TORFAEN MP Paul Murphy and Lynne Neagle AM visited sheltered housing residents who fear they are to lose their homes. Bron Afon announced they are looking into alternative uses for some of their retirement schemes in the borough because of a
PERPIGNAN star James Hook will miss Wales’ Triple Crown bid against England at Twickenham on Saturday after failing to recover from chicken pox. The utility back’s place among the replacements is taken by outside-half Stephen Jones who will
AN OVERGROWN graveyard in Blaenavon is being cleared up next week. Volunteers will work at St Peter’s Church on March 1 and 2 from 10am till 3pm. Local residents, young people from the Neon youth club, Communities First and staff from Bron Afon
THE founder of a Monmouth-based horse hospital has warned that the problem of abandoned horses and ponies has become increasingly worse since the charity was set up ten years ago. Jenny MacGregor MBE, chairwoman of the Society for the Welfare
USE these links below to follow our insight into the background of the Nikitta Grender case and coverage of the reaction to killer Carl Whant's terrible crime and his sentence. NIKITTA CASE: Website use was problem for probe NIKITTA
TWO Newport men have been charged with theft of railway property following an incident near Bridgend on Tuesday. Nicolas Cooper, 37, of Corn Brook Road, Bettws, and Peter Dodson, 53, of High Bank, Newport, were arrested along with Mathew Morgan
POLICE attended the scene of the fire at around 8am on February 5 after Miss Grender’s body was found. Detective Supt Steve Mogg – the on-call senior investigating officer that weekend – said initially they kept an open mind in the investigation
The movements of killer Carl Whant were painstakingly pieced together by officers investigating the crime to contradict his version of the fatal night. AILSA CHALK reports. NIKITTA Grender’s family and friends packed Newport Crown Court from
OFFICERS visited Whant at home on February 7, 2011, to seize the clothes he was wearing on the evening of February 4. The clothes were sent for forensic examination, where dilute blood stains were found on three areas of his light blue shirt. Miss
WHANT and Mr Mayes were less like cousins and more like brothers, but that did not stop Whant murdering the love of Mr Mayes’ life and killing the baby girl he was preparing to welcome into the world. Everyone who knew them knew how close they
ON HIS arrest, Whant decided silence was the best way to try to get away with murder. Police arrested him on February 9, and during the course of his first six police interviews he simply replied “no comment” to any questions officers put to
The man who raped and murdered mum-to-be Nikitta Grender was a drug user whose habit led him into debt and crime. BEN FRAMPTON profiles fixated killer Carl Whant. CARL Whant was a drug user and a thief before he raped and murdered the woman
AT MISS Grender’s funeral her uncle, Michael Brunnock, read a tribute on behalf of her parents. It said: “We’re missing you Keet, even though you were a pain in the rear. You made us constantly laugh and cry. We love everything about you, sweetheart
ONE of the major challenges faced by police investigating Miss Grender’s death was building bridges with the community. Newport’s Superintendent Dave Johnson said building a rapport with the close-knit community was a key part of the investigation
LLISWERRY councillor Allan Morris said the community came together after the murder. He said: “At the time it had a massive effect on the people of Lliswerry, insofar as people wouldn’t normally realise that the police were on their side. It united
THE Rev Helen Hall, vicar of St Andrew’s Church in Wales, led the funeral service for Miss Grender and Kelsey-May. She said: “I think everyone was very shocked at the time that something so terrible could happen where they live, but that’s always
Nikitta Grender was just 19 when she was brutally raped and murdered by Carl Whant. AILSA CHALK takes a look at the life of a young woman who loved partying but was delighted at the prospect of becoming a mum. KNOWN as “Kitta” to her friends
The murder of teen mum-to-be Nikitta Grender devastated the community where she lived and united it in grief. AILSA CHALK reports. NIKITTA Grender’s death sent a shockwave through the Broadmead Park estate. Dozens of floral tributes and soft
BEN FRAMPTON reports on how her death sparked thousands of tributes on social networking sites. FOLLOWING Nikitta’s murder, thousands of people from across the country used social networking site Facebook as an outlet for their grief. The
AN Ebbw Vale man was found guilty of stealing £16,500 from a fund set up to help his son fight a degenerative disease. It took a jury at Cardiff Crown Court just half an hour this morning to find Julian Emms, 46, of Southbank, Beaufort, guilty of fraud
