Man fired crossbow at cafe in Swansea as part of 'long-running feud' with the owner

Media Wales
Gareth Griffiths has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. Credit: Media Wales

A man fired a crossbow at a cafe in the middle of the afternoon as part of a "long-running feud" with the owner, a court has heard.Gareth Griffiths, 44, from Swansea, had drunk a bottle of wine and six cans of lager before threatening the cafe boss Aaron Wade over the phone and arming himself with the weapon, on the afternoon of February 23 this year.

The prosecutor said the during the phone calls, Griffiths made a number of threats against the Mr Wade and two of his friends, in which he said he had "lost everything and was going to prison" and was going to "take each of you out".

The court heard that at just after 4.30pm, Griffiths drove up to the cafe, got out of his car and fired one bolt at a car parked near the Queensway Bistro Cafe on the Swansea West business park in Fforestfach.

He then fired a second shot at the front of the cafe while staff were inside - just minutes after the defendant Mr Wade had left.

The court heard the cafe owner was a former friend of Griffiths, with whom he had a "long-standing feud".

After firing the crossbow, Griffiths drove off and police were called.

Griffiths fired a crossbow on this industrial estate in broad daylight. Credit: Google Maps

The incident was witnessed by a number of people working in nearby units on the industrial estate, as well as by children.

When officers arrived at the cafe, Griffiths returned and was arrested and breathalysed. Swansea Crown Court heard a breath test showed Griffiths was almost twice the legal drink-drive limit at the time.

He was found to have 67mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal limit being 35mg.

In his subsequent interview the defendant gave a prepared statement in which he said he had been "living in fear" of Mr Wade since the summer of 2021.

Gareth Albert Griffiths, of Frederick Place, Llansamlet, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon, affray, two counts of criminal damage, and to driving with excess alcohol when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

Ian Ibrahim, defending Griffiths, said that he and Mr Wade had been friends for "some considerable time" before their relationship broke down. He said the dad-of-two had taken over his father's milk business and as Gower Creamery had been running a successful company supplying milk before the pandemic struck and he eventually had to let his 12-strong workforce go.

He said alcohol was an issue in his client's life and that he was also suffering with depression and anxiety, and that his substantial financial debts had not helped his "fragile mental health" at the time of the incident.Judge Paul Thomas QC said the background to the incident seemed to be a "long-standing grudge" the defendant had with the owner of the Fforestfach cafe. He said on the day in question Griffiths had issued "lurid threats" against Mr Wade and some of his friends, and had drunk a significant amount of alcohol before arming himself with a crossbow.

He said it must have been a terrifying experience for those caught up in it, especially the children. Griffiths was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison. He was disqualified from driving for a total of 21 months, and was also made the subject of a restraining order banning him from contacting his victim for the next three years.