Chief Fire Officer of Mid and Wales Fire Service to step down
The Chief Fire Officer at Mid and West Wales Fire Service will step down this year, ITV Cymru Wales understands.
Roger Thomas has worked within the force for 29-years, taking on the post as Chief Fire Officer in April 2022. He is expected to retire in October.
Mr Thomas was recognised in the King's Birthday Honours earlier this month for his commitment to the force.
The news of his retirement comes after an independent investigation into culture at Mid and West Wales Fire Service published in February saw one participant brand the force an "operational boys club".
Nearly half (47%) of people who responded to the survey reported personal experiences with bullying and harassment in the service since June 2021, and over half (54%) had witnessed such behaviours, the report found.
10% of female survey respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment, with the report suggesting sexual assault or harassment continues to go largely underreported.
Responding to the independent investigation into workplace culture at the time, Mr Thomas said he apologises "unreservedly" to colleagues who have been subject to "bullying, harassment or discrimination in any form."
He added, "This is wholly unacceptable and does not align with the values and behaviours that we espouse or endorse as a Service.
"Secondly, I accept the findings and recommendations within the review which support my ambition to improve the culture of our Service, which was one of my key aims when I was appointed as Chief Fire Officer."
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ITV News
a day ago
- ITV News
Chief Fire Officer of Mid and Wales Fire Service to step down
The Chief Fire Officer at Mid and West Wales Fire Service will step down this year, ITV Cymru Wales understands. Roger Thomas has worked within the force for 29-years, taking on the post as Chief Fire Officer in April 2022. He is expected to retire in October. Mr Thomas was recognised in the King's Birthday Honours earlier this month for his commitment to the force. The news of his retirement comes after an independent investigation into culture at Mid and West Wales Fire Service published in February saw one participant brand the force an "operational boys club". Nearly half (47%) of people who responded to the survey reported personal experiences with bullying and harassment in the service since June 2021, and over half (54%) had witnessed such behaviours, the report found. 10% of female survey respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment, with the report suggesting sexual assault or harassment continues to go largely underreported. Responding to the independent investigation into workplace culture at the time, Mr Thomas said he apologises "unreservedly" to colleagues who have been subject to "bullying, harassment or discrimination in any form." He added, "This is wholly unacceptable and does not align with the values and behaviours that we espouse or endorse as a Service. "Secondly, I accept the findings and recommendations within the review which support my ambition to improve the culture of our Service, which was one of my key aims when I was appointed as Chief Fire Officer."
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Mastermind' behind murder of man who was found naked bound with duct tape sent joke texts about attack, court hears
The victim's glam ex was previously convicted for manslaughter after his death HORROR DEATH 'Mastermind' behind murder of man who was found naked bound with duct tape sent joke texts about attack, court hears Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE alleged mastermind behind the murder of a man who was found naked and bound with duct tape texted jokes about the attack, a court heard. Thomas Campbell was ambushed on his doorstep in an attack allegedly orchestrated by his partner's ex-boyfriend. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 John Belfield, who denies murder and conspiracy to rob Credit: MEN Media 9 Coleen Campbell was previously convicted for manslaughter after Thomas' death Credit: Steve Allen 9 Thomas Campbell, 38, was found dead at his home on Riverside, Mossley, Greater Manchester Credit: MEN Media His body was discovered by his neighbours the morning after three men "pounced" on him as he arrived home late on a Saturday night, a court heard. Manchester Crown Court was told the 38-year-old was killed on July 3, 2022 after "very careful planning by a team of highly organised criminals". The alleged "mastermind" of the plot is John Belfield, 31, who is on trial and denies murder. Thomas was dating Belfield's ex-girlfriend and he was "hostile" about the relationship, the court heard. The victim's glam ex Coleen was previously convicted for manslaughter after his death, and she was jailed for 13 years in 2023. The mum-of-four passed on information about her ex husband's movements - including details she learned from her children. Manchester Crown Court heard today how Belfield sent texts after the alleged attack which read the victim "must have bled everywhere". The 31-year-old travelled to South America after the victim was found. He was extradited from the former Dutch colony of Suriname, to stand trial over the "harrowing and violent assault", a court heard. Jurors were told today of messages sent to Belfield by his alleged "right-hand man" Reece Steven. Steven, 29, was previously found guilty of Thomas's murder with conspiracy to rob and he was sentenced to life in prison. Belfield's driver Stephen Cleworth, 38, was also convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob and was jailed for 12 years. The identity of the third attacker remains a mystery. In a conversation about Thomas' horror injuries, Steven wrote: "Tommy crumble. Dripping in tom juice everywhere." 