A FORENSIC scientist told a jury yesterday there was no indication a Newport father had been attacked in his own home. Lindsay Lennen was giving evidence at the trial of Karl Drummond, 37, of Attlee Court, Shahid Rafiq, 37, of Bryn-yr-ysgol
AN ALLEGED attempted murder victim told a jury yesterday he could not remember anything about the attack on him due to alcohol. Stanislaw Galeza was giving evidence at the trial of Pawel Lysonik, 22, of Capel Crescent, Newport, Lukas Kalkowski
UNBEATEN Welsh light-welterweight talent Francis Luke Robinson aims to to take his record to 5-0 this Saturday night in Cardiff on the undercard of Nathan Cleverly's homecoming against Tommy Karpency. The 21-year-old son of former WBO world featherweight
DREDGERS are out on the River Usk in Newport as part of a clean-up operation. The boats will be out on the water for two weeks as part of a project run by regeneration company Newport Unlimited to remove waste from the water. A similar project
EVERY little helps and Newport Gwent Dragons aren’t exactly helping themselves on that front this season. Wins are the crucial factor in a side’s final league position but the little extras are vital, especially if the Dragons are to keep alive their
AN EBBW Vale man took £16,500 from a fund set up to help his son fight a degenerative disease to stop family members giving it to charity, a court heard. Julian Emms, 46, of Southbank, Beaufort, is on trial at Cardiff Crown Court, where he denies
TWICKENHAM; home to wax jackets, 4x4s and hampers yet it has been England that have been the victims of snobbery so far this Six Nations. Wales head to London as favourites to win the Triple Crown and inch closer towards a potential Grand Slam decider
OWEN Farrell will start at fly-half for England in Saturday's RBS 6 Nations game against Wales after Charlie Hodgson failed to recover from a finger injury. Farrell's switch from inside centre has opened the way for Manu Tuilagi to return to the England
JOE Calzaghe is tipping his former sparring partner to shine brightest on one of Welsh sport’s biggest weekends. An unprecedented succession of contests sees Wales head to Twickenham in the RBS Six Nations on Saturday afternoon, Cardiff face
A CARE home worker from Pontypool was acquitted yesterday after a jury found him not guilty of ill treating a severely disabled man. Phillip Forward, 51, of The Cottages, Pontnewynydd, walked free from Cardiff Crown Court yesterday after the
DAVID Wooler, Crown Advocate for the Crown Prosecution Service in Wales praised the hard work done to build the case against Carl Whant. He said: “The prosecuting authorities worked hard to build a robust case against Carl Whant and we are content
ENGLAND are set to call for an explosive number eight for Saturday’s Triple Crown showdown, but Wales’ very own dynamic ball carrier will be giving them some sleepless nights, according to his back row teammate. Coach Stuart Lancaster is being tipped
THE Nikitta Grender murder trial marked a first for the South Wales Argus, it was the first court case we have covered throughout on social networking site Twitter. Due to the gravity of the crime and the impact it had on the people of Newport
DCS Geoff Ronayne said the minimum 35-year term imposed on Whant’s life sentence was the longest he has seen in his 30-year career with Gwent Police. In October 2009 Russell Leon Carter was locked up for a minimum of 30 years for murdering
MURDERER Carl Whant stood impassive in the dock as he was handed a life sentence for the rape and murder of pregnant teenager Nikitta Grender, writes Natalie Crockett. The former bouncer and window salesman gave no reaction as the jury foreman
AIRONI V DRAGONS (Sunday. KO 3.30pm) ON Sunday Newport Gwent Dragons head to the venue where they last tasted away success in the league. A hard-fought 18-6 success against Aironi at the Stadio Zaffanella on February 20, 2011 has been
The family of murdered pregnant teenager Nikitta Grender and the police who investigated her killing welcomed the conviction and the 35-year tariff yesterday. BEN FRAMPTON reports THE grieving family of murdered mum-to-be Nikitta Grender gave
AROUND 180 jobs at Peacocks stores in Gwent were saved last night after a deal was completed. Administrators KPMG announced the retail chain had been bought out by Edinburgh Woollen Mill.
The murderer of pregnant teenager Nikitta Grender was dubbed a “calculating, vain and devious individual” by the judge who jailed him for a minimum of 35 years yesterday. AILSA CHALK reports. CARL Whant today starts a life sentence
The famous Bigsweir Bridge, over the River Wye on the A466, is one of the iconic views in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) as it crosses over from Wales to England. As travellers drive over the bridge they may be curious
NEWPORT County boss Justin Edinburgh confessed his side got what they deserved in defeat at Tamworth on Tuesday and admitted they must now go back to the drawing board. Once again inspired by skipper Sam Foley the Exiles took the lead and looked dominant
