A 23-YEAR-OLD man has been given a suspended prison sentence after what was described in court as a misguided attempt to chat up women in the street went "horrifically wrong".

Thomas Daniel John Carney began by drunkenly driving his car along Woodfield Street in Morriston shouting at women — including a mother with her young children — asking them if they wanted to go for a spin in his vehicle.

Carney then parked and went into the nearby Peacocks shop, where he asked for directions to Pontardawe.

He then made his way to the underwear section of the shop where he asked staff what were described in court as "inappropriate questions" while touching his own crotch.

Police were called and Carney, of Gwyn Street, Alltwen, Pontardawe, was arrested.

A subsequent breath test showed he had 44 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35.

Carney pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol on November 10 and to a public order offence when he appeared at Swansea Magistrates' Court.

Mark Davies, in mitigation, said his client had historic issues with alcohol abuse, and was "completely ashamed" by his behaviour.

He said: "There is a world of difference between people who go out to target women and what Mr Carney did.

"I suspect that this is a misguided attempt to chat up girls that went horrifically wrong — for want of a better term, he was an idiot who had too much to drink and didn't know when to shut up."

Carney told the court he had recently been accepted into the Royal Navy as an airman, and had been transferred to the Royal Marines.

Carney was given an eight-week sentence suspended for 12 months, and was made the subject of a 12-month community order with supervision with an alcohol activity requirement.

He was also banned from driving for three years.

Join Weekend's newest columnist Robyn Lee as she picks out the highs ( and the lows) of her daily life in Swansea.

+++++++++++++++++++++

So, welcome! And welcome to me I suppose, and my life.

Maybe I should start my new weekly column with a bit of an introduction.

I'm 28, raised, schooled and brought up in Swansea, now living locally again with my other half, Ospreys blindside flanker James King, after spending a year or so in London. What can I say? Swansea always has had and always will have my heart!

I have always believed in the saying that first opinions count.

So yes, I'd love to tell you that I'm fantastic and fill my hours after work with fulfilling and admirable activities. Feeding the homeless, kayaking around Langland Bay and baking cakes for the Uplands Market at the weekend!

However, I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Therefore, I cannot kayak (one time does not a 'kayaker' make), baking is a skill I am desperately trying to master (with varied results) and even though I would love nothing more than to spend hours feeding the homeless, I worry they wouldn't touch anything that came from my oven (unless James cooked it).

It seems only right to let you know from the 'off' that I am a self confessed 'trier' when it comes to home life and domestically living day to day! It's a trait I've picked up along the way like pebbles on Pobbles beach.

Take the time I 'tried' to make a chicken pie from scratch… (Not as easy as the pictures indicated and even though Jamie Oliver claims it's a '30 minute' meal, I seriously object to that timing).

I 'try' to remain positive and upbeat when James has a tough training day or picks up an injury at a game (living with a rugby player definitely has it's peaks and troughs).

And more recently, I am 'trying' to embrace being a pregnant woman in Swansea!

It'll be a journey I'm sure and one that will differ every single day. For example, I 'tried' to remain positive after spending nearly 10 weeks in and out of hospital with severe 'Hyperemesis Gravidarum' (Kate Middleton has nothing on me when it comes to sickness).

I will be eternally grateful to the amazing midwives at Singleton Hospital who looked after me for pretty much 10 weeks straight while I lived on a drip!

To a more trivial task, this week, of trying to find new clothes (while keeping some sort of style) that fit a 4 foot 11 woman, who has a belly growing faster than the bamboo outside of my front door (seriously… how on EARTH do you get rid of that stuff?)

My life is altogether normal, albeit peppered by very embarrassing moments. Last week after an exhaustive trip to every furniture shop in the Swansea postcode, to buy new wardrobes for the spare room, I decided to defrost a chili from the freezer for tea.

(Of course… James had already made this a week earlier and frozen it into individual freezer bags. You'll learn that I don't cook often and he's awesome at it).

I happily defrosted two portions of chili nicely, and cooked (although boiled isn't really cooking) some nice healthy brown rice to go with.

Two minutes into eating, something clearly wasn't right. I had only gone and taken one bag of chili, one bag of Bolognese and mixed the two together to form some kind of garlicky, oregano tasting chili kidney bean mix! Turns out that I'm not the only 'trier' in the house, as James to be fair, gave it a good go but its safe to say the 'meal' ended up in the bin, with me then promptly bursting into tears insisting I'd tried my best and I didn't realize that chili didn't have carrots and onions in it!

