Review of the Year: The big stories from Barry and the Vale from July to December

Vale of Glamorgan Council leader Cllr John Thomas said he “would prefer” the Barry Docks ‘incinerator’ to not be constructed in the town, after being pressed by campaigners demanding to know the council’s position on the Biomass facility.

A man was jailed after attacking a pregnant woman in a row over garden ornaments. Michael Selby, 31, of Osprey Court, Barry, argued with the woman and her companion after claiming they had stolen items from his garden, before throwing a pint glass cutting the woman’s shoulder. He was sentenced to eight months in prison.

The family of five-year-old cancer sufferer Ellie-May Haggard said they had been “blown away” by the kindness shown by the community during her battle. Events organised by her school, St Helen’s Primary, and other local groups helped raise thousands of pounds towards funding a once-in-a-lifetime trip for Ellie-May to visit Disneyland. Ellie-May’s grandmother Lynne Baldock described the generosity as “a rollercoaster of emotions that’s had me in tears.”

The new gardens at Cemetery Approach were warmly received by members of the public, while the Isle of Fire festival saw thousands attend Barry Island for the Summer’s first big weekend event.

And a six-year-old girl with autism was left devastated after her pet rabbit was brutally killed by an intruder. Shayla Bratherton-Selby’s pet Rosie was believed to have been deliberately killed after somebody broke into her cage and attacked her with a brick before stamping on her. Shayla’s mother, Louise, said the killer must have a “depraved mind” to have carried out the act.

August
A serial paedophile was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a string of sexual offences against young children. Raymond Hodges, 73, pleaded guilty to four charges and was found guilty of a further 20 at Cardiff Crown Court.

GlastonBARRY music festival returned and the Red Arrows paid a flying visit to Barry Island, while A-level and GCSE results days saw mostly happy faces around Barry schools.

Local photographer Kevin Moore announced his 'A Year in Barry' project, dedicated to collecting images from the town across the course of 12 months.

An inquest into the death of charity founder Lucy Dickenson in Zambia back in 2012 returned a verdict of accidental death. Ms Dickenson was killed in a car crash during her stay in the country, where she had been undertaking voluntary work to educate and empower women.

In what was arguably our biggest story of the year, two registered child sex offenders were returned to prison after being caught working at Barry Island Pleasure Park. Peter Radford, 34, and Benjamin Thomas, 25, who both had prior convictions for serious offences against children, were found to be in breach of their Sexual Offences Prevention Orders. Both men were sentenced to 10 months in jail.

And finally, a Barry man who beat his friend to death with a hammer was sentenced to life in prison. Kieran Davies was told he would serve at least 19 years for the murder of Ashley Hawkins, who he killed while the pair were staying away on a trip to Edinburgh.

September
A nurse from Wenvoe was found guilty of carrying out a number of sexual assaults against co-workers at the hospital where he worked. Andrew Lauder, 54, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for the offences. Kevin Seal, defending, said that Lauder had “clearly overstepped boundaries.”

A burning smell that lingered for several days around the town puzzled local residents, with the eventual explanation being a fire that had broken out on Five Mile Lane.

Barry Town councillors rejected a proposal to pay themselves for attending meetings, while a 10,000 signature petition against the Biomass ‘incinerator’ was passed to Natural Resources Wales for consideration. Storm Aileen destroyed the iconic ‘Friendship Tree’ and O’Shea’s Fish and Chip cafe got ahead of the trend in withdrawing plastic packaging to help combat sea pollution.

The Ty Hafan ‘Snowdogs’ began appearing around Barry, Shop Local was relaunched with the Party on the Square and a man avoided jail for his part in a fight which broke out during a screening of Star Wars: Rogue One which, ironically, also involved a man who called himself ‘the Jedi’.

Four teenagers were locked up for violent disorder after attacking two men who had asked them to turn their music down. Ian Harvey and Richard Webb were attacked in July, with Mr Harvey suffering a fractured eye socket during the assault. Two other men were previously found not guilty of similar charges.

