Fifty-one people were jailed in Wales in October for some of the most serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder, rape, and child abuse. Among those sentenced was a man given a life sentence for strangling his wife in bed and another who received a lengthy prison term for stabbing his partner 11 times in a park.
Michael Davies, 58, was jailed for life for the murder of his wife Tracey Davies at their home in Cefn Cribwr, Bridgend, on April 18 last year, moments after the pair had been cuddling in bed. He admitted manslaughter but denied murder, arguing he was mentally ill and not in control of his actions at the time. A jury found him guilty of murder following a trial. Ms Davies' family called her killer a "coward" and said they did not believe he had shown remorse. He was jailed for a minimum of 14 years.
Attempted murder and rape convictions
James McKenna was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the attempted murder of his former partner. He armed himself with a large kitchen knife and stabbed her 11 times in broad daylight in Carmarthen Park in January. Swansea Crown Court heard it was "pure good fortune" that the woman survived because she was wearing several layers. McKenna fled the scene and went "off grid", but was arrested after going to hospital in Aberystwyth with frostbite from sleeping rough.
Mousa Alsharki, 49, was sentenced to 17 years for rape. He forced his victim onto a mattress and orally raped her, later raping her vaginally after groping her and pulling her hair. He also offered someone £3,000 to steal the victim's phone to delete "incriminating material". The judge said he was satisfied Alsharki was a "dangerous offender".
Samuel Hyde, 35, a convicted paedophile, travelled five hours to meet a 12-year-old girl at a railway station in south Wales, pulled her to a secluded area, and sexually assaulted her before being confronted by the girl's father. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment after being found to be a dangerous offender.
Child abuse and organised crime
Adam Edwards, 34, was jailed after being convicted of causing or allowing a child to be subjected to serious physical harm, child neglect, and inflicting grievous bodily harm. His eight-week-old son suffered a fractured skull after being "beaten and shaken" at the family home in Nantyglo, Blaenau Gwent. A foster carer said the boy will never be able to "enjoy simple things such as tasting ice cream or chocolate" and will never walk or play sports like other children. Edwards was sentenced to nine years, while the child's mother received a suspended sentence.
Three men - Leonard Banica, George Filip, and Alexandru Moco - were part of an organised crime group that trafficked 16 women from Europe into the UK for a prostitution ring stretching from Cwmbran to Inverness. Their plan earned them tens of thousands of pounds over years, but they were foiled after a neighbour in Newport kept a log of activity and handed it to Gwent Police. The group was sentenced to a combined 30 years.
Violent attacks and abuse
Andrew Caswell, a bodybuilder, "terrorised" his partner in a series of incidents, including pushing her down eight steps and throwing a vape that hit her in the eye, requiring surgery. The court was told his campaign of abuse "went on and on and on" based on paranoia that she was seeing other men.
Liam Chichester, 30, knocked his friend unconscious outside a pub in Barry before continuing to punch him on the floor and abandoning him in the road. The victim was left with multiple skull fractures and a bleed on the brain. Chichester's barrister conceded his actions amounted to a "vicious display of violence".
Craig Hole, 61, of Cardiff, was convicted of three counts of indecently assaulting a young girl who was eight years old when the abuse began. The victim said he "took her innocence away from her". He was sentenced to three years and 10 months imprisonment.
Mandy Hammond, 54, robbed an 88-year-old pensioner at a Tesco cash machine in Newport, taking her to the ground and snatching cash she had just withdrawn. A judge at Cardiff Crown Court told her she had stolen the pensioner's money and her self-confidence.
Other notable sentences included David Novac, 34, who secretly filmed a woman performing a sex act and was sentenced to five months; Richard Slimings, 52, who spat at his ex-partner's daughter and punched her, receiving an additional three-and-a-half months; and Levi Edwards, who deliberately ran over his girlfriend after an argument, breaking her leg in two places.
