Latest news with #Stanway
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Rogue trader tried to con elderly couple with garden work
Andrew Arrowsmith pleaded guilty to six regulatory offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Arrowsmith's offending came to light when an employee at the Co-operative Bank contacted the police on June 14, 2023, said Thomas Stanway, appearing for Caerphilly council's Trading Standards. The employee was concerned the 74-year-old victim was being scammed when she attempted to withdraw 'a large amount of cash'. Police attended the victim's home, and it was confirmed Arrowsmith had invoiced her £18,500 for gardening and landscaping works. The defendant 'made a number of false claims', including the identity of the builders' merchants he used and claiming that they only accepted cash. The officer advised the victim not to continue with the work, and told Arrowsmith to collect his equipment and leave the address. The incident was reported to Caerphilly council's Trading Standards team. Mr Stanway said the victim agreed to speak with Arrowsmith about proposed gardening works after one of his associates knocked on her door on June 9. He initially quoted her £19,000. She said this was too high, and a price of £18,500 was agreed. The victim was provided with an invoice which said he would complete rubbish removal and clearance, cutting trees down, removing tree stumps, and landscaping works. Arrowsmith started the work 'almost immediately'. On the third day he brought a digger to the property, but the victim became concerned as, instead of removing the excess soil, Arrowsmith spread it over the rest of her garden. Mr Stanway said Arrowsmith demanded £4,000 from the victim on the 'fourth or fifth day' for the work that had already been completed. That led to the victim going to the bank and the police being contacted. On the invoice Arrowsmith gave the victim, the 'No' box next to a statement outlining her cancellation rights had already been ticked. The victim said she was never told by Arrowsmith or his employees about her cancelation rights. Arrowsmith's business cards had two telephone numbers and didn't include an address. He also claimed to be an approved waste carrier – but subsequent checks with the Environmental Agency and Natural Resources Wales confirmed he wasn't. Even after the police attended, Arrowsmith continued to pressure the victim to pay £1,830 for 'rubbish collection' – despite the fact the rubbish remained at the site. A chartered builder and surveyor visited the victim's home and said the work 'did not achieve an acceptable level' and 'was overpriced'. He described the invoice as 'inappropriate' and 'short of content and descriptions of the work'. The court heard 35-year-old Arrowsmith, of Kings Meadow in Llanfaes, Brecon, had one previous conviction for one unrelated offence. Ieuan Bennett, appearing for Arrowsmith, said the defendant was remorseful about the offence and had stopped working following this incident. He said Arrowsmith did not receive any money from the victim, and that the work had cost him an estimated £1,600 – although he acknowledged 'people would perhaps have little sympathy with that'. Judge Jeremy Jenkins sentenced Arrowsmith to a 12-month community order. He must complete 120 hours of unpaid work and pay £2,500 in costs.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
England players refuse to take knee and stand up in message about racist abuse
England's player stuck to their words and refused to take the knee ahead of their Women's European Championship semi-final against Italy. The squad had announced they would take the step after team-mate Jess Carter opened up on the racial abuse she has received during the tournament, with Lionesses midfielder Georgia Stanway reinforcing the decision the day before the game. 'It's just to change it up," Stanway said. "We felt like the knee was just a little bit repetitive, we felt like it's come to a point where the knee isn't doing what we wanted it to do, so now our decision is to stand and hopefully that will bring up more conversation, more change and hopefully get the topic [spoken about].' Piara Powar, head of football's international anti-discrimination body, Fare, questioned the move. "Powerful actions are needed right now, to deal with the issues that are being played out as we speak," Powar said, though he defended the Lioness' right to make the decision they have. When asked about Powar's comments, Stanway stressed that it waa a collective decision from the squad to not take the knee. "We've decided not to take the knee because we want more action to be made," she said. "We want to create more of a