High Price of Lies: False Journalism & Narrow-Minded Communities
- Ajay Owen
- Nov 28
- 10 min read
Updated: Nov 30
By Ajay Owen
A reputation takes a lifetime to build, years to maintain, and only a moment of reckless negligence to damage. In recent weeks, we have witnessed a disturbing departure from truth in our local discourse. What began as chatter has evolved into a campaign of demonstrable falsehoods, spearheaded by irresponsible journalism and amplified by a community mob mentality.
It is necessary now to draw a sharp line between legitimate public interest and actionable harassment.
The Failure of the Fourth Estate
Journalism, at its core, is a discipline of verification. Its purpose is to inform the public based on evidence, not to incite the public based on rumor or screenshots.
However, specific local reporters have recently abandoned this code of ethics. By publishing narratives that rely on unverified hearsay and anonymous animosity (by screenshots), these outlets have engaged in journalistic malpractice. They have prioritised sensationalism over accuracy and speed over due diligence.
When a media outlet publishes one-sided allegations without sufficient investigation, they are not reporting the news; they are manufacturing a target. This is not freedom of the press; it is the weaponisation of the press. Bare in mind too, that the Herald published the article in a way that makes me sound very bad & wrong -- completely blowing this way out of proportion - but in Pembrokeshire we expect no different from the Herald.
The Complicity of the Community
A lie cannot travel without carriers. While the media may light the match, it is the local "rumor mill" that fans the flames, but in this case was Crymych being called out by Ajay Owen who would not stand for threats, and bullying.
To those in the community who have spread these falsehoods online, in local businesses, and over neighborhood fences: You are not passive observers. When you repeat a statement you know to be unverified or just simply out of envy, you become complicit in the damage it causes.
Participating in the harassment of individuals based on an incomplete or fabricated narrative is not "community vigilance." It is bullying. It creates a hostile environment that affects families, livelihoods, and mental health. This all began because I was running for Reform at the time (no longer part of the party). Pictured, a community member began a campaign hate to boycott the group and my company - what followed was a campaign of harassment, major research into myself by the community - including dragging stuff up I did when I was a child.
The Definition of Harm
Let us be unequivocal about the behavior currently on display. We are moving beyond the realm of "gossip" and into the realm of civil wrongs.
Slander and Libel: The communication of false statements presented as fact that harm a reputation. This is not protected speech; it is defamation.
Harassment: Repeated, intrusive, and aggressive behavior designed to intimidate.
Malice: The deliberate intent to cause harm, or the reckless disregard for the truth.
Freedom of speech does not include the freedom to destroy a person’s life with demonstrable lies. It also does not allow you to drag a persons name and make a situation out to be much worse than it is.
A Demand for Accountability
We are living in an era where the court of public opinion often attempts to supersede the court of law. But the court of public opinion has no rules of evidence, no presumption of innocence, and no penalties for perjury.
This article serves as a corrective measure.
To the journalists involved: return to your code of ethics. Verify your sources. Retract your falsehoods.
To the community: stop the harassment.
The truth is stubborn. It eventually surfaces, regardless of how deep it is buried under headlines and comment sections. And when the dust settles, the shame will not belong to the victims of this smear campaign, but to those who orchestrated and participated in it.
Let's get into the depths, showing screenshots and more
In small communities, rumors travel faster than the truth. But when professional journalists choose to amplify those rumors without checking the facts - and worse, refuse to look at evidence that contradicts their narrative - journalism becomes nothing more than gossip with a headline.
Over the last week, both The Herald (Tom Sinclair) and Nation.Cymru (Emily Price) have published articles attempting to dismantle the reputation of SARS Cymru and myself. They have painted a picture of a "rogue" operator and a "fearful" community - including suggesting that I share inappropriate images of children online when the images I shared were screenshots of peoples' facebook profiles - they knowingly uploaded to a social media page, publicly.
They did not tell you that this "fear" is actually the coordinated backlash of a small online clique. They did not tell you that I offered them proof of threats against my family, which they ignored. And they certainly did not tell you that the "illegal behavior" they allude to is entirely within the law.
I am writing this to set the record straight - not with anecdotes, but with the evidence the press refused to print. Yes, I called Emily "Scum", this was because she was too quick to run to the police when I called her out on her misinformation she published; including the fact that she was not willing to share the threats I received.
