Fatal error by 'cowardly' ex-cop that killed four in paddleboarding tragedy

A former cop has been who drowned during a paddleboarding excursion organised by her company.

Paul O'Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40, died after they , Pembrokeshire, on October 30 2021. The four had been taking part in a stand-up paddleboarding session in "exremely hazardous conditions" led by Nerys Bethan Lloyd.

The court heard how there was no safety briefing or formal risk assessments, marking a fatal error by Lloyd. Lisa Rose, specialist prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service special crime division, said during the trial: "There was no safety briefing or formal risk assessments, and the participants were not advised that they would be traversing a weir or instructed on options to get out of the water."

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She was branded a charlatan and a coward by her victims' families, with one grieving husband saying he had waited "three long years" to tell her what he thought of her in court. While another victim's mother told the court her daughter’s life was taken for "nothing more than profit".

During sentencing the judge, Mrs Justice Stacey, told Lloyd that she had watched CCTV footage of the incident, which she described as "too distressing" to play in court.

The tour had been organised by Lloyd, owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd. Mr O'Dwyer - who had also been instructing the group alongside Lloyd - initially exited the water safely but re-entered the river in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the others.

As the group approached the weir, three participants were pulled over the top and became trapped. Mr O’Dwyer, who initially got out of the river safely, re-entered in an attempt to rescue the others, but was immediately dragged over the weir.

All four victims died from drowning. There were four survivors of the incident. Ms Powell was initially taken to Withybush Hospital where she died of her injuries six days later.

Prosecuting, Mark Watson KC, said he accepted Mr O'Dwyer "bears a share of the responsibility" but that the defendant was "primarily responsible for the needless loss of life".

During periods of high water levels, Haverfordwest's weir "becomes extremely dangerous with high potential for loss of life", according to evidence submitted by the local kayak club's health and safety officer.

Former police officer Lloyd pleaded guilty to four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and one offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act, when she appeared in court in March. In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said an expert had concluded “the tour should not have taken place” and “Lloyd did not have a suitable qualification”, with her planning and supervision “inadequate”.

The CPS added there had been heavy flooding on the day, with the river running fast and severe warnings in place. Lisa Rose, specialist prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service special crime division, said: “This was an avoidable tragedy. Despite going to check the state of the river before departing on the tour, Nerys Lloyd failed to inspect the weir.

"The majority of participants had limited experience, and Lloyd was not qualified to take paddleboarders out in such hazardous conditions. There was no safety briefing or formal risk assessments, and the participants were not advised that they would be traversing a weir or instructed on options to get out of the water.

"Final decisions to continue with the event were Lloyd’s decision, and as a result she held complete and entire responsibility. I hope these convictions provide some sense of justice for those affected and our thoughts remain with the families and friends of the victims at this time.”

In the back of the ambulance, she was overheard telling friends that she was "going to jail for this" at the time of the incident.

Mark Watson KC, speaking for the prosecution, told the court that Lloyd and Mr O’Dwyer, who helped act as an instructor, were "not remotely qualified" and that the stretch of river had a "real potential for danger".

"Although they had undertaken a course earlier in the year, this was a basic, entry-level course," he said.

He said the group had set off shortly before 9am despite the recent heavy rain and weather warnings being in place. Mr Watson KC said none of the victims was aware of the weir or how to navigate it.

Mr Watson added: "It was known to the defendant and Paul that there was a large weir in the town centre of Haverfordwest which spanned the width of the river, because they had paddled over it in August 2021.

"The weir had a narrow fish ramp at its centre, which was only slightly wider than the width of a paddleboard. Save for that ramp, the entire face of the weir dropped sharply down to the river below. On the morning of October 30, 2021, this was a drop of approximately 1.3m between the water levels above and below the weir.

Damning text messages between the defendant and Mr O’Dwyer show he had suggested an alternative route in Milford Haven but had been "rebuffed" by Lloyd. She went ahead of the group and safely made it down the fish ramp. When the participants followed her, they were swept over the weir, where some became trapped.

Lloyd, wearing a blue shirt and black trousers, listened to statements from the families of the victims, often staring down at her hands. Ms Wheatley’s husband Darren said he had waited "three long years" to tell Lloyd what he thinks of her, branding her a "coward" and a "charlatan".

"The only person Nerys Lloyd cares about is Nerys Lloyd," he said. "You have presented yourself as a stone-cold, heartless individual. You have continued to live your life as if nothing ever happened."

He accused her of hiding behind a "carefully orchestrated smokescreen" of charity work. Mr Wheatley said the first after his wife died Lloyd was posting pictures of herself smiling at a light display at Margam Park.

"You had a joyful look on your face without a care in the , without any sign of remorse."

Theresa Hall, the mother of Morgan Rogers, said her daughter’s life was taken for "nothing more than profit". She added: "Since that day, my time has stopped, casting a veil over my life.

"Morgan was my only daughter, my precious girl. The manner in which Morgan died will haunt me for the rest of my life. It was a brutal way for my beautiful, innocent daughter to lose her life, and for that, I will never forgive you for what you have done."

