Woman jailed for 10 years over deaths of four paddleboarders after taking them down swollen river

A woman has been jailed over the deaths of four people after she took them paddleboarding down a swollen river.

Former police officer Nerys Bethan Lloyd was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court to 10 years and six months for the manslaughter of the four paddleboarders in October 2021.

The 39-year-old was the owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd, a paddleboard tour company, and was co-instructor on the fatal day.

She organised the stand-up paddleboarding tour on the River Cleddau in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, despite 'extremely hazardous conditions' and weather warnings in place.

Lloyd failed to warn the group about a weir on the route or how to navigate it.

In March, she pleaded guilty to four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and one offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Morgan Rogers, Nicola Wheatley, Paul O'Dwyer and Andrea Powell died in the incident. (Family handout)

The incident resulted in the deaths of Paul O’Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40.

O'Dwyer was an instructor on the tour alongside Lloyd.

It is said there had been heavy flooding on the day with the river running fast as prosecutors told the court that Lloyd and O'Dwyer were 'not remotely qualified'. Mark Watson KC added to the court that the stretch of river had a 'real potential for danger'.

David Elias KC, for the defence, quoted a statement written by Lloyd to the court on Wednesday (22 April)

He said: “I take full blame (for the incident) that meant four extremely special individuals are not here today.

“The pain for me has been unbearable but the pain for the families unmeasurable.

“There were nine people on the river that day and every one of them is a victim.”