Four men from the West Glamorgan area appeared in court this week after being charged following an incident that occurred in the centre of Tenby over the summer where a police officer was assaulted.

Thirty-one-year-old, Lee Tucker of Cilfrew, Neath, was charged with assaulting a constable in the execution of his duty, and assaulting another officer, whilst Gavin Dinham of Birchgrove, Swansea, also aged thirty-one, was charged with assaulting and obstructing a constable in the execution of his duty.

Co-defendants twenty-nine-year-old Matthew Bailey, of Llys Walters, Neath, and twenty-eight-year-old, James Mulhern, of Jersey Quay, Port Talbot, were both charged with assaulting a constable in the execution of his duty.

All four defendants pleaded guilty to the offences, which occurred in Tenby, on Saturday, July 25, when they appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones invited magistrates to watch CCTV footage of the incident at the hearing.

“This incident took place at 4.30 pm, right in the middle of Tenby, when hundreds of people were present,” he explained.

The court heard how officers on patrol in Tudor Square were approached by the doormen of a local pub, who warned police how they were anticipating that the four men on a stag do were going to cause trouble, after they were refused entry to their premises.

PC325 Holloway spoke to Mr. Tucker on the street and told him to move on, but the defendant questioned whether he was a real officer, as he was wearing a plain black T-shirt with ‘police’ on it.

Mr. Tucker then used foul and abusive language towards the officer before placing both hands on his chest and pushed him backwards before walking off.

“The officer requested assistance and when they caught up with Mr. Tucker outside a sweet shop and tried to arrest him, he became aggressive and resisted,” Mr. Pritchard-Jones told the court.

“PAVA spray was used on the defendant, but it didn’t have any effect on him and only made him more aggressive.

“More officers came on the scene and the incident escalated with Mr. Tucker’s friends getting involved,” he continued, stating that one officer fell to the ground during the melee, injuring his wrist on a shop window ledge.

Solicitors acting for the defendants told magistrates how the men went to Tenby on a stag do for Mr. Bailey, and had no intention of causing any trouble, and did not deliberately intend to injure the police officer in question during the incident.

Mulhern, Dinham and Bailey were all given conditional discharges for 12 months and ordered to pay prosecution and court costs, whilst Tucker was fined £320 and also ordered to pay prosecution and court costs.

Insp Dan Bower said: "Dyfed-Powys Police will not tolerate alcohol fuelled disorder and violence in Tenby. Those who engage in such behaviour will be dealt with robustly.

"Operation Lion officers, have been working to keep alcohol-fuelled disorder and anti-social behaviour to a minimum over the summer period in Tenby. The operation included extra police patrols, enforcing the new Designated Public Place Order, which allows officers to stop drinking in public places.

“It also includes measures such as providing a welcome and warning message of the consequences of excessive drinking to people as they arrive in Tenby by train. The vast majority of people who visit Tenby are law abiding - we want people to visit the area and have an enjoyable experience in a safe environment."