#llangyfelach — Public Fediverse posts

Swansea burglar jailed after targeting city business

42-year-old Raymond John targeted Skin and Glamour Beauty Salon in Llangyfelach Street on December 4.

As a shop worker was closing up at the end of the day, John burst into the salon and lay on the treatment bed, demanding water before making threats and searching for money, Swansea Crown Court heard.

The worker, a lone female, was forced to go to a nearby shop for safety.

John’s “erratic behaviour” came only a matter of days after he had been released from prison, where he was serving a sentence for shoplifting and exposing his penis in public.

John, of Griffith John Street, Dyfatty, was later identified by a police officer who recognised him from a previous investigation.

He has 57 previous convictions for 89 offences, including burglary, 20 thefts, and kindred matters. His last conviction was in October last year when he was sentenced to four months in prison for exposure and shoplifting a bottle of tequila from Sainsbury’s.

Judge Paul Thomas KC said the defendant had only been out of prison for a short time when he entered the business premises and began smashing it up and making threats.

He told John he was very fortunate that the prosecution had not proceeded with the more serious charge of attempted robbery.

The judge told John that he hoped he would make the necessary changes in his life; otherwise, “you will wake up one day and find you have spent most of your life in one institution or another.

With a one-third discount for his guilty plea, John was sentenced to eight 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.

Detective Constable Charlotte Rees said:

“Raymond John’s aggressive behaviour will have made the shop worker feel that their safety was in danger, and that is completely unacceptable.

“Shop workers should be able to go about their daily business free from threats and intimidation.

“It is only right that Raymond John goes to prison.”

[Lead image: South Wales Police]

Independent Llangyfelach councillor joins Welsh Conservative Party

Cllr Tribe, who was first elected to represent his home community in 2022, said he had made the move based on the party’s values and its ambitions for political change in Wales. He will now sit as part of the Gower and Swansea Conservatives group on the council.

The announcement was made by Tom Giffard MS, Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd for South Wales West, alongside Swansea councillor Lyndon Jones MBE.

‘A huge asset’

Welcoming the defection, Tom Giffard MS said:

“We are delighted to welcome Mark to the Welsh Conservative Party. He is a fantastic councillor for Llangyfelach and will be a huge asset to our local association and the wider party across Wales. I look forward to working with him for the people of Llangyfelach, towards our Welsh Conservative mission to Fix Wales.”

Cllr Lyndon Jones also praised the move, saying:

“I’m delighted that Mark has joined the Conservative Group on Swansea Council. Hard working local councillors can make such a difference to the communities they represent, to make sure they are the best they can be. It is also important to get the very best for residents across Swansea. I look forward to working with Mark to build a Swansea we can be proud of.”

‘An important time in Welsh politics’

Cllr Tribe said he was pleased to be joining the group.

“I am delighted to have joined the Conservative Group on Swansea Council and the Welsh Conservative Party this week,” he said.

“The Welsh Conservatives are the only party with a plan to fix Wales and I will continue to work hard locally for residents across the Llangyfelach Ward, whilst contributing to this national vision of renewal.

“This is an important time in Welsh politics, and I look forward to working with Tom, Lyndon, and the local association to make a positive difference.”

Comes after Conservative councillor defected to Reform UK in August

Cllr Tribe’s move follows another political shift on Swansea Council earlier this year. In August, Mumbles councillor Francesca O’Brien left the Welsh Conservatives to join Reform UK, becoming the party’s first councillor on the authority.

Cllr O’Brien, who was first elected in 2022, said at the time that she believed Reform UK offered the best opportunity to challenge what she described as the “Labour‑Plaid consensus” in Welsh politics. She had previously stood as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Gower in the 2019 general election, finishing second to Labour’s Tonia Antoniazzi.

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