Thank goodness for Tesco Llansamlet being 5 minutes away!

I can't help but hope, that God loves a trier, right?

On Tuesday night Swansea will discover if it is to receive a Purple Flag - a national award recognising well managed night-time economies.  In the last in a series of features Adam Button, assistant manager at Revolution on Wind Street, explains why the city deserves the accolade.

"I'M Adam, aged 23 from Swansea. I've been working at Revolution in Wind Street since I was 19 — I started as a bar tender at weekends when I was studying police sciences at Glamorgan University, a course which has given me a core understanding of the night-time economy and how it operates.

I carried out my dissertation on the night-time economy, as it interested me how the operation was managed and how it was policed by Swansea Council and South Wales Police. When I'd finished my degree I was put on a management training programme.

I've been assistant manager for two years and I'm hoping to progress soon.

My job is pretty varied. During the day I deal with recruitment and interviewing people for jobs and dealing with licensing issues. As duty manager I'll liaise with the police at night and manage the staff, dealing with anything that comes up.

Night-time issues can be seizing false IDs – stopping people who are underage getting in. Although, of course, we don't like turning away customers, it is very important that under 18s are not admitted or served.

Not only is it against the law, but it could lead to youngsters becoming vulnerable or distressed due to intoxication, and also lead to trouble for my staff. We are happy to play an active part in the Safer Swansea scheme to seize fake or "borrowed" identity documents at the door.

It's just one of the many things we do as a contribution to preventing potential problems and keeping everyone safe.

Sometimes, of course, people will have too much to drink. If we have concerns about anyone who has had too much to drink, we can now take them to the Help Point — it's just at the back of Revolution so it's easy to take somebody who's worse for wear there ourselves to make sure they are taken care of.

We also work closely with the Street Pastors, who are a great help in keeping people safe, we give them bottles of water to hand out to anyone who needs them.

Revolution is a 700 person capacity venue that has undergone a massive transformation. We are a premium venue and promote ourselves to attract a smarter crowd. We have a mix of the 18 to 25 student market and more mature people on Saturdays.

There is much more diversity in the city' nightlife than many people think. It isn't all about young people, and it isn't all about drinking.

We have a massive food and drink offering and during the day the focus is much more on food, so there are lots of families and older people and then early evening cocktails gets an older crowd, particularly on a Saturday night. Night times are more energetic and fun — from about 6pm we start changing the lighting and music to build up for the evening. Then it's more young people and students. Our busiest nights are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and we often have an early rush then a large crowd later into the night.

I work closely with the general manager and head doorman to ensure that we have the right team in place and that all situations are dealt with accordingly and recorded correctly on our internal reporting system.

The door team are really good — there are nine of them in all. They engage really well with the customers and the police, pastors and CCTV operators. The communication between everyone in the city is brilliant. We have a great relationship with other venues' door staff and the CCTV people keep us informed of any potential troublemakers via the NiteNet radio system.

We pay an active role in the Behave or Be Banned scheme which keeps troublemakers away, and helps keep a safe and happy atmosphere in our premises.

The few issues that we have are minor ejections due to over-intoxication. There are only few of these a night and it is important that the whole team is vigilant to ensure customer safety. I think we're lucky with our staff, who individually apply common sense to serving people. Experience is important in dealing with people on a night out and we'll be fair but sensible in our drinks policy.

At the end of the day, our business is all about giving people a good time, keeping them happy and safe."

INTERNATIONAL rugby chief have asked the Welsh Rugby Union for a full report on a head injury sustained by Wales wing George North in the second half of Friday night's Six Nations defeat to England at the Millennium Stadium.

North had left the field to undergo the necessary concussion protocols in the first half after taking an accidental boot to the head from England lock Dave Attwood. He returned to the field just before half-time,

However, he picked up another knock to the head in the 61^st minute, falling to the pitch after it.

Wales coach Warren Gatland later said he didn't see the incident, but the fact that North stayed on the field has prompted outrage in some quarters.

Former medical advisor to the International Rugby Board, Barry O'Driscoll, said that if North had been a boxer, "the fight would have been finished".

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Dr O'Driscoll said Rugby's five-minute concussion test is "tokenism" and condemns it as an "assessment which no other sport in the world uses."

