Man jailed for threatening to stab another man at a Swansea pizza takeaway with a pair of scissors

Gavin Morris, 36, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 27 months in jail on 15 May at Swansea Crown Court after pleading guilty to threatening a person with a blade or sharply pointed article in a public place.

This followed an incident at around 11.30pm on April 16 2025, where Morris was in a pizza takeaway restaurant on St Helen’s Road in Swansea when he began harassing customers. Morris was then approached by the victim who told him to leave.

Morris was described as being drunk, stumbling and slurring as he left the shop, before inviting the victim outside to fight. He then reached into his jacket pocket and produced a pair of scissors, before threatening to stab the victim.

The victim called 999, causing Morris to leave the shop. Morris entered a few other shops along the street, leaving the scissors on the counter in one of them, before being arrested in the street.

Investigating officer PC Joshua Carter from South Wales Police said: “Morris posed a significant threat to the victim and people in the area that evening. He was drunk and dangerous, and I’m pleased to see the sentence handed down to him.”

#knifeCrime #SouthWalesPolice #StHelensRoad #Swansea

Shop raided for selling illegal vapes and cigarettes – just yards from council offices

Peshawa Zada, owner of Bob Marley Vapes, St Helen’s Road, has pleaded guilty to a number of offences relating to the sale of unlawful vapes, counterfeit cigarettes and fraud, and is due to be sentenced in April.

Mr Zada, 23 of St Helen’s Road, had repeated visits by Trading Standards, dating back to March 2023, where officers were concerned with continued sales of the illegal vape products and complaints they were being sold to children under the age of 18.

In the UK, disposable vapes cannot be sold with more than 2ml of liquid. Visits to the Swansea-based shop, established vapes were being sold with 10ml of liquid and were seized by the Council.

During the latest visit in March, trading standards officers discovered a number of concealed storage areas at the rear of the shop and in the ceiling which contained illegal vapes, along with counterfeit cigarettes.

The shop owner was arrested and charged with seven offences. He has since pleaded guilty at Swansea Magistrates and has been remanded in custody until sentencing next month.

David Hopkins, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Service and Performance, said: “Shop owners selling illegal products with age restrictions, to underage children, are not only breaking the law, but they are also displaying a complete lack of awareness about the consequences, the sale of these products can cause to young people.

“Our trading standards team has continued the excellent work it has already done in recent years, to stamp out the sale of these potentially harmful products, that are getting into the hands of young children.”

In 2024, the Council led an operation with police (Operation Thor) to seize illegal vapes from a large storage facility in London, seizing more than 120,000 illegal vapes with a street value of £1.5million.

Cllr Hopkins, said: “The operation was a great success in terms of stemming the flow of illegal vapes into Swansea. Sadly, we know that shops in the city are still attempting to sell these illegal goods such as vapes and counterfeit cigarettes.

“We will continue to target these stores and keep consumers safe.”

(Lead image: Google maps)

#Business #CounterfeitGoods #illegalCigarettes #illegalVapes #StHelensRoad #Swansea #SwanseaCouncil #TradingStandards