‘It was so brutal, they didn’t care that I was grieving over my boy’
HOUSING BOSSES APOLOGISE AFTER TELLING SHOTGUN DEATH TEEN’S DAD TO FINISH WORK HIS SON STARTED
HOUSING bosses have apologised to a distraught father for pressing him to complete work started by his son before his tragic death.
Robert Jones couldn’t bring himself to finish the work begun by his lad Peter Colwell, who died from shotgun wounds in February last year.
The 18-year-old had started making a hard-standing area for his boat behind the house he lived in with his father. But Mr Jones let the work come to a standstill after Peter was killed in the car park of the Ship Inn in Llanbedrog.
Last month, two Cartrefi Cyumnedol Gwynedd (CCG) housing officers turned up at the former council house in Capel Uchaf telling Mr Jones to complete the work, and then a followup letter from a manager told him he’d had enough time.
Mr Jones said: “It was so brutal. They don’t seem to care about my grief. Who are they to decide it is time. Peter’s death has devastated the family. We miss him terribly I just wanted them to leave me alone.”
The letter received by Mr Jones stated: “We believe that we have been more than generous in our approach regarding this issue based upon your personal circumstance and therefore we must advise you that CCG will now take action by reinstating the rear garden to its original condition and re-erect the chain link fencing.
“The approx cost for this work will be re-charged to you’.”
Mr Jones said the bill is £2,717.76 with work due to be carried out within three months.
He said: “Peter had removed the fence and the gate posts and was going to lay paving slabs and replace the gate but then he was killed. He was doing the work when he had some spare time. He did a lot of work around the house because I’m not in the best of health. Since then I have been at my wits’ end with the police inquiry, the inquest and court hearings. I have asked another man, a neighbour, to finish the job. He says he can start in mid-January. This is because the mechanical digger he wants to use is booked up until then.”
Cllr Owain Williams, who represents the hamlet on Gwynedd council, said the situation was “disgraceful”.
“CCG should show more compassion with this man who is still grieving the death of his son. I have been in contact with officials and hope they will reconsider the situation,” he said.
Soon after being contacted by our sister paper the Daily Post, CCG officials made a U-turn.
In a statement CCG said: “Complaints were received by CCG about the condition of the garden at the property in 2016. In response, permission was granted to the tenant in January 2017 to make alterations to accommodate the two boats.
“As work had not been done in November 2017, we requested that the tenant complete the work before the end of the year. We have now been made aware that the tenant will start the work before the end of January and we are happy for him to proceed and have agreed that no further action will be taken.”
Mr Jones said he had been telephoned by two officials who apologised and told him he could continue with the work.
“Common sense at last,” he said, “it’s a huge weight off my mind.”
Mr Jones said Peter loved field sports and had been overjoyed to be taken on as an under gamekeeper on a local estate.
“He loved shooting and fishing. He has been shooting since he was four years old. We used to go shooting pigeons when we lived in Shropshire. Peter used to dig up bait on Trefor beach to make a bit of pocket money and he used to help me around the house. He’s a really good lad.
“He bought the boat and had some lobster pots and built the trailer. I’ve already got a boat and keep it in the back garden. After finishing the back garden we were going to decide which boat to keep.”
Peter died in the car park of the Ship Inn, Llanbedrog, last February. Benjamin Fiztsimmons, 22, of Nanhoron, near Pwllheli, and Ben Wilson, 28, of Ely, Cambridgeshire, have been charged with manslaughter over his death. Two other men, Harry Robert Butler, 22, of Llaniestyn, near Pwllheli, and Michael David Fitzsimons, 24, of Nanhoron, are charged with possessing a loaded shotgun in a public place. All four face trial later this year.