HERE are eight criminals from across west Wales who have been jailed in recent weeks.
The defendants were accused of a chemical attack, a brutal sexual assault, a hammer attack, drug dealing, domestic abuse, a knife attack, and driving whilst drunk and disqualified.
The criminals were jailed for a total of around 47 years and nine months combined.
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It follows a group of west Wales criminals who were jailed in October, with these first eight defendants jailed for a total of 42 years and 10 months between them.
Here’s a round-up of the cases.
Jivan Dean
Jivan Dean, 24, blinded a man and caused serious burns by throwing a pan of boiling chemicals over his victim in a “truly disturbing” attack.
Judge Geraint Walters accused Dean of showing “no remorse whatsoever” following the incident in Tipi Valley.
The victim, then 20, visited a friend’s home on August 14. He didn’t know that Dean – who he only knew socially – would also be there.
Dean arrived at the address carrying a bag. He “was acting out of character” and was laughing and muttering to himself whilst heating a pan containing water and a white substance up on the hob. When asked, he claimed it was ketamine. It was later found to be sodium hydroxide.
Whilst the victim was sat down looking at his phone, Dean came out and threw the contents of the pan over him. As he did so, he shouted ‘Stay away from my girlfriend’.
The victim immediately felt burning. At Glangwili Hospital, he was assessed as having deep burns to the skull, both eyes, the face, neck and chest. The burns covered six per cent of his body, and left his eyes white and glazed.
The defendant left the scene and a police search was launched. He was sighted in the Llanelli area on August 16 and was arrested.
“The facts of the case are truly disturbing,” Judge Walters said.
“Short of killing your victim, you couldn’t have done him any more harm.”
Judge Walters sentenced Dean to 18 years imprisonment, made up of a 14-year sentence plus a four-year extension.
He granted the victim a life-long restraining order against Dean.
Benjamin Guiver
Benjamin Guiver has been jailed after breaking in to a woman’s home and launching a "brutal and terrifying" sexual attack on her.
The victim was at home alone in Goodwick on May 24 and fell asleep in the living room. She was woken at around 9.45pm by Guiver, who said to her: “I’m Benjamin and I rule the universe and I work for MI5”.
The victim fled out on to the street, but the defendant caught up put his hand over her mouth and said: “I’m going to kill you. Stop screaming”.
He then kicked her and dragged her back inside by her hair. Inside, he told her to close the curtains and said he was going to rape and kill her.
Guiver punched the woman in the face, dislodging some teeth, and strangled her, hit her head against a radiator and threw her on to the bed. He then sexually assaulted her whilst saying “I’ll kill you after this”.
Guiver started damaging furniture at the home, before he again strangled the woman, saying: “You’re going blue. I’m going to kill you.”
The victim’s partner and son returned home at around 10.30pm. There was “blood everywhere”, and they saw Guiver as he made his escape through the window.
The victim’s son called the police and went after Guiver – who then assaulted him outside and got away.
Guiver was arrested shortly afterwards, and it emerged he had also broken in to other nearby homes that evening.
In his initial interview, he denied the offences, but in a subsequent interview “accepted responsibility” and said he “blacked out that day” due to mixing alcohol with his medication. Toxicology reports found he had MDMA, cannabis and ketamine in his system.
The victim was treated at Withybush Hospital. She lost a total of five teeth and suffered “extensive bruising”.
The defendant was sentenced to 20 years, comprised of 15 years in custody and five years on extended licence. His victims were granted indefinite restraining orders, and Guiver must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Joshua Lea
Joshua Lea armed himself with a hammer and launched a “revenge attack” on a convicted sex offender.
Lea was one of three men who attacked the victim in the Aldi car park in Haverfordwest at just after 4pm on Sunday, August 25.
The victim was hit “some 20 times to his head and twice to his face”. He knelt to try to protect himself, but Lea produced a hammer from his sock and hit him with it.
The police were called and the victim was taken to the A&E department at Withybush Hospital, however he then discharged himself.
Lea was later arrested outside an address on Fleming Crescent, where he boasted: “I smashed a nonce”.
Prosecutor James Hartson said this was “somewhat ironic” given Lea was a twice-cautioned sex offender.
Despite these comments, Lea denied the offence in interview, claiming instead that he “b**** slapped” the victim after he came at him. He accepted having the hammer on him, but denied having used it.
The 21-year-old, of no fixed abode, later admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon, and was jailed for a total of 15 months.
The victim was granted a five-year restraining order against him.
