AN Aberdyfi man who sent a threatening email to the Editor of the Cambrian News has been fined £80 when he appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on 16 December.

An arrest warrant had been issued by magistrates in Caernarfon when Ian Pemberton, 63, failed to appear there on 9 December.

Mr Pemberton, of 2 Bryn Gwylan, Church Street, Aberfdyi, pleaded guilty to sending an email of an indecent or offensive nature to Mick O’Reilly, contrary to the Malicious Communications Act of 1988.

The incident stemmed from a court report carried in the Cambrian News on 22 July, 2022 that reported on Mr Pemberton’s conviction and £400 fine for sending a malicious communication to staff at Tywyn Health Centre on 26 January.

The article also appeared online.

Mr Pemberton subsequently contacted Mr O’Reilly on 25 June 2024, saying that the report had caused him distress, had put his life in danger, and that he would “find your home address and do the same to you”.

Haverfordwest magistrates fined him £80 and instructed him to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £32.

“The Cambrian News has a right recognised by the courts to report on who appears there and on the outcomes,” Mr O’Reilly said. “We will not be intimidated nor deterred from that duty. The ability to do so is a cornerstone of press freedom and of the judicial process.

“We also take any threats against any member of the Cambrian News or Tenby Observer staff very seriously indeed,” he said. “This incident underscores our determination to report freely and without intimidation of any sort.”

Mr O’Reilly, who has extensive experience reporting from conflict zones around the world, told police the email from Mr Pemberton was intimidating because it made a direct threat against his person and his home.