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North Wales Live
5 days ago
- North Wales Live
Knifeman threatened to cut off victim's face after pub car park row
A knifeman threatened to cut a man's face off in a North Wales pub. Martin Pritchard targeted his victim after an incident in a car park involving Pritchard's sister. A judge today jailed Pritchard, 43, of Scott Close, Marchwiel, for 16 months for threatening a person with a knife in a public place. Caernarfon Crown Court heard the offence took place at The Black Lion Inn in Bersham, Wrexham on July 13 last year. Prosecutor Ryan Rothwell said the complainant Mark Robertson heard a commotion outside the Black Lion Inn at 8pm. He saw a Ford Kuga - with the driver who appeared to be intoxicated - and a stationary Range Rover in the car park. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here The keys were taken off the Kuga's female driver. Twenty minutes later the defendant Pritchard came into the pub and demanded the keys back, the court heard. The Kuga driver was Pritchard's sister. Mr Robertson asked Pritchard to leave but Pritchard initially refused. As he eventually left, Pritchard took out a knife and told Mr Robertson: "If you speak to me like that (again) I'll cut your f****** face off." He also said he would "slice" him, said the prosecutor Mr Rothwell. Police were called and officers found a Stanley knife believed to have belonged to Pritchard. Pritchard himself was arrested the following day. Richard Edwards, defending, said the defendant had been working at a nearby site so that was why he had the knife. He added: "The defendant had been trying to help his sister out when she bumped into another car in the car park. "That was nothing to do with the defendant but he was trying to resolve (it). He did feel a little aggrieved at the way he perceived the (pub) staff were treating him." But Mr Edwards accepted that Pritchard "did not deal with the situation properly". The court heard the father-of-three is a self-employed builder with nine full-time staff, 20 part-time staff and four apprentices. District Judge Gwyn Jones said whether to sent the defendant to jail immediately or not was a finely-balanced exercise. He has family and work responsibilities but the offence happened in a pub with children present and he has a poor record. Jailing him he said he will probably serve 40 per cent or 50 per cent of the sentence. He also made a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting Mr Robertson and from entering the Black Lion for five years.
North Wales Live
10-07-2025
- North Wales Live
Woman stalked ex, cut his back and pretended to be his estranged daughter
A woman cut her former partner's back and pretended to be his estranged relative after their relationship ended. Mercedes Harper was convicted of stalking but a judge heard she has mental health issues. He gave the defendant, 31, of St David's Crescent, Caia Park, Wrexham, a 13-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, for stalking. He also banned her from contacting her former partner for 10 years. Caernarfon Crown Court heard Harper had been friends with the victim and things sometimes went further but he ended their relationship. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here Prosecutor Amy Edwards described a series of incidents over six months in 2023. On one occasion Harper was behind him on the stairs and he realised she had cut his back. On another occasion he heard the sound of what he thought was a ladder outside his property. He couldn't see anything but then heard stones being thrown. He looked out and saw the defendant Harper outside. He rang police. The court also heard today that Harper had sent him text messages pretending to be his estranged daughter, and set up false Facebook profiles. One message to him was "When I see you, you're a dead man." Police seized Harper's phone and found a voicemail message from Harper accusing the victim of seeing other women. In a police interview on October 22, 2023 Harper claimed the complainant had assaulted her and denied committing any offences, the court heard. John Wyn Williams, defending, called Harper "a troubled young woman". Past trauma has had an impact on her mental health, he said. He noted a pre-sentence report found she has "emotionally unstable personality disorder". The report author called for ongoing help from a community mental health team but said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. The judge His Honour Timothy Petts said: "You used to be friends with (the victim) and occasionally it went further than that. "When he ended that side of things you took it badly. You created fake Facebook accounts in his pretended to be his estranged daughter in text messages which was quite a nasty thing to do." He gave Harper the suspended sentence for 12 months for stalking and for one month consecutively from a previous offence. He ordered her to do 15 days of rehabilitation activity. The judge also made her subject to a Domestic Abuse Protection Order for 10 years.
North Wales Chronicle
01-07-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
Anglesey man who ‘ransacked' property handed more jail time
Mark Goodier, 36, was sentenced to two years and five months' imprisonment in March, having admitted theft and handling stolen goods. But Goodier, of Llanddaniel, Gaerwen, was handed an extra 20 days in prison at Mold Magistrates Court last week for not paying a £806.05 fine. He was sentenced in his absence, with the fine having been outstanding since March 22. In March, Caernarfon Crown Court heard that, on December 19, 2024, Goodier broke into a house in Llanberis and stole a large number of valuable items, some of which have not been recovered. These included designer luxury goods including jewellery, handbags and watches. The home owner, Daniel Wood, and his family were on holiday at the time. Goodier then stole Mr Wood's BMW vehicle, which was recovered after Mr Wood used a mobile phone application to track his car to discovered that it been driven to Bangor. Police were informed and the car was found, while numerous stolen items from Mr Wood's house were then discovered at Goodier's home. Goodier, carrying a crowbar, then smashed his way into the Royal British Legion club in Llanberis, causing £500 of damage. He was also found to been driving a stolen Ford Cougar vehicle, worth £10,500, using fake number plates.
