Pembroke Paedophile protesters return

Around 30 protesters have gathered this evening calling for a man to be removed from a property on Ashdale Lane, Pembroke.

Many of the protesters started their campaign for the convicted paedophile to be removed on Wednesday (October 2) at Kings William Street in Pembroke Dock, before moving to Ashdale Lane, where the man is believed to be staying.

One protester said the group have a planned meeting with the police tomorrow where they hope the situation will be resolved.

The protester added they were frustrated that the police didn't seem to know where the man was to keep track of him, believing him to be of no fixed abode.

Claire Gam, another protester, summing up the mood of the group said: “We are angry, I don’t live here, but I’m angry that they have to live around this.

“Everone here has an attitude that we will be up here every day until this is sorted. I’ll be here as long as these people need support.

“It’s calm, we don’t want to cause trouble to people that live there but it’s frustrating because people that live up this street can’t let their kids out to play.

“I know one person here moved their kids up to their nans to keep them safe. It's frustrating.”

Ms Gam admitted the group did not know for certain that the man was there, but they felt it was quite likely.

“We think that he’s there, there’s a lot of police there which is making us believe that he is there," she said.

“I would like to hope that the police do the right thing and move him on."

Dyfed-Powys Police said they recognised the strength of feeling in the community.

A police spokesman said although the atmosphere was at times hostile at last night's protest (Saturday, October 5), the protest passed after several hours without disorder.

Chief Inspector Louise Harries said: “We recognise the strength of feeling in the community, and we have provided a police presence to keep the peace and ensure our communities are kept safe.

“There has been much rumour and speculation which has not assisted in understanding and responding to any potential risk.

"I would urge the public to have confidence in us and to report any concerns they have to us.

"This will enable us to investigate, gather evidence and take action where appropriate.

"Safeguarding our communities is our absolute priority and I want to assure people that we work tirelessly with partners to seek to do so.

"It is when we have trust and good relationships with our communities that this is most effective. We will, therefore, continue to engage fully with the community in respect of this matter to resolve their concerns.

"But I also want to remind people that any action they take could result in crime inadvertently being committed and actually hamper our police enquiries.”