WITH calls to close a B&B for the homeless in Argoed following the horrific killing of Cerys Yemm, BECKY CARR looks at the issues surrounding housing previous offenders in the community.

THE Sirhowy Arms Hotel in Argoed is a B&B catering for the homeless, including people who have recently come out of prison.

On November 6, it was the scene of a shocking crime at the hands of 34-year-old Matthew Williams, who had been released from prison only three weeks earlier.

B&B owner Mandy Miles said she had no previous knowledge of his criminal past although the extent of his crimeshe had confided in her he was in prison for theft. He had not told her he was imprisoned for violently assaulting an ex-partner.

She said Williams had been polite and had followed the rules up until the morning of November 6 when he was found over the body of 22-year-old Cerys Yemm, from Oakdale, inside the Sirhowy Arms Hotel.

It is alleged Williams was committing an act of cannibalism, but Gwent Police have refused to confirm or deny that allegation.

He was Tasered and put under arrest but died later in police custody.

A Facebook group called ‘Lets Shut down All Argoed Hostels Now’ now has 721 members after being set up as a place for residents to voice their concerns about housing ex-prisoners in the village.

A public meeting is to be held tonight (TUES) for residents to have their say about establishments such as the Sirhowy Arms Hotel at the Argoed Reform Club at 7pm.

Blackwood resident Amanda Bartle, 51, has been campaigning against accommodation for previousoffenders for severalmonths.

She said: “I’ve heard people saying there has been no trouble at the Sirhowy Arms prior to this but that’s not the case.

“There are children playing about the place and it’s not safe for them.

“These people don’t come to the Sirhowy Arms without problems. The managers are not being trained to deal with these people.

“I just want people to be aware – you should know that a murderer is living next to you. I have been saying this for months, and [what happened at the Sirhowy Arms] has been a long time coming.”

Charities such as Unlock, which helps people with previous convictions, and Shelter Cymru disagree with these sentiments and ask where ex-prisoners with no temporary accommodation, where would theyare expected to go.

Christopher Stacy, spokesman for Unlock, said that the role of temporary accommodation in rehoming former prisoners is “critical”.

He said: “A significant proportion of people that leave prison don’t have anywhere to go to. The role of temporary accommodation such as hostels is critical.

“People who are released from prison don’t get given any kind of priority from local authorities.

“I certainly don’t think they should be treated less favourably and we wouldn’t be arguing for preferential treatment. We would argue for a level playing field. A lot of people are treated as intentionally homeless.

“People will still come out of prison regardless of whether we close these types of places. The question would be, where would they go?

“The reality is a lot of people come out of prison on a daily basis in similar situations and they go to places where they live very safely and securely, they’re looked after and they don’t commit any crimes.

“You’ve got to be careful to not take these kinds of crimes out of context.”

Mr Stacy’s views are shared with Sirhowy Arms Hotel owner Mrs Miles who said that it was better for the hotel’s residents to be contained rather than out on the streets.

She told the Argus: “If I knew what I know now about Matthew, I would not have let him stay here.”

Mrs Miles said she was also unaware about Williams’ suspected mental health issues and last week called for more information to be shared between agencies.

When asked if she understood people’s worries about the Sirhowy Arms continuing as it is, Mrs Miles said: “I’m worried what people say but they can’t judge them all by Matthew Williams – it’s wrong. “

A Caerphilly Council spokesman confirmed that “when the council receives a priority homeless request, we assesses each case before offering the most appropriate placement”.

He added: “We share as much information as we have at the time of each placement.”

Williams’ mother Sally Ann Williams told the BBC her son was a paranoid schizophrenic and she could not get a prescription after his release from prison.

A Shelter Cymru spokeswoman said: “There’s no doubt that this was a terrible and shocking incident, but there were a range of factors involved. It’s not appropriate for us to speculate on the details around this man’s mental health and the support he was or was not receiving.”

The charity helps prisoners, ex-prisoners and people on probation who may find it difficult to find somewhere to stay.

The spokeswoman added: “Regarding the problems ex-prisoners face – we know that many face considerable difficulties in finding settled accommodation. Places like the Sirhowy Arms, while not ideal as they are only temporary, at least give ex-offenders the chance to try to get their lives back on track and reduce the likelihood of them reoffending.”

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a serious further offences review to look at why Williams committed a serious crime within 30 days of his release.

A spokesman confirmed that Williams was not on licence at the time of the crime.

It is not the first time Gwent has seen a former prisoner commit a serious offence after being released from jail.

In 2006, Craig Sweeney, who was living on Caerleon Road, Newport, abducted and sexually assaulted a three-year-old girl from Cardiff just two days after the end of his post-release licence.

In December that year, an independent report into the handling of the case highlighted a series of Gwent Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangement (Mappa) errors and made a number of recommendations for improvement.

Two years later, the agency was again criticised for not having made sufficient progress.

Chief Inspector of Probation Andrew Bridges concluded in 2008: “We were not satisfied that the Mappa systems were effective.

“We found that there has undoubtedly been much well-intentioned activity by probation, police and others to improve those processes which had not previously been working to the best effect.

“Regrettably, these intentions have not been matched by progress on the ground.”

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is looking into Gwent Police’s involvement in the Sirhowy Arms incident, after Williams died in police custody.

Both the MoJ and IPCC have said their investigations could take several months.

l Gwent Police said they were called to an incident at the Sirhowy Arms Hotel early yesterday morning with regards to a man’s welfare on the premises. One man was arrested for alleged breach of the peace but was later released without further action.

l The inquest into Cerys Yemm’s death is due to be opened on Friday.