Last Updated: 12 April 2026
Courts across Wales sentenced offenders this week for crimes including murder, people smuggling, drug dealing and arson. Here is a round-up of the most notable cases from Monday, April 6 to Sunday, April 12.
Murder
Aurin Makepeace, 43, from Prestatyn, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 27 years after being found guilty of murdering her former partner, Steven Rothwell, 41, by stabbing him at his flat in Macclesfield. She denied the charge, claiming self-defence, but the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict at Chester Crown Court.
Violence and Domestic Abuse
Ravelle Melbourne, 32, of Canton, Cardiff, has been jailed for five years and three months after subjecting his partner to a campaign of violence including four separate assaults driven by jealousy, leaving her with multiple jaw fractures requiring surgery. He pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to wounding and three counts of ABH.
Rhys Chalmers, 46, from Penrhys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, was sentenced to 25 months in prison at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court after pleading guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour. He subjected his former partner to repeated physical assaults and controlling behaviour over several months. A three-year restraining order was also imposed.
Michael George, 30, of Newport, has been jailed for 24 weeks after admitting two counts of assault by beating. He carried out unprovoked attacks on a man and a woman in Cardiff on May 5. George was also ordered to pay £200 in compensation to his victims.
Drug Offences
Khalis Reynolds, 25, from Newport, was jailed for two years at Cardiff Crown Court after police caught him openly dealing cocaine to a queue of waiting customers on Commercial Street in broad daylight. His phone revealed he had been sending bulk messages to buyers to arrange deals. He pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a class A drug.
William Jamieson, 27, from North Cornelly, Bridgend, was sentenced to 38 months in prison at Cardiff Crown Court after police found heroin, cocaine, cannabis, and a flick knife during a motorway stop near Basingstoke. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs, possession of other drugs, and possession of a bladed article.
Coran Davies, 23, and Dale Howell, 25, both from Porth, were sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court for supplying cocaine and cannabis across the Rhondda valleys. Davies was identified through facial recognition after a dental selfie found on a seized phone. Davies received four years and Howell three years in prison.
Corey Richards, 27, from Cwmbran, was sentenced to 30 months in prison at Cardiff Crown Court after admitting being concerned in the supply of cocaine over a ten-month period. His iPhone, used in connection with the offending, was ordered to be destroyed.
Joland Giwa, 36, of Risca, was sentenced to 47 months at Cardiff Crown Court after police found crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine worth over £15,000 at his home. Giwa, who has nine previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession with intent to supply and possession of criminal property.
Sexual Offences
Luke Stanley, 35, of Sully, has been jailed for 47 months at Newport Crown Court after admitting eight breaches of a sexual harm prevention order. He hid a mobile phone from police and opened Snapchat accounts in breach of conditions imposed after a previous child sex offence.
Jamie McCallum, 46, of Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire, has been jailed for 13 months at Swansea Crown Court after admitting distributing hundreds of indecent images of children. McCallum used an online messaging service to share the material with 29 contacts over several months. He was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
Arson
Four men from Weston-super-Mare – Connor Pitt, 24, Auryn Gustur, 19, Alfie Wheeler, 19, and Lewis Manito, 33 – carried out a petrol-fuelled arson attack on an 82-year-old woman’s home in Ferndale, Rhondda, on behalf of an organised crime group over a debt. All four pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from nine to 18 years.
People Smuggling
Dilshad Shamo, 43, and Ali Khdir, 42, have been jailed for 19 years each after running a large-scale people smuggling network from a hand car wash in Caerphilly. The pair arranged the illegal movement of migrants across multiple European countries, generating an estimated £1.8 million in six months. They were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court.
Assaults on Emergency Workers
Craig Williams, 40, of Aberdare, has been jailed for four weeks after making threatening 999 calls on Good Friday and spitting at police officers who attended his home. He pleaded guilty at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court to assaulting emergency workers and sending offensive communications.
Alison Sanders, 50, from Abertillery, has been jailed again after admitting to assaulting two police officers and another woman. Sanders, who was imprisoned last year for attacking emergency workers, pleaded guilty at Newport Magistrates’ Court and was sentenced to 12 weeks in custody with compensation ordered for her victims.
Other Offences
Stephen Blofield, 61, from Haverfordwest, has been jailed for 10 months after his drunken behaviour on a flight from Krakow forced the pilot to abort its landing at Bristol Airport. He pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court to four charges, including being drunk on an aircraft and abusing cabin crew.
Lewis Harvey, 19, from Cwmcarn, Caerphilly county borough, threatened to set fire to his victim’s home and assault them. He pleaded guilty at Newport Magistrates’ Court to sending communications threatening death or serious harm and threatening to destroy property. Harvey, already subject to a suspended sentence, was jailed for 28 weeks in a young offender institution.
Wales Updates reports on court cases across the country every week. For the latest stories, visit walesupdates.uk.
