A FORMER police fire officer who led four paddleboarders to their deaths a week after doing a 100-mile charity paddle down the Wye with one of the victims has been jailed for 10 years and six months.

Nerys Bethan Lloyd, 39, admitted gross negligence manslaughter over the October 2021 tragedy on the Western Cleddau in Haverfordwest, when the four became trapped under a weir in "extremely hazardous" high water conditions.

Swansea Crown Court heard she ran the Salty Dog paddleboard company, but had failed to hold a safety briefing for the eight-strong group and was "not qualified" to lead them, resulting in the UK's worst ever paddleboarding tragedy.

It was also revealed that she was a serving officer with South Wales Police, but was suspended at the time after receiving a caution for a fraudulent insurance claim involving a vehicle.

Lloyd, from Aberavon, Port Talbot, had undetaken a 100-mile Wye charity paddle with Paul O'Dwyer – her fellow instructor on the fatal trip – just seven days earlier, when they passed through Ross and Monmouth before finishing in Tintern.

The families of Mr O'Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and mother-of-two Nicola Wheatley, 40, all gave victim statements during the two-day sentencing hearing describing their grief and slamming her role in their deaths.

Speaking directly to Lloyd, Morgan Rogers' tearful mother Theresa Hall said she had "guided Morgan to her death" and the "physical and mental pain that I now live with is too much to bear".

Mr O'Dwyer - who had suggested a less risky trip, but was overuled by Lloyd – dived back in to try and save one of the paddlers, but became trapped himself.

A court statement from his wife Ceri O'Dwyer said he had made a "devastating mistake" but "died trying to save others".

Lloyd had tried to "shift blame" onto her husband, she added.

"Grief is in our household every single day. You carried on as if nothing ever happened."

Nicola Wheatley's husband Darren called Lloyd "a coward" who had "hidden behind your carefully orchestrated smoke screen", even posting Christmas family snaps weeks later.

Mark Powell, husband of Andrew Powell, said it had been "heart-breaking" to hear his seven-year-old son say he wanted to die "so he can be with his mother again".

Passing sentence Mrs Justice Mary Stacey said "nothing I can say or do" will be sufficient to the family and friends of those whose lives were "tragically cut short".

Their "moving accounts... (could) barely scratch the surface" of their grief.

"Four participants were not wearing wetsuits and one had decided that a life jacket would not be necessary", while there was "no proper risk assesment", "no safety briefing" and none of the paddlers had the right type of leash for their boards.

"There had been no mention to the group of a weir on the river and how to deal with it and no discussion of tidal or river conditions whatsoever," said the judge.

The dangers of weirs were "well known", but Lloyd led the group over despite Mr O'Dwyer raising concerns about it and suggesting other routes, which were "dismissively rejected by you".

"I find that it was either a plan to go down the fish ramp or there was no plan at all. Either way it showed a blatant disregard for a very high risk of death."

Immediately afterwards, Lloyd’s first reactions were “you were finished and you might go to jail rather than thoughts for the victims”.

David Elias KC, defending, said there had been a plan to exit the water at a landing stage aboive the weir, but the force of the water carried Lloyd over and she had no option but to lead everyone else over.

Denying that she waved her arms in "a joyful, confident, triumphant" way, he said she

"simply couldn’t wait for those who were coming behind her because of the force over the weir".

After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Cameron Ritchie, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “Firstly, I would like to reiterate my heartfelt sympathies to the families of Paul, Andrea, Morgan and Nicola.

“We have heard harrowing testimony from the victims and survivors during this hearing of the continuing impact this incident had on them. I sincerely hope that the conclusion of these proceedings helps to clear the way for them to be able to start the healing process.

“The incident that took place in Haverfordwest on October 30, 2021, was an extremely tragic case resulting in the completely avoidable deaths of four people. We heard in court how this incident devastated four families, and we hope that lessons will be learned that prevent this from ever happening again.

“This has been a complex and extensive investigation and I’d like to thank my colleagues at Dyfed-Powys Police, The Health and Safety Executive and the Crown Prosecution Service for their professionalism and diligence to secure this outcome.”

“This has been a complex and extensive investigation and I’d like to thank my colleagues at Dyfed-Powys Police, The Health and Safety Executive and the Crown Prosecution Service for their professionalism and diligence to secure this outcome.”

Health and Safety Executive investigator Helen Turner said: "I would like to express our sincere sympathy to the families of those who died, and to the survivors whose lives are indelibly affected.

“Four lives were needlessly lost and survivors traumatised by their experience at Haverfordwest weir.

“Nerys Lloyd was solely responsible for the decision to enter the water while the river was in flood, and for the attempt to take even inexperienced paddlers over the weir. This was completely reckless and the risk of death was foreseeable.

“The victims placed their trust in Lloyd to deliver a safe and enjoyable paddle, but through her incompetence, carelessness and complacency she failed to plan or assess the obvious risk at the weir or to take even basic safety measures."

Lisa Rose, Specialist Prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime Division, said: “Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of the victims, and with all those affected by this awful tragedy.

“Nerys Lloyd should not have taken participants on the water that day; the heavy flooding had left the river running very fast and it was beyond the remit of a beginner’s tour.

“The weir itself was in an extremely hazardous condition, with a high potential for loss of life, and all the possible exit points nearby had been flooded out.

“Lloyd was not qualified to take inexperienced paddleboarders out in such conditions, and her actions fell very far below the standard expected of a paddleboard instructor and activity planner."