Bethan Picton
Former school worker Bethan Picton has been jailed after selling drugs to a 15-year-old.
The 27-year-old, of Nubian Crescent in Hakin, was jailed for three years for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, MDMA, LSD and cannabis, as well as drug possession.
After receiving intelligence that Picton was involved in drug dealing, police approached her car in Neyland on April 27 last year. Inside, they found a one-gram bag of cannabis and a grinder.
Upon searching her house, officers found LSD worth £50, £80-worth of cocaine, and £10-worth of MDMA.
Picton’s phone was seized and messages dating back to September 2022 showing she was dealing drugs.
Amongst the messages, the former school learning support assistant was shown to have sold drugs to a 15-year-old.
Financial enquiries showed several people had paid a total of around £5,700 in to her account over the six-month period.
The defendant admitted all charges.
Colin Stewart
Grandfather Colin Stewart gave a fake name to police as he was caught drunk behind the wheel to try and hide that he was driving whilst disqualified for a sixteenth time.
Police received a report that the driver of a white van appeared to be under the influence in Aberaeron, before receiving another report of an alleged domestic incident between a man and a woman who drove away in a white van.
Officers stopped the van on the A487, and the driver was slurring his words. He gave his name as ‘Gavin Stewart’ and blew over the limit when breathalysed.
The driver was taken to Aberystwyth Police Station, where he admitted he was actually Colin Stewart and he was disqualified from driving after receiving a three-year ban in 2022.
When breathalysed at the police station, Stewart recorded having 52 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.
He pleaded guilty to the driving offences at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court. The reported domestic assault was later discontinued.
Stewart, 48, had 32 previous convictions for 86 offences, including 15 previous offences for driving whilst disqualified
The defendant, of Nursery Street in Salford, was sentenced to 12 weeks for driving whilst disqualified, drink-driving, and driving without insurance, and was further banned from driving for four years.
Ryan Abraham
Drug dealer Ryan Abraham was busted after police raided his home and seized phones, stolen laptops, and £1,100 in cash.
Police raided Abraham’s home on Dyffryn Road in Pontardawe on September 10 after receiving intelligence that the defendant was involved in drug dealing.
There, officers seized phones, sim cards, stolen laptops, cannabis and cocaine, drug paraphernalia, weighing scales, and £1,100 in cash.
Upon analysis, messages showed Abraham had been supplying cocaine and MDMA between July and September.
Abraham, 22, pleaded guilty to two offences of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs – relating to cocaine and MDMA, possession of criminal property – relating to the £1,100 cash, and possession of cocaine and cannabis.
He was sentenced to a total of 40 months in prison.
John McMichael
John McMichael has been jailed after he admitted on the day of trial attacking his then-partner with the wires of his PlayStation during an argument.
McMichael, 36, was set to stand trial on October 29. However, before the trial got underway, the defendant switched his plea and admitted battery.
The defendant and his partner – who had been together for just a month or two – had an argument at an address in Haverfordwest on May 1, and the defendant was packing his belongings.
The court heard that he then pushed his partner, and attacked her with the wires of his PlayStation.
The defendant, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to five months in prison, and his victim was granted a two-year restraining order against him.
Bethan Moore
Bethan Moore, 33, punched a man and attempted to stab him over a bottle of vodka at a house party.
A Pontardawe woman, Indi Buckley, had already been sentenced at Swansea Magistrates’ Court relating to the same incident.
The victim took the bus to Neath on April 15. A few stops later, Moore and Buckley got on and began talking to him.
When they got to Neath, the group drank together in a Wetherspoons and the women invited the man to a friend’s house party. En route, he bought a bottle of vodka.
The victim picked up the bottle of vodka as he went to leave the party, and an argument broke out over who it belonged to.
Moore punched the victim, and as he headed for the door punched him again to the back of the head.
As the victim turned around, he saw Moore had a kitchen knife in her hand.
She lifted the knife above her head and brought it down. The victim raised his arm to protect himself, and sustained a “small cut” to his hand.
Moore, of Llys Dyfnant in Clyne, Neath Port Talbot, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of a knife in public.
She was sentenced to 18 months, and the victim was granted a two-year restraining order.
23-year-old Buckley, of High Street in Pontardawe, had denied a charge of assault by beating relating to the same incident, however she was found guilty after the offence was proved in her absence at Swansea Magistrates’ Court.
She was sentenced to a one-year community order, as part of which she must complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and was ordered to pay £414 in compensation, costs, a fine and a surcharge.
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