentenced to 13 months in a Young Offender Institute.
Phillip Greenfield
Drug dealer Phillip Greenfield, of Queen Street in Pembroke Dock, has been jailed for selling cocaine, pregabalin, and diazepam.
Greenfield was alleged to have been concerned in the supply of cocaine between February 26 and March 26 last year.
He was also charged with two offences of possession with intent to supply Class C drugs – relating to diazepam and pregabalin – on March 25 last year.
The defendant was also accused of possessing criminal property, relating to £1,250 in cash on that same date.
46-year-old Greenfield pleaded guilty to these four offences at a hearing at Swansea Crown Court in January, having already admitted possession of cannabis at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on December 17.
He was jailed for a total of three years.
Luke Southgate
Sex offender Luke Southgate was jailed for breaching the terms of a court order after deleting Facebook messages where he was discussing pornography.
Southgate was made the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order – which banned him from deleting his history or using automatically deleting messages – on November 16, 2021 as he was sentenced for making indecent images of children.
Police received a notification from the e-safe software installed on his devices that he was viewing “concerning content” on X, formerly Twitter.
Checks were carried out, and nothing which breached his sexual harm prevention order was found.
However, it was found that on chats with a number of people between July 28 and September 10, he had switched on a setting on Facebook Messenger which automatically deleted messages, as well as on a WhatsApp conversation between August 13 and 17.
Some of the messages were recovered and appeared to be Southgate discussing the distribution of pornography.
Southgate, 34, of Maesglas in Llandovery, pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order at an earlier hearing.
He was subject to a suspended sentence at the time.
He was jailed for 12 months for the breach, and a further six months, running consecutively, was activated of the suspended sentence.
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