9 Thomas was found by a neighbour at his home on July 3 2022 Credit: MEN Media 9 Campbell was she was jailed for 13 years in 2023 Credit: GMP 9 Thomas was dating Belfield's ex-girlfriend and he was "hostile" about the relationship, the court heard Credit: MEN Media Belfield replied: "Must have bled everywhere." Steven answered: "I didn't say blood mate. I said juice, U're crazy, bro." Belfield: "Tom juice." Steven: "A little bit of Tommy ketchup." Belfield: "All the lights on but no one at home. Actually, the lights have been smashed out of him." Steven: "He ran out of sauce. Empty bottle. No lid on." Belfield: "He didn't believe the team." Steven: "He's just crum now. In the graveyard." In another message Belfield wrote how the police "know I'm the one in charge" but had "next to f***-all on me". He added: "Got a chance of getting away with it." In further texts while Belfield was in Suriname, jurors heard how the 31-year-old wrote to another recipient: "Just looking like what it is going to be to like for me. "If I have an alibi, I cannot get found guilty. "There is no evidence. I could have just been naive." He told the unknown person to "check if they have got warrants for the phones because if they haven't, then they cannot be used". Belfield also sent a message to another recipient which read: "If the evidence is not strong enough against them, they cannot use it against me. "The trouble is getting a not guilty. Got a chance of getting away with it." The defendant then sent one person called Pacheco a text which read: "We did not use a blowtorch. We used hot liquid in a flask to burn him." He added: "Funny, innit. Police know I'm the one in charge but they know there is next to f*** all on me. "I don't even put the tracker on. "They have no evidence to back up what they are saying. Just some story books." The jury heard Steven told Belfield: "I reckon you could squeeze a manslaughter. Accidents happen, bro." He also said in a voice note: "If you put all the cuts on his face aside and the burns that was off whatever. "He's got a f****** wound to the arm what got tarted up and a few bangs to the head. "And he was f****** breathing when they called 999." Prosecutors argued Belfield was looking for "items of value" in Thomas' Mossley home, in Greater Manchester. Dr Philip Lumb told Manchester Crown Court yesterday that Thomas was discovered in the hallway of his home, lying on his back after the savage attack. "He was naked apart from a pair of socks," he told the court. Dr Lumb said his ankles were "bound together tightly" with duct tape. Injuries to the head and neck suggested a "sustained blunt sharp force physical assault". Dr Lumb argued that burns on Thomas's body had been caused by a "hot liquid such as hot water", MEN reported. His arm was found with a "makeshift tourniquet" after an injury that would have bled a lot. Dr Lumb concluded that Thomas's cause of death included "multiple sharp force injures, blunt force head injuries" and "pressure to the neck". The court heard that there was a tracking device placed on Thomas's car and "reconnaissance" was carried out in the days before he died on July 2, 2022. The court was told that Belfield was responsible for putting the tracker on Thomas's car and he was involved in the "reconnaissance" at his home. He was not present at the scene of the death, the trial heard. Belfield denies murder and conspiracy to rob. The trial continues. 9 Reece Steven, 29, and Belfield's driver Stephen Cleworth were both jailed for their role in Thomas's death Credit: GMP 9 Images of the crime scene in Greater Manchester Credit: Cavendish
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Seven things we learned about Jay Slater as investigator revisits tragic mystery
Investigator Mark Williams-Thomas interviewed family, friends and key witnesses in the days after the 19-year-old from Lancashire disappeared on the Spanish island of Tenerife last June A year ago today, Jay Slater went out to a nightclub while on holiday with friends in Tenerife. He was last seen alive in the early hours of the next morning before vanishing, and it took almost a month to find his body. Investigator Mark Williams-Thomas has taken a deep dive into the case in a new podcast series, interviewing family, friends and key witnesses about the Lancashire teen's disappearance on the Spanish island - here we take a look at all the things we have learned as he reveals the details of those conversations. Jay had been going to the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas on June 16 last year. We know he went to an AirBnB apartment in the early hours of the next day, which was the last place he was seen alive before his body was found on July 15 by a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard near the village of Masca. Who was the last person to see Jay alive? Mark Williams-Thomas revealed he spoke to Ayub Qassim who had rented the AirBnB about the last time he spoke to Jay, on the morning he left. Mr Qassim said: "He (Jay) said to me 'Pal I'm off, this woman told me I can get a bus every 10 minutes', I told him that he's mad, there's no bus that's coming here every 10 minutes, chill out for a bit and I'll drop you off later on. "He said, 'No, no I've got to go to Los Cristianos, I need to scram, I need to chip out'. There's nothing more that I could do. "I saw him walk off maybe down the steps. I maybe shut the door and said if you need me..." But Mr Williams-Thomas also revealed that was not the last time Jay was seen alive. Just moments later Jay spoke to a woman who looked after the Airbnb rental, where he had just spent the night. The investigator went to speak to the woman and indicated there would have been a language barrier between the pair. She told Mr Williams-Thomas that she had told Jay where he could catch a bus back to the south of Tenerife and then she saw him walk off up the hill on his own. "She said 10am to him and showed him where the bus stop is but it is very obvious anyway and she said that she then saw him walk off up the hill," said Mr Williams-Thomas. "If he was walking back to Los Cristianos he would have walked off that [the other] way, but for some reason he walked off up the hill. She said she didn't see him after that, he was alone, he wasn't carrying anything and he definitely wasn't with anyone else. "She said at that stage, the two black men, she believed, where inside asleep, I couldn't understand why she knew that for certain but she said they were inside and she didn't see him again." Jay's final movements Ex-detective Mark Williams-Thomas said Jay Slater was "buzzing" and wanted to carry on partying even though his