Woman charged with manslaughter following deaths of four paddleboarders
Paul O’Dwyer, Andrea Powell, Morgan Rogers and Nicola Wheatley died in the incident on October 30 2021.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A woman has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter following the deaths of four people in a paddleboarding incident.
Nerys Bethan Lloyd, 39, from Aberavon, has also been charged with one offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act, Dyfed-Powys Police said.
The charges relate to an incident on the River Cleddau in Pembrokeshire on October 30 2021, which resulted in the deaths of Paul O’Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40.
Police received a call at 9.02am on that day, stating there were a number of paddleboarders in distress at the weir on the river in the centre of Haverfordwest.
Emergency services attended the scene, where Mr O’Dwyer, from Port Talbot, Ms Rogers, from Merthyr Tydfil, and Ms Wheatley, from Swansea, were declared dead.
Ms Powell, from Bridgend, was taken to nearby Withybush Hospital but died six days later.
Four other people survived the incident.
A spokeswoman for Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that Lloyd would appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on December 3.
Detective Superintendent Cameron Ritchie, of the force, said: “Following a lengthy and complex investigation, working closely with the Health and Safety Executive and the Crown Prosecution Service, Nerys Lloyd has today been charged with four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and one count under the Health and Safety At Work Act.
“The families of those who died and those who survived the incident have all been informed.
“As criminal proceedings are now under way it is important that there is no reporting, commentary or online posting that could prejudice this case.”
Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said: “We have authorised Dyfed Powys Police to charge Nerys Lloyd, 39, with four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and one health and safety offence following the deaths of four paddleboarders in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in 2021.
“The charges relate to a commercial paddleboarding river tour on October 30 2021, where four of the group became trapped in Haverfordwest town weir and tragically lost their lives.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that she has the right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.