The WRU today issued a statement on the North incident saying: "In relation to George North, he passed head injury protocol tests that were carried out in the medical room in addition to an on pitch assessment.

"He also showed no signs and symptoms when follow-up tests were carried out immediately after the game.

"While George is currently symptom free, retrospective video review of the second incident identified the mechanism of injury which was previously unsighted on the field of play.

"This review has warranted the medical team to manage the player as concussed although the player currently has no signs and symptoms. He will now undertake a graduated return to play protocol with multiple follow up cognitive and physical tests."

World Rugby (formerly the IRB) also issued a statement saying that after looking at television footage of the incident they wanted a report from the WRU.

The statement read: "Having undertaken an initial review of the broadcast footage, World Rugby is seeking to establish from the WRU whether all concussion management protocols were appropriately followed.

"Concussion management and education is at the heart of World Rugby's player welfare strategy designed to protect players at all levels of the game and promote the very highest standards of education, coaching and medical care. #RecogniseAndRemove"

As well as North, prop Samson Lee, who also picked up a knock to the head, will also go through the concussion protocol this week ahead of Sunday's round two clash against Scotland in Edinburgh, while full-back Leigh Halfpenny is expected to be okay despite picking up a 'mild' neck injury in the second half of the 21-16 defeat.

Her husband to be Charlie Thomson also appeared on the show.

The announcement was made by the 37-year-old's co-host Chris Evans.

Last year, Miss Jones said she hoped they would one day tie the knot.

Evans introduced the show by saying: "I'm here with the as-of-now freshly engaged Welsh wonder woman Alex Jones."

With Jones showing off her engagement ring, Evans added: "[She is] officially now off the market. Sorry gentlemen, you had your chance and you failed – apart from one guy."

And Jones said: "Thank you so much for all your kind messages that you've been sending me today."

Rachel Moses-Lloyd / rachel.moses@swwmedia.co.uk / @racheljanemoses

FIREFIGHTERS are currently battling to extinguish a fire in the roof of a home in Ystalyfera, in the Upper Swansea Valley. 

Crews from Pontardawe, Abercrave, Seven Sisters, and Morriston, alongside two fire officers have been called to the scene on Alltygrug Road, at 1.06pm today. 

A Mid and West Wales Fire and Resuce Service spokeswoman said: "It is a fire involving the roof space of a property.

"There are two sets of breathing apparatus in use, one hose reel jet, and a thermal imaging camera. 

"There is also a hose reel jet being used externally to stop the fire spreading to a neighbouring property." 

No reports of injuries were received, the fire service spokeswoman said. 

Fire crews were still at the scene at 2.25pm today. 

Ystalyfera / 999 / Fire Service News / Chad Welch

Chad Welch / chad.welch@swwmedia.co.uk / @chad_welch

JOIN Stephen Ware from 3pm as Swansea City host Sunderland in Barclays Premier League action.

Last week the Swans had their first win since Boxing Day, with a 1-0 victory over Southampton.

Despite being without seven senior stars, and losing an eighth in the first 16 minutes, Garry Monk masterminded one of his finest victories as manager, with a stunning goal from Jonjo Shelvey.

But Monk has warned the Swans to pay extra attention to Sunderland dangerman Jermain Defoe this week, and to keep on their toes when it comes to the rest of the team too.

Join the debate below the line by letting us know your pre, in-game and post-match thoughts.

Come on the Swans!

PRINCE Albert of Monaco has paid a surprise visit to Mumbles.

The prince, the son of American actress Grace Kelly, was visiting friends and business contacts in the area, following a night out in Cardiff, where he attended the Wales against England game at the Millennium Stadium, in the Six Nations rugby tournament opener. 

He paid a visit to the the new RNLI lifeboat house in the village, where he met some of the crew and got to see the new facilities during a private visit. 

And he also got to observe Gower by air, after taking a half hour helicopter flight over the peninsula, taking off from the car park next to the Big Apple by Bracelet Bay. 

Amongst those he visited was John Bollom, owner of the famous Mumbles Pier. 

Mr Bollom said: "The Prince is no stranger to the area, as he's been here before. He is a very ordinary, down-to-earth guy. He had a quick pint at the rowing club, before going off to the Liberty Stadium, to watch the Swans match against Sunderland. 

"He had a good look around, and it was a very pleasant visit for all concerned." 

