Woman charged in connection to deaths of four paddleboarders

Morgan Rogers, 24, Nicola Wheatley, 40, Andrea Powell, 41, and Paul O’Dwyer, 42, died in the incident. Credit: Dyfed Powys Police/Family Photos

A woman from Aberavon has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter after the death of four people on a paddleboarding tour.

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.

Morgan Rogers, 24, Nicola Wheatley, 40, Andrea Powell, 41, and Paul O’Dwyer, 42, died in the incident along the Cleddau River in Haverfordwest on October 30 2021 when the group got into trouble in the town's weir.

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.

Confirming that criminal proceedings had begun, Dyfed Powys Police said, "Following a lengthy and complex investigation, [...] Nerys Lloyd has today been charged with 4 counts of gross negligence manslaughter and 1 count under the Health and Safety At Work Act".

The river Cleddau in Haverfordwest where four people after a group of paddleboarders got into distress. Credit: PA

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 30 October 2021, where four of the group became trapped in Haverfordwest Town Weir and tragically lost their lives.

“It is extremely important there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."

A spokeswoman for Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that Lloyd would appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on December 3.

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