October
The UK’s biggest ever ‘cash for crash’ scam plot resulted in the jailing of Barry Island resident Merrick Williams. Mr Williams deliberately drove into the rear of a bus, with his co-conspirators on board feigning injury after the incident. The insurance payout could have landed the group more than £50,000, but Williams ended up with a 12 month stint in prison instead.

A woman who abandoned her two dogs to starve for several weeks narrowly avoided a jail sentence. Sophie Tooms, 24, left her American Bulldogs Kia and Rocky at a house in Barry without access to food or water, but they were rescued after the RSPCA were alerted by concerned members of the public. Ms Tooms was banned from keeping animals for four years.

And there was more heartache for lovers of man’s best friend when Aharon Mulreid’s Yorkshire Terrier Toby was killed by another dog while out walking in Porthkerry Park. Mr Mulreid called for stricter penalties to be enforced on owners of out of control animals following the attack.

Prominent surgical mesh campaigner Jemima Williams called on the Welsh Assembly to ban its use for medical procedures, while the Vale council formally recommended rejecting the request from Aviva to grant the ‘incinerator’ an operating licence.

November
It was a bad month for Pleasure Park owner Henry Danter, whose ongoing planning disputes with the Vale of Glamorgan Council reached another lowpoint. The newly erected giant Ferris Wheel, nicknamed the ‘Barry High’, was taken down, while Mr Danter also pleaded guilty to breaching building regulations at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court.

Vale AM Jane Hutt was relieved of her cabinet role, bringing an end to 20 years in senior governmental positions, and the inquest into the death of former Vale mayor AJ Williams and his wife, Faith, found that the pair had fallen over on one of the hottest days of the year and were unable to get up.

A pregnant mother feared for her life after she was shot at through her children’s bedroom window with an air rifle. Jade Williams was forced to take cover and assumed the worst when she heard the shot crack her children’s bedroom window as she was putting them to bed.

A taxi driver was robbed at knifepoint and cut by the armed passenger, while sixth form students from Ysgol Bro Morgannwg had a lucky escape as they were caught up in a terrorist attack in New York.

The biological family of toddler Elsie Scully-Hicks, who was murdered by her adopted father, pointed the finger at social services in the Vale of Glamorgan for removing the child from their care after she was born, and Natural Resources Wales confirmed that they intended to grant an operating licence for the Barry Docks ‘incinerator’.

December
The sudden closure of Filco on Thompson Street in Barry left all of the firm’s staff redundant just weeks before Christmas. There were more problems to follow, as online Christmas gift purchases delivered to the store were left stuck inside, causing shoppers weeks of delays as they waited for presents to arrive.

Redevelopment plans for the listed Nell’s Point toilet blocks were finally confirmed, as the Vale of Glamorgan Council announced they had agreed terms with a developer to turn the derelict buildings into new restaurants.

Town centre businesses raised concerns over council proposals to introduce car parking charges across the Vale, while plans to build Wales’ smallest theatre in Barry were approved.

A woman who stabbed a man in the neck with a pen before shouting “now you have HIV” was sentenced to six months in prison. Jade Miller, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of affray for the attack.

Plans to make a new documentary exploring the murders of Highlight Park resident Robert Mochrie, who killed his entire family before committing suicide in 2000, were met by anger and upset by members of the community. Monster Films said they wanted to raise awareness of the issues the Mochrie had to help prevent ‘family annihilations’ in the future, but many people said that making the film would be “inappropriate” and “insensitive.”

Both drivers involved in the car crash death of mother-of-two Jenna Miller in 2016 were jailed. Jamie Oaten, 24, was sentenced to 45 months in prison after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, while Joseph Fettah, 20, who was found guilty following a trial in November, was sentenced to spend five years in a young offenders institution.

And finally, a devastating fire at a home in Barry on Christmas Day almost claimed the lives of a mother, her sister-in-law and her three children, who all narrowly escaped the blaze. Ann-Marie Mohammed and her family were left homeless as a result, with their house and all their possessions completely destroyed.