Nino Williams /nino.williams@swwmedia.co.uk/ @ninominoli

THE National Lottery draw for Saturday, February 7, has taken place and here are the results.

The winning Lotto numbers are 3, 6, 15, 17, 18 and 35.  The bonus ball is 22.

The jackpot for the double rollover is £8.1 million. 

There are also 50 Lotto raffle winners to be made of £20.000.

The winning Thunderball numbers are 19, 24, 25, 26 and 35.  The Thunderball is 12.

In 2014, 247 millionaires were created, the wealthiest of them being Neil Trotter who collected a Euromillions jackpot of £107million.

The odds on winning the Lotto are 13,983,815 to 1 and for Thunderball they are 8,060,597 to 1.

The next Lotto draw will take place on Wednesday, February 11.

The next Euromillions draw will take place on Tuesday, February 10. 

A CALL has gone out to find help for horses, after a housing charity went into administration.

The Community Horse and Pony Scheme, or Chaps, provides a safe place for rehabilitation of disengaged and vulnerable people, through the therapeutic use of horses, as well as countryside management tasks.

The project is overseen by Cyrenians Cymru, which has gone into liquidation and facing closure, following the arrest of two employees on suspicion of extensive fraud.

As a result, all funding streams being fed into the charity have been frozen — leading to the appeal from Chaps.

Project manager Katie Double said: "It is only through the good will of currently unpaid staff and dedicated volunteers that is allowing the project to continue.

"Without the help of the public the future of Chaps hangs in the balance, which is why we are now urgently appealing for help."

Chaps is home to seven horses, each who have been rescued from traumatic circumstances.

The horses and ponies, which have been neglected or abandoned, are given a new lease of life, and the daily care of the animals provides structure and opportunity for personal growth and recovery for those taking part in the Chaps scheme.

It also provides opportunities for friendships to be made, relationships to be built and a safe environment for people who have often been socially excluded.

The herd, made up of Melman, Flaxy, Tom, Lilly, Bella, Boy and Duke, now need food and supplies.

An announcement on the future of the Cyrenians, meanwhile, is expected shortly.

The various projects run by the charity, which has 75 staff, were due to wind down yesterday.

Two have already closed.

Housing and care provider Grwp Gwalia has offered to act as an interim agent for income from funders, which could allow services to continue while long-term arrangements were made.

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said since 1999 Cyrenians has received around £2.7 million of Welsh Government funding.

Cyrenians Cymru chief executive Conrad Watkins said a succession of visiting ministers, MPs and AMs have praised its homeless project at the rear of St Matthew's Church, High Street, and claimed that Swansea Council had referred numerous people there for help without contributing to its core funding for years.

To donate send cheques to Friends of Chaps to: Cefn Golau Park, Cefn Stylle Road, Gowerton, SA4 3QX

POLICE are appealing for witnesses, following a fatal road traffic collision on the M4 in the early hours.

At around 1am, a male pedestrian was in collision with a silver Toyota Auris on the westbound carriageway, between the Sarn (j36) and Pyle (j37) junctions.

The man died at the scene, and the driver of the car was taken to the Princess of Wales Hospital for treatment.

South Wales Police is appealing for any witnesses who have not already provided their details to the police at scene to contact them.

The Police would also like to speak to any person who witnessed the collision or who witnessed a male pedestrian in the carriageway.

Officers are also looking to speak to anyone who saw a collision just prior to junction 36 involving a silver Ford fiesta and a grey Renault Laguna which is believed to have occurred just before the fatal incident.

The M4 was closed for approximately 7 hours while police carried out initial investigations and recovered the vehicles.

South Wales Police would like to thank the people affected by the closure for their patience and understanding.

No further details will be released until next of kin have been notified, a spokesman said. 

Can you help? Call the South Wales Police serious collision investigation unit on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting reference no 1500044987.

Rachel Moses-Lloyd / rachel.moses@swwmedia.co.uk / @racheljanemoses

ANOTHER Welsh contestant has made it on to a judge's team on BBC One's The Voice.

Teenager Karis Thomas, from Bridgend, made it on to Team Rita, after the singer was the only mentor to turn for her, following her performance of Joss Stone's Right to be Wrong.

The 17-year-old has been living along since the age of 15, when she became a mother to Lana-Grace.

She said: "I grew up in the valleys.