1. The "Blue Light" Lie: A Failure of Basic Research
The most persistent smear is that SARS Cymru is "impersonating" the police. Both the community & papers breathlessly reported that our volunteers use "flashing lights" and "hi-vis vests" as if this were evidence of a crime.
Let’s look at the law, which the journalists evidently failed to read.
The Law on Vehicle Lights In the UK, Blue Lights are restricted to statutory emergency services (Police, Ambulance, Fire). SARS Cymru does not use blue lights.
We use Amber & White Lights. According to The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, amber & white beacons are permitted - and often required - for vehicles that are:
Stationary on a road (to warn of a hazard) - CHECK, we do this.
Traveling slowly (e.g., during recovery or severe weather) - CHECK, we do this.
Used for escort purposes - WE DO NOT DO THIS.
When we use our lights, we are not "playing police." We are complying with road safety regulations to ensure our volunteers don't get hit by a car or anything moving while they are clearing a fallen tree or sandbagging a property in the dark.
The "Hi-Vis" Complaint Criticising volunteers for wearing high-visibility clothing is absurd. Hi-vis is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It is a safety requirement, not a costume. To suggest that wearing yellow makes someone a "fake policeman" is an insult to every construction worker, delivery driver, and roadside technician in Wales.
In 2024 - when I was supporting communities in Ceredigion - I was stopped for use of blue lights - a claim which was put in via a police officer. I was subsequently stopped and there was no further action carried out due to no evidence of the claims.
2. "Self-Appointed" or Self-Reliant?
The media has made much of the fact that SARS Cymru has "no formal agreements" with the Fire Service, Police, Emergency or Statutory Services. They frame this as if we are operating illegally.
The Reality of Civil Resilience Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, the UK government recognises the vital role of the voluntary sector in community resilience. There is no law in this country that forbids a citizen from helping another citizen.
If a neighbor is flooded, you do not need a council contract to help them move furniture.
If a road is blocked by snow, you do not need police permission to help dig a car out.
We have never claimed to be a statutory body or have any form of authority. We are a support organisation. We fill the gaps that the statutory services - stretched thin by budget cuts - cannot reach.
When the Fire Service says they "do not delegate authority," they are stating a bureaucratic fact, not a condemnation. We do not need delegated authority to be good Samaritans. We just need to be willing to help when no one else will - which the very Crymych community and journalists do not do, they would rather take pictures and smear volunteers.
Where do you think Charities began? Where do you think major organisations began?
3. The "Safeguarding" Smear
Perhaps the most malicious tactic used by The Herald was the resurrection of a "safeguarding referral" to imply I am a danger to the public.
Here is the fact they buried in the fine print: The referral was unsubstantiated.
The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) - the highest authority on this matter - investigated and took no action. In the professional world, when an allegation is proven to be unfounded, it is closed. To reprint unfounded allegations is a calculated attempt to damage my character by association.
The Photos of Children I was accused of posting photos of residents' children. Context matters. I was the target of a campaign where residents were photographing my private vehicle and broadcasting my location to people who had threatened me. In the heat of the moment, I reposted public images from their profiles to show them how it felt to have their privacy invaded. Was it the right choice? I apologised and removed it. But do not pretend this was a random act of malice; it was a reaction to sustained harassment. The Crymych community did not like being held to account.
4. Journalism or Activism? The Evidence They Refused & research they couldn't do
This is the most important part of this story.
When Nation Cymru & The Herald contacted me, I offered to provide them with hundreds of screenshots proving that the "concerned residents" they were quoting were actually members of a group chat dedicated to harassing me.
I offered them proof of threats sent to me, putting my family at risk - this itself is a Safeguarding Concern.
I offered them proof of coordinated "baiting" strategies used to provoke reactions.
I offered them proof that this "fear" is entirely manufactured by political opponents.
The journalists refused to look at the evidence.
They didn't want the truth; they wanted a villain. By refusing to vet their sources, Nation Cymru and The Herald have allowed themselves to be used as pawns in a petty local vendetta.