talking point and a point to make more change. That starts with social media and people having access to be able to do certain things. So our stance and opinion stay the same, and that's what we've decided as a collective. " Over the weekend, fellow Lionesses star Lucy Bronze spoke about how the group came to their decision. "It was driven by the group - obviously certain individuals more than others," the right-back said. "I think it was just the fact that we feel as a collective, is the message as strong as it used to be? Is the message really hitting hard? Because to us it feels like it's not if these things are still happening to our players in the biggest tournaments of their lives. "It's about putting another statement out there to say it's something that still is a problem, it's something that still needs to be put right. More needs to be done in football, more needs to be done in society, what that is right now as an individual, I don't exactly know. "But it's something that us collectively as a team and as a federation we want to work towards, we wanna make changes. This is a small step trying to create another change." Carter was dropped to the bench for the game with Italy, with Sarina Wiegman confirming it was a tactical decision to deal with the threat of their opponents. On Monday, Wiegman was asked about the prospect of pulling Carter out of the firing line for the match in Geneva. "Of course we had conversations," Wiegman said. "Although it is a hard situation, Jess is a very strong person and she wants to move on too. "She also felt - as we did - that we had to address this. You can't just let it go, so we did [not]. And then we know that there's a match going on. We want to perform. We're ready to peform. She's ready to perform and compete, and that says a lot about her and the team."
South Wales Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Georgia Stanway issues warning to 'fake fans' ahead of Euro 2025 semi
The midfielder, 26, noted that anyone engaging in harmful and racist abuse of players should not be considered a fan of the game, as the footballing community has banded together in support for Carter over the past 24 hours. It comes on the eve of a semi-final against Italy for the Lionesses, with Sarina Wiegman's squad looking to book their spot in a third successive major final with victory in Geneva. Stanway admitted that the incident has created a newfound vulnerability in the England squad ahead of the game, with the entire team united in their beliefs and support of each other. "It's brought us together as a team," she said. "The most important thing is that Jess has the power to speak out and it's not on her own, she has the whole power of the Lionesses, the staff and the FA. "That's the beauty of football, that if we want to make change we can do it as a collective and as a collective we are way more powerful. "The people who are doing and saying these things do not deserve to be called fans. "We know that we're pulling that shirt on for the actual fans who are here to enjoy the game and I say that with power because I really deserve it." It's @StanwayGeorgia's turn in the #Lionesses Diary Room! 🙌 Stanway further defended England's decision to not take the knee in their remaining Euro 2025 matches. Taking the knee has become a statement against racism in the sporting world in the last few years, but following the recent abuse against Carter, England have announced that they will not make the gesture in their semi-final against Italy on Tuesday. Earlier today, the head of football's international anti-discrimination body, Fare, questioned the decision but Stanway held strong in their choice, instead noting that England are likely to create more conversation surrounding the topic by standing. "We felt like the knee was a bit repetitive and it isn't doing what we wanted it to do," she added. "Our decision is now to stand and that will hopefully bring up more conversation and more change and get the topic moving." The Lionesses will make a united front as they take to the Stade de Genève tomorrow evening, with a place in the final at Euro 2025 on the cards. Stanway has started every match for Wiegman's side this tournament, netting twice on their journey to the semi-final. And although the Lionesses have won seven of their last 10 games in all competitions against Italy, Stanway was quick to note the stark difference in playing a friendly compared to knock-out football, with victory or nothing on the line. "Tournament is completely different," she said. "You turn up to a tournament and it is 90 minutes of football, you might not even be the better team but it is who puts the ball in the back of the net."
