The mother of a teenager who was beaten to death at a caravan park has spoken of her shock after learning her son's killer was back in court. Nadine Marshall said she was "unaware" of the full scale of David Braddon's actions behind bars, as he enlisted a prison officer to acquire money while in jail. She said she had "mixed feelings" about the sentencing and has been left with "more questions than answers".
Killer's new offences
David Braddon, now 38, beat Conner Marshall to death at Trecco Bay caravan park, Porthcawl, in March 2015. Braddon hit Conner with a pole and kicked him in the face and ribs before stripping the 18-year-old naked in an attempt to humiliate him. After this he struck Conner again, forcing him to hit his head on the concrete below.
The teenager, suffering from hypothermia and horrific injuries, was taken to the University Hospital of Wales where he later died. Conner, from Barry, had been enjoying an evening with his friends, who had visited a local amusement park and sports bar before the attack. The teenager, whose mother said he had "a passion for photography", had left his friends to go for a walk along the beach to take some pictures.
Later that night he encountered Braddon, who was on probation for drugs offences and assaulting a police officer. He also had previous convictions for domestic abuse. The following morning, Conner was discovered by another holidaymaker at the campsite who had been woken up by a groaning sound. He saw legs sticking out from below a nearby caravan and Conner was found with "severe injuries to his head". He later died in hospital after suffering catastrophic injuries including brain swelling.
Braddon's latest sentencing
Braddon was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years in 2015. Last week, he was back before Cardiff Crown Court where he was sentenced after admitting acquiring money believed to be criminal property while in prison and possessing a mobile phone in jail.
He was sentenced alongside three co-defendants. Claire Jones, 39, of Clydach Road in Tonypandy, previously worked as a prison officer at HMP Parc; Karen Graham, 57, of Lansbury Park in Caerphilly, is Braddon's mother; and Gemma Phillips, 41, of Carlton Mears in Suffolk, was Braddon's former partner.
Up until November 2022, Jones had been working as a probationary prison officer at HMP Parc before failing her probationary period and being dismissed. In November 2023, messages were sent from a Facebook account which appeared to be from Jones to serving prison officer William Scott. In the messages, Mr Scott was asked to attend a cell and speak to a prisoner in what seemed to be an attempt to bring contraband into the prison.
Mr Scott refused and the matter was referred to the police who subsequently carried out an investigation. In March 2024, Jones was arrested and denied any wrongdoing or having sent the messages to Mr Scott. Officers subsequently found that Jones had received over £21,049 in a Monzo account with the same amount being withdrawn. The court heard 59 people had made transfers to and from the account, including people with links to 32 prisoners at four prisons. Graham, Phillips and Braddon had all made payments to and from the account.
Between December 2022 and December 2023, Graham also received over £11,000 through a bank account. Jones had also been in contact with a mobile phone which was suspected of being used within HMP Parc and was subsequently found in Braddon's cell. She'd had over 7,000 contacts with the number, which was also in contact with Philips and Graham.
Jones, Graham, and Phillips all pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property. Braddon pleaded guilty to possessing a mobile phone while in jail and acquiring money believed to be criminal property.
Sentencing and reaction
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke sentenced Graham to one year and six months in prison, suspended for two years. She also ordered Graham to attend 20 rehabilitation requirement days. Judge Lloyd-Clarke sentenced Jones and Phillips to two years and nine months in prison. Braddon was sentenced to three years and seven month in prison which she said would be served consecutively to his current life sentence which has a minimum term of 20 years.
Following the sentencing, Conner's mother Nadine Marshall said she and her family had been left with "more questions than answers". Mrs Marshall said: "We have mixed feelings and more questions than answers following the sentence. We were not aware of the scale of deceipt, the careful planning and how much money was paid into the linked accounts. Serious questions must be asked and answered by His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service regarding once again the offender management across all of the prisons. None of the sentences reflect the seriousness of the offences by each of the four offenders. With early release the females will not serve the sentence given. Braddon's sentence of three years and eight months is deserved given a convicted murderer made £50k yet collectively fines of less than £1k were given."
At the time Braddon first appeared in court facing new charges, Mrs Marshall said she was horrified that the probation service had not told her Braddon would be back in court. Mrs Marshall, the founder of VOICE (Victims Oversight in Criminal Enforcement), said she first learned of her son’s killer’s appearance after reading about it on WalesOnline. She said at the time: "My family's experience isn't a one-off – there lies the problem. During the past 10 years I have met several other families that have suffered the loss of a loved one by a known offender under probation supervision. The reality is that victims' families are overlooked. The shock and horror of having to read something like that online – that is horrific."
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said Braddon's crime was horrific and that their thoughts remain with Conner Marshall's family, adding: "We know it can be incredibly distressing for victims to see perpetrators in the media without warning and we are looking into this complaint. Under the Victim Contact Scheme victims are notified of key sentence-related information during the offender’s sentence."