"It's a nice place to live in the countryside, like out of the way.

"I've been living on my own since I was 15, I do everything by myself, I'm really independent."

She said she wanted a "future" for her and her daughter, adding:  "I want her to be proud of me, like I am proud of my mother."

Her mum was involved in a car crash 17 years ago, and has been in a wheelchair ever since.

"It would mean a lot to me to make something of my life."

Rita Ora said: "I think your potential is beyond belief, and for me you can already tell you have all the foundations for what it takes to go all the way."

Tom Jones, who didn't turn, said: "To put it in a word, I am gutted.

"But I really enjoyed it and I am glad you're in the show."

Others who made it through to teams included Newtion Matthews, Stephen Cornwell, Rozzy and Brooklyn, who are set to be mentored by will.i.am.

Ricky Wilson gained a further two contestants in hippie Hannah Wildes and luxury car service telephonist Vikish.

Tom Jones will mentor 17-year-old Cork girl Claudia Rose, who perfromed Love You I Do.

But some contestants left the competition after the audition, including Kate Flynn, Alex David Charles, formerly of Heatwave, 16-year-old Harris Hameen, and 70-year-old Krazy Horse. Nathan Moore, lead singer of 80s group Brother Beyond also had no turns.

The Voice continues next Saturday on BBC One. 

Why is breastfeeding STILL such an issue? PETER SLEE and SOPHIE WIGGINS report

"I was breastfeeding my daughter in a cafe when it happened — she was covered in a blanket,' says Hayley Hewson from Skewen.

"But one of the staff came over and told me I'd either have to stop or move to the back of the restaurant.

"I've sat on toilet seats in cubicles and taken 20 items of clothing to 'try on' into changing rooms, just so I can feed, because there's nowhere else."

Then there is Emma Cartwright, from Upper Killay, who recalls the time she discreetly tried to feed her son in a "family-friendly" pub until a woman told her she "shouldn't do that in front of other people's husbands because it's obscene".

Anyone who thought breastfeeding in public is no longer a contentious and provocative issue should think again.

Polls show as many as 60 per cent feel that the UK frowns on breastfeeding mothers. Two thirds of breastfeeding mums maintain that feeding their baby in public had been a stressful experience, and more than half of these had been asked to move out of a restaurant, cafe or coffee shop when they were feeding.

These figures might go a long way to explain the official statistics on how many women actually breastfeed in Britain.

According to one survey, just 78 per cent of new mothers ever attempt breastfeeding, compared with 99 per cent in Norway, 91 per cent in Italy and 84 per cent in Spain.

In Wales, just 67 per cent of new mums breastfeed.

By six months, only 22 per cent of UK mothers are still doing it. Of course for some people, a woman with a newborn at her breast is seen as the quintessential image of new motherhood, the natural way to bond.

Moreover, thanks to high-profile government campaigns, we are more aware than ever of the health benefits for both baby and mother. These include protection against childhood infections, obesity and allergies, as well as lowering the risk of cancer and diabetes for the baby. And for the mother, there is protection against breast and ovarian cancers, osteoporosis, heart disease and stroke. And yet for many other people, it remains something that is unpleasant or even physically repugnant that should be hidden away.

Claire Holness from Ynystawe, mum to a seven-and-a-half-month-old baby, says for others, even embracing breastfeeding from the start can sometimes be tough.

"My daughter, Bethan, didn't really take to it straight away. But, eventually — and with help — it all worked out."

Claire, aged 32, says: "I think one of the main issues for a lot of women is that they are simply not aware of the support there is out there if they run into trouble breastfeeding.

"But there really is. I was ready to give up more than once. But with determination and a bit of perseverance, it is achievable."

Claire, who volunteers as a peer support worker helping new mums having trouble feeding their babies, says it isn't for everyone and women should not be forced into thinking they have to do it at all costs.

"If they don't want to — for whatever reason — that is up to them. It doesn't mean they have 'failed' or they are a bad mother.

"It can reduce women to tears. But it needn't, and shouldn't, be like that and with good support, most issues can be resolved."

A new weekly breastfeeding group has now also just been set up at Swansea's promenade 360 café .

Launched by midwifery lecturer Eleanor Healer and other midwifery lecturers in the midwifery department at Swansea University, it is being run by midwifery students up to date with best practice in breastfeeding skills.

