Former police officer jailed over deaths of four paddleboarders

A former police officer who ran a paddleboarding company has been jailed for 10 years and six months after four people drowned during an excursion on a river in south-west Wales.

Nerys Bethan Lloyd organised a stand-up paddleboarding tour on the River Cleddau in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in October 2021 despite “extremely hazardous conditions” and weather warnings in place.

Lloyd failed to warn the group about a weir on the route or how to navigate it.

The participants were swept over, with some becoming trapped under the fast-moving water.

Paul O’Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40, all died.

Lloyd, 39, from Aberavon, south Wales, was the owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd, which organised the tour.

She pleaded guilty to four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and one offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act in March, and was sentenced by Mrs Justice Dame Mary Stacey at Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday.

Mark Watson KC, for the prosecution, told the court on Tuesday 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”.

David Elias KC, for the defence, quoted a statement written by Lloyd to the court on Wednesday.

He said: “I take full blame (for the incident) that meant four extremely special individuals are not here today.

“The pain for me has been unbearable but the pain for the families unmeasurable.

“There were nine people on the river that day and every one of them is a victim.”

Published: 23/04/2025 by Radio NewsHub