Powys County Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Georgia Stanway issues warning to 'fake fans' ahead of Euro 2025 semi
Georgia Stanway issued a stark warning to 'fake fans' following the vile racist online media abuse targeted at England teammate Jess Carter at Euro 2025. The midfielder, 26, noted that anyone engaging in harmful and racist abuse of players should not be considered a fan of the game, as the footballing community has banded together in support for Carter over the past 24 hours. It comes on the eve of a semi-final against Italy for the Lionesses, with Sarina Wiegman's squad looking to book their spot in a third successive major final with victory in Geneva. Stanway admitted that the incident has created a newfound vulnerability in the England squad ahead of the game, with the entire team united in their beliefs and support of each other. "It's brought us together as a team," she said. "The most important thing is that Jess has the power to speak out and it's not on her own, she has the whole power of the Lionesses, the staff and the FA. "That's the beauty of football, that if we want to make change we can do it as a collective and as a collective we are way more powerful. "The people who are doing and saying these things do not deserve to be called fans. "We know that we're pulling that shirt on for the actual fans who are here to enjoy the game and I say that with power because I really deserve it." It's @StanwayGeorgia 's turn in the #Lionesses Diary Room! 🙌 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 21, 2025 Stanway further defended England's decision to not take the knee in their remaining Euro 2025 matches. Taking the knee has become a statement against racism in the sporting world in the last few years, but following the recent abuse against Carter, England have announced that they will not make the gesture in their semi-final against Italy on Tuesday. Earlier today, the head of football's international anti-discrimination body, Fare, questioned the decision but Stanway held strong in their choice, instead noting that England are likely to create more conversation surrounding the topic by standing. "We felt like the knee was a bit repetitive and it isn't doing what we wanted it to do," she added. "Our decision is now to stand and that will hopefully bring up more conversation and more change and get the topic moving." The Lionesses will make a united front as they take to the Stade de Genève tomorrow evening, with a place in the final at Euro 2025 on the cards. Stanway has started every match for Wiegman's side this tournament, netting twice on their journey to the semi-final. And although the Lionesses have won seven of their last 10 games in all competitions against Italy, Stanway was quick to note the stark difference in playing a friendly compared to knock-out football, with victory or nothing on the line.
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Georgia Stanway issues warning to 'fake fans' ahead of Euro 2025 semi
The midfielder, 26, noted that anyone engaging in harmful and racist abuse of players should not be considered a fan of the game, as the footballing community has banded together in support for Carter over the past 24 hours. It comes on the eve of a semi-final against Italy for the Lionesses, with Sarina Wiegman's squad looking to book their spot in a third successive major final with victory in Geneva. Stanway admitted that the incident has created a newfound vulnerability in the England squad ahead of the game, with the entire team united in their beliefs and support of each other. "It's brought us together as a team," she said. "The most important thing is that Jess has the power to speak out and it's not on her own, she has the whole power of the Lionesses, the staff and the FA. "That's the beauty of football, that if we want to make change we can do it as a collective and as a collective we are way more powerful. "The people who are doing and saying these things do not deserve to be called fans. "We know that we're pulling that shirt on for the actual fans who are here to enjoy the game and I say that with power because I really deserve it." Stanway further defended England's decision to not take the knee in their remaining Euro 2025 matches. Taking the knee has become a statement against racism in the sporting world in the last few years, but following the recent abuse against Carter, England have announced that they will not make the gesture in their semi-final against Italy on Tuesday. Earlier today, the head of football's international anti-discrimination body, Fare, questioned the decision but Stanway held strong in their choice, instead noting that England are likely to create more conversation surrounding the topic by standing. "We felt like the knee was a bit repetitive and it isn't doing what we wanted it to do," she added. "Our decision is now to stand and that will hopefully bring up more conversation and more change and get the topic moving." The Lionesses will make a united front as they take to the Stade de Genève tomorrow evening, with a place in the final at Euro 2025 on the cards. Stanway has started every match for Wiegman's side this tournament, netting twice on their journey to the semi-final. And although the Lionesses have won seven of their last 10 games in all competitions against Italy, Stanway was quick to note the stark difference in playing a friendly compared to knock-out football, with victory or nothing on the line. "Tournament is completely different," she said. "You turn up to a tournament and it is 90 minutes of football, you might not even be the better team but it is who puts the ball in the back of the net."