friends left, which led him to make the decision to travel far away from his hotel. He said the key to knowing why Jay ended up in the north of the Spanish island of Tenerife, far away from his accommodation, was easy to understand. A post-mortem found Jay had consumed alcohol and drugs in the hours before he fell down a ravine. He added: "Jay was still buzzing at 6am from the alcohol and drugs but his friends wanted to go home, so when Qassim told Jay that he could go back to theirs and continue partying he jumped at the chance." The investigator added: "2.35am - Jay sent a cryptic text to a friend saying 'they've got a marker on me', the friend replied at 3am with the message 'you need to go home lad you're off your barnet'. Jay then replied 'you think I'm going home you must be disabled'." "We know that at this stage Jay was very heavily under the influence of drink and drugs and it is highly likely that some paranoia was present because his friends were saying he was not making much sense and being argumentative which was very unlike Jay. He added that his investigation at the Airbnb: "Strongly rules out third party involvement (in Jay's death) from the time he was at the rental." Jay likely died instantly The teenager's body was found at a ravine near the village of Masca nearly a month after he went missing. An inquest which opened and adjourned last month heard he died from a head injury. Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said Jay may have died "in an instant" after falling into the ravine, stating the fall would have had an "immediate and devastating effect on Jay's consciousness". He added that the teen had sustained "severe" injuries before concluding the official cause of death was a head injury, agreeing with an earlier consensus offered by Spanish pathologists. Dr Shepherd said: "The injuries were so severe I have not doubt he would have been instantly unconscious from the moment of that blow to the head. "Death could well have been instant the injury was so severe. "Jay would undoubtedly be unconscious and unaware. "It's most likely death would have occurred instantly or extremely soon afterwards." Why did it take a month to find him? The remote region of Masca near where Jay's body was found is notoriously rugged and treacherous, locals said. The tiny hamlet clings to the rocky outcrops of North Western Tenerife in the far-flung Parque Rural de Teno, with locals calling it the 'lost village' as it didn't even have a road connection until the 1990s. It is one of the most remote parts of Tenerife, and in the past few years more rescues have been carried out here than anywhere else in the Canary Islands, according to the website of the Masca visitors centre. Speaking at the time of his disappearance a worker at the visitor centre in Masca described the remote area saying: 'There's a lot of people that usually get lost here, there's a lot of forest. "We've already had a lot of news of tourists getting on trails they shouldn't have and getting lost. "I've seen a lot of helicopters flying around the rural park for years.' Tenerife's drug problem Mark Williams-Thomas revealed that when he went to check for CCTV from inside the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas, where Jay and his pals had partied, he was surprised by the smell of drugs on the strip. He revealed that he was told to come back later and then also enquired at another club opposite which didn't have CCTV. The investigator said: "I went to a club just across the road which is a club that we know Jay went to, and we know Jay was with the two black men, interestingly enough no CCTV inside, you have to question why. "Less than 30 seconds after getting out of the vehicle I was approached by a number of men offering me drugs, offering me cannabis, cocaine straight away, actually it is rife along the street. "I've never walked down a street where you can smell cannabis to the degree it is here, so prevalent, and there are police driving around, no one cares, no one cares at all." Jay's friends absent from his inquest Lucy Law was the first to raise the alarm about Jay being missing. They were friends before the holiday and both come from Lancashire. In the days after he went missing she got early search efforts off the ground and assisting the teen's family when they arrived to help. She did not attend the inquest into his death last month, with her family saying she was out of the country and unaware it was taking place. Bradley Hargreaves also travelled from Lancashire with Jay to Tenerife. He knew Jay's last location after he was sent it by the teen. Bradley spoke regularly to the press during the search for Jay. He was also abroad when the inquest into Jay's death took place. Brandon Hodgson was the third Lancashire friend to jet to Tenerife alongside Jay, and was one of the last people with whom Jay spoke before going missing. Investigator Mark Williams-Thomas said Brandon, now 20, had received a text from the teen saying: "I've started walking." Brandon is now "liasing with police" after Lancashire Police, but was also abroad when the inquest took place. Ayub Qassim, a fellow Brit but not a friend from home, had invited Jay back to his rented AirBnB in the Tenerife mountain village of Masca the night before he went missing. The 31-year-old, a convicted drug dealer also known as "Johnny Vegas" had let him stay overnight. He did not attend the inquest into Jay's death. Steven "Rocky" Roccas was staying with Mr Qassim at the Masca AirBnB, but little more is known about the man beyond this. Met Police officers had tried to serve him a witness summons at his address in London, but found he was no longer residing there. Mr Roccas has not been found. Jay's mum still needs answers At the inquest Jay's mum Debbie Duncan pleaded with these people to come forward. She told Preston Coroner's Court: "I know you have tried to locate them but how can we ever get any understanding we know he died and he had an accident but from him leaving that holiday resort to going up to there we have read their statements and we want these people to be here sat in front of us, we want to ask them questions "Our son went on holiday and didn't come back so there are questions we need to ask... please."