Eleanor says they are excited to have developed a student-led breastfeeding support group "to give support for women within the local community.

"We hope that women who have chosen to breastfeed will attend this new group, regardless of the age of their baby.

"They can expect a friendly and relaxed environment where the aim is for second and third year student midwives to provide advice and support to mothers; this will include providing women with help and advice should they find themselves struggling with aspects of breastfeeding. ''

Louise Edwards from Neath who attended the first session is currently 31 weeks pregnant and says she welcomes its rather more informal stance.

"I had been expecting something of a lecture. Instead, what we got was information handed over in a very relaxed and chilled atmosphere with very warm and friendly student midwifes. It is definitely something I would recommend to other expecting mothers, other mothers and children and their partners. I know where I can go if I need help and support during my pregnancy and afterwards."

Amy Harvey from Swansea who also attended the breastfeeding group attended with her 6 month old baby Oscar. "It has given me the confidence to breastfeed in public,'' she adds.

"I just wish it had existed before."

Cathy Kirk, from Cockett in Swansea, who had feeding problems when her son was born 18 months ago, says she thinks there are many reasons why we're lagging behind much of Europe.

"First, the Mediterranean countries and Scandinavia have much more of a family culture," she says.

"Parents and children are seen out together far more at restaurants in the evening; in the UK, there's still a residual 'children should be seen and not heard' approach.

"Then there's the British attitude that breasts are for sex, not for babies, coupled with the fact that many women just aren't as confident in their bodies as women are in other areas of Europe.

"And finally, breastfeeding is a generational thing — if you've never seen your mum or aunts breastfeed, it's hard to start doing so yourself.

"My mum breastfed me, and my NHS antenatal class convinced me of the overwhelming health benefits. Luckily, my son took to it straight away.

"Until the British public decides to embrace breastfeeding, it's down to mothers to stand our ground.

"When he was a month old, my husband and I decided to take Jac out for lunch for the first time, to a local pizza place.

"I started to feed him, very discreetly. Suddenly, I got the feeling everyone was staring at me, as if I were doing something inappropriate.

"I started to feel incredibly stressed, and my baby could sense my tension and slowed down his feed. My husband encouraged me to continue, but I felt like bursting into tears.

"Since then, I've changed the way I organise my day," she says.

"I avoid going out at feeding times, and only go to specific 'baby friendly' cafes.

"The public's attitude has affected my friends, too — several of them now feed their baby with formula milk during the day, and only breastfeed at home at night, precisely because they hate that kind of reaction.

"I think that the biggest change in attitude has to come from the public. Then, just maybe, not as many mothers would feel quite so isolated.

"We are planning for another baby in a few months and I've promised myself I will breastfeed wherever I want to.

"I'm just going to get on with it, and simply smile back at anyone who stares until they stop looking at me!"

PAEDOPHILE rock singer Ian Watkins has been moved to a "soft prison" - surrounded by other sex offenders and child abusers.

The depraved Lostprophets front man was moved from Category A prison HMP Long Lartin to the lower security Category B prison HMP Rye Hill to carry on his 29-year sentence.

The sick singer is now surrounded by child abusers and paedophiles after HMP Rye Hill was made a sex offenders-only prison last year.

The prison move has caused outrage among child safety campaigners who say Watkins has been placed in a "haven for paedophiles".

A petition calling on Justice Secretary Chris Grayling to reverse the prison move has been launched by Watkins's former lover Joanne Mjadzelics - who repeatedly reported the singer to police and social services for four years before his arrest.

Joanne said: "Ian Watkins is meant to be serving a 29 year sentence in a real prison - not a haven for paedophiles.

"I know how evil this man is and people like him will never change and need to be punished severely.

"He and they need to be out of their comfort zone of swapping sick stories with other paedophiles and in a real prison to serve their time.

"If not then where is the punishment for them and justice for the many children and families these evil predators have destroyed?

"You may as well of put them up in an Ibis hotel having a constant paedophile convention."

Joanne was arrested last year for possession of indecent images of children that Watkins had sent her over the internet.

She was cleared by a jury after a week-long trial which heard she had repeatedly tried to show the images to police and report his paedophile activities for four years before Watkins was arrested.

Watkins was jailed in December 2013 for 29 years after admitting the attempted rape of a baby and the sexual assault of a child under 13.

He also admitted conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.

