Paddleboard firm owner jailed for manslaughter after four drown in 'avoidable tragedy'

A former cop has been jailed for 10 years and six months for the manslaughter of a man and three women who all drowned in an “avoidable tragedy” while out paddleboarding.

Paul O’Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24 and Nicola Wheatley, 40, all died on the River Cleddau in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in October 2021 when their paddleboards went over a weir during “extremely hazardous conditions”. Today Nerys Bethan Lloyd, owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd which organised the tour, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court.

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”.

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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.

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.”

Lloyd acted as the instructor alongside Mr O’Dwyer, who was killed in the incident. 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.

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.

Because of the heavy rain, around “two tonnes of water” were crossing a one-metre section of the weir every second. 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”. “Since that day, my time has stopped, casting a veil over my life,” she said.

Morgan was my only daughter, my precious girl.” She added: “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% 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.”

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.”