Police appeal for witnesses after pedestrian injured

POLICE in Carmarthenshire are appealing for witnesses following a collision involving a pedestrian on the B4459 near the former Farmers public house in Pencader on Tuesday (18 July).

The collision, involving a vehicle and a child, happened at approximately 4.25pm.

The child was taken to hospital but has since been discharged.

In particular, police are appealing for the driver of a black or grey pick-up truck to come forward as it is believed they may be able to assist officers with their investigation.

This vehicle is known to have been travelling in a northbound direction, towards the general direction of Llandysul with the driver being described as a male aged in his 50s or 60s. If anyone has any information regarding this incident, or has dash cam or doorbell footage, they are urged to contact the police quoting reference DP20230718-303.

DYFED-POWYS POLICE has been asked by The Pembrokeshire Herald if it is investigating an allegation of child sexual assault linked to Caldey Island.

The Pembrokeshire Heald understands that the allegation, confirmed to this newspaper by someone close to the island, involves a worker on Caldey, and that the nature of the complaint has caused concern amongst the island community.

A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police told The Pembrokeshire Herald on Wednesday (Jul 18): “We have received a report concerning Caldey Island, and officers are conducting initial enquiries.”

There have been multiple cases of sex crimes linked to Caldey Island. Here is a summary of the incidents:

Father John Shannon: He lived on Caldey Island in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, he was found to have downloaded

740 indecent images of children on a computer while working as a lecturer at a Catholic seminary in County Durham. He was convicted and sentenced to eight months in jail, placed on the sex offender register for 10 years, and banned from working with children for life.

Tahddsus Kotik: He was a Benedictine monk who lived in the monastery on Caldey Island from 1947 until his death in 1992. In November, it was revealed that he was accused of sexual abuse against children dating back to the 1970s and 1980s. The Abbey settled civil claims by six women in March, and an additional six women and a man have approached the Guardian newspaper alleging abuse by Kotik. Paul Ashton: He hid on Caldey Island and lived there under an assumed identity for seven years. After being caught and taken back to the mainland, he was later sentenced and jailed for possessing 5,000 images of child abuse on his computer.

John Cronin: He is suspected to have lived on Caldey Island in 2009 under an assumed name in a cottage owned by the Monastery.

In response to these cases, Darren Millar, the Conservatives’ children’s spokesman in the Welsh assembly in 2017, has called on the Welsh government to launch an investigation into Caldey Island.