Watkins was sentenced alongside the two women who were the mothers of the children he abused. Known only as Woman A and Woman B, they were jailed for 14 and 17 years respectively.

He was originally sent to the notorious Category A prison HMP Wakefield in Yorkshire - dubbed "Monster Mansion" because it houses some of the most heinous murderers in the UK including April Jones' paedophile killer Mark Bridger.

Watkins was then moved to fellow Category A prison HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire which houses Soham child killer Ian Huntley.

His latest move to the less secure Category B prison HMP Rye Hill - run by private security firm G4S.

The Ministry of Justice has refused to confirm or deny the prison move but said they were determined to have "one of the toughest regimes in the world for managing sex offenders".

An MoJ spokeswoman said: "On the basis of the available evidence the current strategy is to concentrate sex offenders together.

"By doing this, we aim to place sex offenders in prisons that offer specialist assessment and interventions and take account of research findings that indicate that on balance, sex offenders are more able to concentrate on rehabilitation if co-located away from a non sex offender population.

"The available research that has directly examined the ethos of sex offenders units has consistently shown that prisoners are discouraged from discussing their offences with each other.

"This does not mean that the risk of networking is ignored, and systems are in place to monitor and address this as necessary.

"Apart from the provision of specialist interventions and services, and the expertise and experience of the staff group, there is no particular difference in the regime and facilities available to prisoners with a predominantly sex offender population from other prisons."

Eight jails in England and Wales now house only sex offenders as the number of abusers has rocketed to more than 11,000.

Jon Bird, operations manager at The National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said: "It is disturbing that there are serious sex offenders who are able to mix with their own kind.

"We have to recognise there are people in society who have these urges and they have to be treated and one day they are going to be released.

"But by letting them mix solely with people like themselves that does not seem like it will help.

"From the point of view of the survivors who were affected by these horrific crimes it sends out the wrong message.

"We should be punishing these criminals and not letting them swap sick stories, if not other materials.

"We know that on sex offender wings in Category B prisons in the past there have been child abuse videos found along with other contraband such as drugs."

Mr Bird said there was a "real concern" about whether Ian Watkins is co-operating fully with his sex offenders treatment and admits to the seriousness of his crimes.

He said: "We haven't seen anything to say he is and he has been appealing against his sentencing. He needs to recognise what he did was wrong."

KARDASHIANS star Scott Disick will help Swansea celebrate St David's Day.

The news was revealed by Fiction and MYU Swansea, just hours ahead of a crash in Malibu, involving his former Father in Law, Bruce Jenner.

Disick, who appeares on Keeping up with the Kardashian's alongside his long-term on and off girlfriend and mother to his three children, Kourtney Kardashian, will be at the Little Wind Street club on Sunday, March 1.

On the club's Facebook page is a note confirming the American model will be there in person.

"To o avoid ANY kind of confusion - this is NOT a tribute, a fancy dress night or anything of the sort," it says.

"Scott Disick will be at and partying at Fiction and MYU Swansea.

"This is guaranteed to be a roadblock event with paparazzi and special guests expected to be ina ttendance.

"Last time Scott Disick threw a party in the UK it was filmed for Keeping up with the Kardashians."

The bar will offer student drinks prices all night.

The news comes as Bruce Jenner - Kardashian patriach, whose divorce to wife Kris will be finalised in March - was involved in a car crash in California.

The Olympian, who is reportedly undergoing gender reassignment, was unharmed in the crash and passed sobriety tests at the scene.

But one woman died at the scene, with seven other people left injured.

Investigators are checking the mobile phone records of Bruce Jenner and three other drivers following a fatal car crash in which the former Olympian rear-ended a driver who veered into oncoming traffic and died.

Jenner, 65, smashed his Cadillac Escalade into the back of the victim's white Lexus, which was then pushed into the path of a Hummer, leaving the vehicle a crumpled wreck and the sole occupant dead.

The Olympic gold medalist escaped the crash unscathed, took a roadside sobriety test in front of officers in the wake of the horrific collision, which he passed, while his son Brody rushed to comfort him at the scene.

Rachel Moses-Lloyd / rachel.moses@swwmedia.co.uk / @racheljanemoses

IT was started more than two decades ago by two teachers with a love of music and a desire to improve musical education for young people.

Now, 22 years on, the Abertawe Festival for Young Musicians is an established part of the musical calendar in South Wales, attracting hundreds of talented young people from across the region, who not only get a platform to demonstrate their skills, but also the chance to learn from established musicians.

