Paddleboard operator jailed over river deaths was sacked as police officer

A paddleboard operator jailed after four people drowned during an excursion on a river in south-west Wales was sacked as a police officer for making a fraudulent insurance claim.

Nerys Bethan Lloyd, 39, organised a stand-up paddleboarding tour on the River Cleddau in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in October 2021 despite “extremely hazardous conditions” and weather warnings.

Lloyd, who was jailed for 10 years and six months at Swansea Crown Court last week, failed to warn the group about a dangerous weir with a 1.3m drop along the route, or how to navigate it.

Paul O’Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40, all died as they were swept over, becoming trapped under the fast-moving water.

After the sentencing, South Wales Police published details of a misconduct hearing which led to her dismissal as an officer in 2022.

It revealed that she claimed £577.55 to cover a car repair that only cost around £16 to £20.

Lloyd admitted her wrongdoing, apologised and said it was an error of judgment and repaid the amount in full, the misconduct hearing was told.

She was interviewed under caution on October 11 2021, two weeks before the paddleboarding incident.

Lloyd attended Ystrad Mynach Police Station on October 19 2021 and accepted a formal caution for the criminal offence of fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006.

Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan said in his decision: “It is entirely unacceptable for police officers, who are responsible for enforcing the law, to break the law themselves.”

After the river incident, Lloyd sought to blame Mr O’Dwyer, who helped act as an instructor on the trip.

Speaking outside the court, Theresa Hall, the mother of Morgan Rogers, said she lost her “best friend” and could “never forgive” Lloyd.

Darren Wheatley, Ms Wheatley’s husband, said the loss of his wife was due to Lloyd and no one else.

Ceri O’Dwyer, who was on the tour, described her husband, Paul, as the “kindest man” but admitted he made a “catastrophic error of judgment”.

Quoting Lloyd, David Elias KC, for the defence, 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.”

Lloyd, 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.

Mrs Justice Stacey told the court that the four people who died had been “cut off in their prime, with so much to live for and look forward to”.

She 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.”

The judge said there were Met Office weather warnings at that time, as well as a flood alert in place through Natural Resources Wales.