The research I told Emily to complete was looking into the training we do. This is outlined in numerous locations across the internet. As the Chief Executive Officer of SARS Cymru my training goes back to when I was 12, when I became a volunteer with a First Aid Charity and became Lead Cadet for Dyfed. I put 1000's of hours into this. I then went to college to do a public & emergency service course - which was short-lived as they rather focused on military preparation. After this, I worked in Adults with learning difficulties and challenging behaviour, mental health, alcohol and substance misuse, temporary accommodation, domestic abuse, ex-prisoner reform & monitoring, homelessness, mental health and acute brain injuries, agency work in health and social care, EMI & Elderly nursing, domiciliary & palliative care - not including my roles as an ex-trustee for an advocacy service & my current volunteering role with an organisation that supports and works with police.
So, yes, my training ranges from First Response to paediatric first aid, safeguarding to patient referral. I have a long list of training & the organisation is insured to carry out numerous community activities. The volunteers are even covered.
5. The Truth Is Coming
To the "anonymous residents" hiding behind these articles: You have tried to shame me into silence. You have failed.
To the community: I ask you to look at the work we do. Look at the 11,000 people who follow our updates because they can't get that information anywhere else. Look at the volunteers who go out in the freezing rain while the critics sit on Facebook.
I will not stop. SARS Cymru will not stop. And in the coming days, I am releasing the screenshots that the newspapers were too afraid to print. You will see the abuse, the threats, and the hypocrisy with your own eyes.
I've nothing to hide. I've been transparent, open and held myself to account. Now, it's time to hold these people to account.
Whilst I am here, I want to give a special thank you to all those who have supported me the past few weeks with all of this - I now know who my true friends are; I have even made friends out of it -- so thank you.
An Update as of 30/11/2025
On Google Alerts, I was notified of 3 additional articles - all of which linking back to the Pembrokeshire Herald. A source, close to Tom Sinclair, claimed that he had "nothing better to do than focus on tarnishing people around him, including those who have supported him." This comes as my inbox was flooded with support messages and their own running-ins with Tom's false reporting and naming vicitims of domestic abuse publicly. Tom, also published a name of a child in an article a while ago and was fined for this - Tom claimed this to be a "small fine" (read it here: https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/14786544.pembrokeshire-herald-editor-tom-sinclair-fined-500-for-naming-youth-in-court-case/)
In messages released, Tom previously asked me to become a community correspondent - to attend on-going incidents and send pictures back to him so he could report on the incident/matter - so; him reporting on me attending incidents instead and helping; instead of taking pictures for a small Pembrokeshire reporter is very hypocritical of him.
The incident regarding the Preseli Mountains, whereby a road closure was in place; we attempted to stop people from heading up the mountain as all signs were moved by Jarome Barten & his pals - at the time of this situation on-going, we reported to the Police that people were putting their safety at risk and ignoring road closure signs - in fact hindering the very situation that was put in place to stop people heading up the Preseli Mountains. The signs were moved to the side, hence the reason for myself and my company being up in that area - but they fail to mention this in the mediocre article.
During recent floods, another resident called 'Roger Smith' claimed we looked a lot like police - I'm unsure how as we were wearing an orange hi-vis coat with "SARS CYMRU & SITREP" (with our logo on the back). This is always the clothing we wear when we attend flooding, or any incidents.
Regarding the photos of the children -- again, an emphasis on this by Tom Sinclair (no shock there, we should all be concerned by this) stating I reposted photos of children without consent. Parents uploaded their photos to a PUBLIC social media page - no permission is needed as is is posted publicly.
Attending local incidents where we're not invited is the very key to our organisation. We do not need permission & we can attend any incident as a by-stander, or support organisation. Again - we have NEVER claimed to have any authority. Police are aware of these releases; as are meta - but it's funny how far Tom is willing to go to try and dismiss the TRUTH.
The Pembrokeshire Herald correctly posted my "5,000 word statement verbatim" but did not publish the threats made against me - the same went to Nation Cymru. I then went back, added photos to the original post that he published in his Article to show people some of the threats made - this, also named people on his media outlet.
We have no formal MOU's with any organisation which makes us unique. We operate independently and answer only to ourselves - the best way an organisation can be with sly, mediocre reporters and small-minded communities trying to tarnish a dedicated organisation of do-gooders.