And the festival, which is now based at Swansea's Guildhall, is once again under way, when hundreds of young musicians step into the spotlight.

Penny Davies, who conceived the idea with fellow teacher Nicky Excell in 1993, said: "The Abertawe Festival of Young Musicians is now recognised by the British Federation of Festivals for Music Dance and Speech as one of the most prestigious festivals for young musicians in the UK.

"This recognition, together with our partnerships with the BBC NOW, West Glamorgan Music Department, the University of Wales Trinity St David and the Gower Festival have helped to make this year's festival bigger, better and more varied than ever.

"But in these times of austerity however granted and the festival would not be possible without the continued support of our sponsors, including Swansea Council."

The first festival, which involved around 70 children, was staged at Swansea University's Taliesin Arts Centre.

But in recent years the numbers have increased to more than 700, drawn from all over South Wales, including Haverfordwest to Newport, Hereford to Peterborough and sometimes from London.

It features competitive and non-competitive classes for players of instruments as soloists and ensembles, with adjudicators being drawn from the nation's top performers and music educators.

This year's festival began yesterday and continues until Tuesday, when visitors can enjoy a programme including piano, wind, and string.

Amongst those sharing their expertise this year, are professional harpist Hannah Stone, appointed official harpist to the Prince of Wales, as well as Peter Fielding, former principal bass clarinet with the Welsh Philharmonia; Lucy Gould, a former principal second violin with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Zoë Smith, head of interdisciplinary practice (music) at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama; Christine Stevenson, winner of the Dom Polski Chopin Competition; and Gerard McChrystal, professor of saxophone at Trinity College of Music, London.

Full details of the festival can be found at www.afym.org.uk

WALES'S women's rugby team will kick off their Six Nations campaign in half an hour.

Playing at Swansea's St Helen's ground, captain Rachel Taylor will lead the team against England from 2.30pm.

Skewen and Ospreys scrum-half Kiera Bevan has been noted as a player to watch on the BBC Sport website, and it is understood that seven members of the team to face the fierce rivals are from the Neath village club.

Wales have three home games this year. 

Captain, Rachel Taylor, said: "We're lucky we've kept our core group and have the youth coming through.

"I think playing England first up benefits us in a bizarre way. 

"I know they are world champions and did fantastically well but with players retiring and new coaching set ups, it makes it quite exciting. It doesn't make it as typical as normal."

Wales v England is live on the BBC Sport website from 2.30pm.

Rachel Moses-Lloyd / rachel.moses@swwmedia.co.uk / @racheljanemoses

FIREFIGHTERS have been called today to extinguish a cooker fire in Pontarddulais. 

A call was received at 1.08pm by fire control, and two crews from the town have been sent to the scene at Pentre Road. 

"The fire is confined to the oven," a Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said. 

"The owner of the property was advised to leave." 

It is believed that at 2pm, one of the pumps had left the scene. 

Pontarddulais / 999 / Fire Service News / Chad Welch

Chad Welch / chad.welch@swwmedia.co.uk / @chad_welch

HTC Desire Eye

2014 saw the rise of the selfie and an influx of accessories to accompany the craze, including the notorious selfie stick. HTC got in on the act by introducing the ultimate selfie phone, the Desire Eye.

The handset sports a front-facing 13MP camera, which is perfect for taking selfies. Alongside this, the phone has a 5.2-inch 1080p display, a quad-core processor and 16GB of memory. It's powered by Android.

www.three.co.uk, £27 a month

Power Tap

We all own a ton of electrical devices, and the majority have to be charged up in order to be used. This causes a huge problem: having to fiddle around with a lot of leads once they've been used.

The ThumpsUp power tap is a neat device that solves this. It looks like any ordinary tap but allows you to stop the flow of electricity once you've finished using a lead. There's an LED status indicator to let you know when it's on and off.

www.amazon.co.uk , £7.60

Booq Boa Shift

You can't purchase a new laptop without investing in a bag to keep it in. However, there are so many good options to choose from, making choosing a lot harder.

Booq's Boa Shift is one of the best (and most expensive). It'll work with laptops sized between 13 and 15 inches and has several accessory pockets inside. There's also a water-repellent coating to keep your goods safe from harm.

www.amazon.co.uk, £120