Wales Online
10-06-2025
- Wales Online
Man attacked teen with fence post he believed was 'up to no good' breaking his arm and wrist
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A man launched an attack on a teenager he believed was "up to no good" near his property, breaking his arm and wrist, a court heard. George Kovacs assaulted the 17-year-old with a fence post and pole and then threatened to kill him if he returned. A judge said he had read about issues involving people misbehaving and causing damage in the area where the defendant lived, but sending the 57-year-old father to prison, he said: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." Amy Edwards, prosecuting, told Caernarfon Crown Court on December 17, 2022, two then-17-year-old friends were walking in the mountains in the Waunfawr area of Gwynedd when they noticed an abandoned outbuilding and "out of curiosity" walked towards it, reports WalesOnline. Ms Edwards said as they approached the building a vehicle drove past them before stopping and reversing back to them. The driver of the vehicle, Kovacs, got out and shouted "What the f*** are you boys doing here?" The court heard that one of the teenagers, Kian Williams, who is now an adult, apologised to the driver but Kovacs continued "ranting" and the teenager told him: "There's no need to be a d*** about it." The prosecutor said Kovacs then grabbed a fence post and began swinging it around and striking Mr Williams, with the teenager putting his arms up to protect himself. The force of the blows were such that the post snapped. The court heard the defendant continued shouting that the boys should leave the area before grabbing Mr Williams, pushing him up against a wall and throwing a number of punches, all of which missed their target. The prosecutor said the teenagers made for the footpath but Kovacs armed himself with a pole and followed them. The defendant struck Mr Williams a number of times to the legs and the back, though the blows to the back were cushioned by the rucksack he was wearing. Kovacs told the teenagers: "I'm going to kill you... come back again and I will slice you." For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter The court heard that the teenagers made their way home and Mr Williams was subsequently taken to Bangor's Ysbyty Gwynedd by his father where doctors found he had a fractured arm and a fracture to bones in his wrist which required surgery. Meanwhile Kovacs put a post on a Facebook saying: "The lads who came from Liverpool or Manchester to my place, don't come back... next time they will have more then just a limp. Merry Christmas." He also said he had the registration of a vehicle they had been seen getting into. The court heard Kovacs was arrested and interviewed and admitted striking the teenager with a pole saying his actions were justified as he was protecting his property. In an impact statement written in May this year which was read to the court the victim said he still suffers with pain in his wrist and gets flashbacks to what happened in Waunfawr. He said he feels fearful when he goes out and constantly thinks of the defendant, adding: "This incident has taught me a lot of lessons about the man I want to be. I want to be the complete opposite of him." George Kovacs, of Ceunant, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, had previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has five previous convictions for eight offences including weapons offences but none for violence. Laura Knightly, for Kovacs, said the defendant lived in a "secluded area" with his wife and children and said he was a hard-working man. She, while in no way excusing his actions on the day in question, said there had been "concerns and fears in the area for some time" and that Kovacs' suspicions of the teenagers and his fears of what might happen "caused him to behave in this out-of-character way". The barrister added that her client thinks he may have blacked out during the incident. Judge Timothy Petts said in December 2022 Kovacs saw two young men in the vicinity of a property near to where he lived and, believing they were "up to no good", he confronted them. He said he had read references written to the court detailing problems with people misbehaving and causing damage in the rea but he told the defendant: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." With a 15% discount for his guilty plea Kovacs was sentenced to 33 months in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here Find crime figures for your area
Wales Online
03-06-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Woman left with glass in her face after jealous ex smashed window pane
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A jealous ex smashed a window at the home of his former partner, leaving her with glass in her face and a nasty cut. Andrew Owen couldn't accept the break-up of his relationship, which had been ended by his former partner after two and a half years, Caernarfon Crown Court heard. Owen, of Maes Llewelyn, Aberffraw, wrongly believed she had a man at her home and was phoning and making threats to her, said Oliver King, acting for the prosecution. He then followed that up by going round to her home in Llangefni, Anglesey, on January 25 this year, where he banged on the front door and smashed a glass pane, which left his ex with a nasty cut. "Because of her proximity to the door, when the glass shattered, fragments made contact with her face and a fragment became embedded in her face," said Mr King. The police were called and Owen, who appeared from prison via video-link today (Tuesday), was arrested. The 41-year-old admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and damaging property. The victim told how the incident had scared her and her son, for whom it had a lasting impact on. She said she didn't want to see Owen again. The court heard Owen had eight convictions for 13 offences including disorderly behaviour, damaging property, threatening behaviour and ABH. Defending, Dafydd Parry, said the defendant had already been in custody for a significant time following the incident and suggested a suspended sentence for Owen, with requirements, because there was a realistic chance of rehabilitation. Judge Timothy Petts said he agreed on balance, imposing a 12 month sentence, suspended for 18 months, a six months alcohol treatment requirement, 20 rehabilitation activity days, six months GPs trail monitoring and a 10 year restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim. He must also pay a statutory surcharge. Judge Timothy Petts said: "It was not only a very scary incident for her, but for her son who saw what was going on." You can sign up for all the latest court stories here Find crime figures for your area