Mrs Justice Stacey told Swansea Crown Court that the victims were "cut off in their prime". She said: "We have heard such moving accounts from the family members of those who died. Statements which I fear barely scratch the surface of their devastation at the loss of their loves ones, cut off in their prime, with so much to live for and look forward to.”

Mrs Justice Stacey told the defendant: "There was no safety briefing beforehand. None of the participants had the right type of leash for their board, and you didn’t have any next of kin details. No consent forms were obtained. There had been no mention to the group of a weir on the river and how to deal with it and no discussion of the tidal river conditions whatsoever.

"In a conversation with your wife, you told her it was 100 percent your fault and you probably should not have gone on the water.

"It is clear to me that you intended for the group to go through the weir," she told Lloyd, a trained firearms officer. "Paul had researched alternative routes that would avoid crossing the weir, all of which were dismissed by you.

"He raised valid concerns that you ignored. Your interest appeared to be more of an exciting route rather than safety."

She added paddleboarding on the weir posed an "obvious and extreme danger which was well known and clearly signed". She added: "Even from the bridge you could hear how tumultuous the water was going over the weir but you carried on regardless."

The judge told Lloyd she had painted a "false narrative" and had "persisted in disproportionately blaming" co-instructor Paul O’Dwyer, who died saving others in the incident. "I accept you are desperately sorry for what happened that day," the judge told Lloyd. "Your life has also been massively impacted. But being sorry for what happened is different from remorse."

"Let me make clear and I stress, you and Paul did not intend any harm to any of the participants who were your friends and you were horrified at what happened that day. There is absolutely no question of intent on your behalf and your criminality does not match the enormity of the tragedy.

"But you chose to lead the group over a weir in conditions that could not have been more treacherous placing all of them in extreme danger. You did not tell them that there would be a weir and you gave them no choice but to go over it, which inevitably caused this avoidable tragedy and loss of life.

"Neither you nor Paul were qualified to lead such a tour and your whole approach to basic health and safety was abysmal when you knew better and had been trained both in the police force and as a volunteer with the RNLI to know better."

Speaking outside court after the sentencing Theresa Hall, mother of Morgan Rogers, said she lost her "best friend" when her daughter died on the paddleboarding trip.

She said: "It’s been three long years and seven months since I lost my only daughter, Morgan, my best friend. Over three years since I laid eyes on her, over three years since I heard her infectious laugh.

"I wish you would all have met her, my beautiful daughter, she was always smiling, always happy, always content in her life. She didn’t want to rock the world, she wanted to live a respectful life, she would never hurt anyone, she was a gentle soul, always looking for the good in people.

"Anyone that has lost a child by someone else’s doing will know that there is no pain like it. That day I lost a piece of myself, I will never be the same person without my Morgan. I can never forgive Nerys Lloyd for what she has taken from me."

Darren Wheatley, husband of Nicola Wheatley, who died on the paddleboarding trip, said the loss of his wife has "devastated" the family. In a statement read outside court, Mr Wheatley said: "Losing Nicola has devastated our family and two young children lost their mammy.

"Nicola died in circumstances that were completely avoidable and should not have happened. Decisions made by Nerys Lloyd, and only Nerys Lloyd, led to the four lives lost. Any sentence served by Nerys in prison will never ease the pain of losing Nicola, and our lives will never be the same again."

He added: "I hope Nerys takes the time whilst locked up to reflect and finally acknowledge the devastating impact of her decisions that day. I’m grateful for the judge’s understanding of the gravity of what happened and what we have gone through as families."

Speaking outside the court in March when Lloyd pleaded guilty, Detective Superintendent Cameron Ritchie said: "On October 30 2021 Nerys Lloyd had led a paddleboarding tour on the river as the owner of Salty Dog Ltd. The catalogue of failures on her behalf led to these tragic and unnecessary deaths."

He said the investigation had been "challenging and complex" and thanked the survivors and the families of the deceased for their support and patience. He added: "It’s difficult to imagine what it’s like from their perspective. Their loved ones went out to do an enjoyable activity on the river, expecting them to come back home to them, and they should have, but unfortunately, due to these failures, they didn’t . They’ve been robbed of their family members."

Lisa Rose, specialist prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service special crime division, said: "Nerys Lloyd should not have taken participants on the water that day; the heavy flooding had left the river running very fast and it was beyond the remit of a beginner’s tour.

"The weir itself was in an extremely hazardous condition, with a high potential for loss of life, and all the possible exit points nearby had been flooded out. Lloyd was not qualified to take inexperienced paddleboarders out in such conditions, and her actions fell very far below the standard expected of a paddleboard instructor and activity planner.

"The tour could have started at a different point, to avoid the weir, or been cancelled altogether but Lloyd made the final decision to go ahead with the event. There are no words that can articulate the devastation this tragedy has caused, and I can only hope that this sentence provides a sense of justice for those affected."

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