Paddleboard guide jailed for 10 years after fatal Welsh river tour
The weir outside County Hall in Haverfordwest, where the group got into difficulty. Image courtesy of CPS.
Nerys Bethan Lloyd, a 39-year-old former police officer and paddleboarding instructor, has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and one Health and Safety at Work offence, following the deaths of four people during a paddleboard excursion in 2021.
On 30 October 2021, a group of paddleboarders, led by Lloyd, were swept over a weir on the rain-swollen River Cleddau in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Paul O’Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40, all died in the tragedy.
Lloyd, who is from Aberavon, was the owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co, the company that organised the paddleboard trip. At the time, severe weather warnings had been issued, the river was in flood and conditions at the Haverfordwest Town Weir were described by experts as extremely hazardous.
A joint investigation by Dyfed-Powys Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Lloyd was not properly qualified to lead a stand-up paddleboarding river tour. Although guidance from national governing bodies was available – including British Canoeing and the British Stand-Up Paddle Association – the court heard that Lloyd failed to meet even the basic safety standards expected of tour operators.
At her sentencing at Swansea Crown Court, Ms Justice Stacey said the victims were “cut off in their prime.” She condemned Lloyd’s “blatant disregard for a very high risk of death,” citing the absence of a safety briefing, use of inappropriate equipment and failure to obtain next of kin details.
The court heard Lloyd prioritised an “exciting” route over safety, insisting on taking the group over the weir rather than walking around it. She rejected alternative routes proposed by her co-instructor, O’Dwyer, who initially exited the water safely but re-entered in a desperate attempt to help others and was ultimately dragged into the current.
All four victims drowned after being sucked into the recirculating flow at the base of the weir. The court was shown photographs and videos of the weir on the day, revealing immense turbulence and visibly fast currents. Justice Stacey remarked that participants were pulled into danger within 20 seconds of approaching the weir.
Of the group of nine, four survived. The court heard that none of the participants had the appropriate leashes for the conditions, and only some wore life jackets.
During sentencing, the judge questioned why Lloyd appeared to raise her arms in a “joyful, confident, triumphant” manner in CCTV footage as she went over the weir. Her lawyer claimed this was not a celebration but a result of being carried by the force of the water.
Detective Superintendent Cameron Ritchie of Dyfed-Powys Police called the tragedy “completely avoidable.” He said: “This incident devastated four families, and we hope that lessons will be learned that prevent this from ever happening again.”
HSE inspector Helen Turner added: “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, said Lloyd’s actions “fell very far below the standard expected of a paddleboard instructor and activity planner.”
Emotional victim impact statements were read during the two-day hearing. Morgan Rogers’ mother, Theresa Hall, told Lloyd: “You guided Morgan to her death.” Nicola Wheatley’s husband, Darren, described Lloyd as “a coward” who hid behind a “smoke screen.”
Ceri O’Dwyer, the wife of Paul O’Dwyer, said she was once Lloyd’s friend but felt “blame, rejection and gaslighting” when Lloyd tried to shift responsibility onto her husband, who died trying to save others.
Lloyd was dismissed from South Wales Police in November 2021 for an unrelated matter. A month earlier, she accepted a caution for fraud involving a vehicle insurance claim.
“This has been a complex and extensive investigation,” said Det Supt Ritchie. “I sincerely hope that the conclusion of these proceedings helps the victims’ families start the healing process.”
