A facial reconstruction of a man whose body was found in a reservoir has been released by police more than a year after he was discovered.

The unidentified man, who was wearing a wetsuit, is believed to have been in the water for up to 12 weeks before he was found at Claerwen Reservoir, Powys, in October 2024.

Dyfed-Powys Police have released the facial reconstruction, created by Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University, in the hopes someone will recognise him.

Detective Inspector Anthea Ponting said: ‘In the absence of any personal belongings other than the wetsuit he was wearing, no identification documents or vehicles nearby, we began by working with neighbouring police forces to conduct checks for missing or wanted people who had not been traced.

‘When this was unsuccessful, we extended our inquiries to contact all UK forces, ran searches through the Police National Database, and issued bulletins to police overseas through Interpol.’

Police have also searched DNA, fingerprint and dental records, in addition to massive media appeals, to no avail.

DI Ponting added: ‘Each time we have reached out to the public, we’ve been provided with some lines of inquiry to follow up on, but unfortunately, none have proven to be the key to finding out who this person is.’

There were no other items of clothing, jewellery or modes of transport in the area when the man was found, and he had no distinguishing marks such as scars or tattoos.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the man was aged between 30 and 60, around 6ft tall, weighing 202-220lb, and of white European descent.

DI Ponting added: ‘I urge anyone who thinks they might recognise him to come forward.

‘This is someone’s family member – someone’s loved one – and I would like nothing more than to return him to his loved ones who might be missing him.’

Anyone who visited Claerwen Reservoir between July and October 18 2024, and saw anything that might help inquiries, or is aware of someone who has not been seen for some time and matches the description, should contact the police.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Body found on Welsh beach in search for missing 52-year-old

MORE: Headmistress ‘changed term dates’ to go on luxury cruises, tribunal hears

MORE: Ex-police officer denies taking selfies at scene where teenager was murdered

Blake Lively gave Ryan Reynolds a good-luck kiss as the Hollywood A-list couple watched Wrexham’s blockbuster fifth-round FA Cup tie against Chelsea.

The Deadpool actor, 49, was pictured watching on with his wife and Wrexham co-owner Rob Mac in their private box at the Racecourse Ground as Liam Rosenior’s Premier League side came to town.

Reynolds could be seen giving Lively a kiss and gesticulating before Wrexham took a 1-0 lead in north-east Wales, with the Championship side hoping to continue their incredible rise with a cup upset against the Blues.

The actor then wildly celebrated with club co-owner and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Mac, 48 – who flew in on a private jet for the match – after Sam Smith’s sensational opening goal.

VAR threatened to dampen the actors’ celebrations as officials checked whether the Wrexham striker had strayed offside, but to the delight of Reynolds and Mac, the goal was allowed to stand.

Phil Parkinson’s men, who are vying for a promotion place in the Championship, are hoping to claim another Premier League scalp this season after beating Nottingham Forest on penalties in the third round of the competition after a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Blake Lively gave Ryan Reynolds a good-luck kiss during Wrexham’s match against Chelsea

Reynolds watched on with Lively and Wrexham co-owner Rob Mac at the Racecourse Ground

Reynolds and Mac wildly celebrated together after Sam Smith opened the scoring for Wrexham

Victory over Chelsea would represent a watershed moment for the club, who have battled their way back into the English Football League under the stewardship of Reynolds and Mac (formerly McElhenney), following the actors’ shock takeover five years ago. 

While Wrexham have previously played Chelsea as part of their pre-season tours of the United States in 2023 and 2024, the FA Cup clash marks the first competitive fixture between the sides.

Reynolds discovered Wrexham had been drawn against Chelsea while he was with Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman, and posted a video of his shocked reaction when the draw was made.

‘Wait, wait, wait – we’re at home to Chelsea?,’ Reynolds asked at the time. ‘That’s what you wanted,’ Jackman responded before the two men high-fived.

‘Yes, f***!’ Reynolds said, adding a shocked ‘what the f***?’ as the reality of the fixture sunk in.

‘Chelsea at the Racecourse,’ Reynolds finished in near-disbelief.

Chelsea boss Rosenior has been keen to ensure his side are not on the end of an upset, saying pre-match: ‘We know it’s going to be a really, really difficult game. 

‘It’s a club that’s on the rise, and there’s a good energy and a good vibe around. It’s hard to play against that. We take the game really seriously. For us, it’s an opportunity to win a trophy.’ 

On the other hand, Parkinson – who has won three successive promotions with Wrexham since taking the post in 2021 – has urged his players to harness their ‘underdog spirit’.

Reynolds was all smiles as he arrived in north-east Wales for the blockbuster fifth-round tie 

Wrexham co-owner Rob Mac was also seen arriving after jetting in for Saturday’s FA Cup tie

The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star greeted staff after disembarking his private jet

‘It’s like any game, really,’ he said. ‘You’ve got to look at the opposition, how they play, how they build from the back, their key strengths in the game, and adapt at times towards that.

‘Of course, you’re always concentrating on picking our team and getting us to play and to function to the best of our ability.

‘That underdog fighting spirit has got to be there because we know we’re up against a team that are Club World Champions and they’ve got a lot of talent.

‘However, It’s all about us giving a really good account of ourselves, and we’ll see where that takes us on the night.’

After beating Forest in January, Wrexham knocked out fellow Championship side Ipswich Town to find themselves in fifth round for the first time since 1997.

Chelsea also had to contend with Championship opposition to make it to this stage, comfortably beating Hull City 4-0 in the fourth round last month. 

The Blues have won eight FA Cups in their history. Meanwhile, Wrexham’s most famous night in the competition came in 1992, when they beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Racecourse Ground.

A headteacher who starred on TV changed the dates of school term times just to accommodate luxury cruise trips she went on, a misconduct panel has heard.

Joy Ballard, who shot to fame on Educating Cardiff, allegedly changed term dates on two occasions to accommodate cruise trips she was going on.

She also used a school car for a personal trip to France and bought a karaoke machine with school funds, it has been alleged.

Ballard is said to have created a ‘toxic culture of fear’, leaving senior staff too scared to make any complaints about her conduct.

Ballard appeared on the hit Channel 4 show in 2015 at Willows High School in the Welsh capital.

Shortly after the show aired, she left to become principal of Ryde Academy, later renamed Lift Ryde, on the Isle of Wight.

In 2024, she ‘stepped back’ from her role – with her picture suddenly removed from school newsletters sent out to parents.

In July 2024, the Academy Enterprise Trust, now Lift Schools, said the departure was for ‘personal reasons’.

She now faces a tribunal with the official regulator, the Teaching Regulation Agency.

Ballard has chosen not to attend her misconduct hearing, instead nominating a union representative to appear for her.

Jim Olphert, for the TRA, said Ballard has admitted all the facts against her.

The tribunal heard that Ballard started working as the principal at Ryde Academy in September 2015, and concerns about her behaviour were first raised in March 2024.

The panel heard Ballard changed the school term dates to accommodate her personal holiday arrangements.

She changed the dates at the end of Autumn 2023 to accommodate a cruise trip she went on, and she also changed the dates of the start of the Spring term 2024 for a cruise trip, it was alleged.

The misconduct hearing was also told that Ballard did not go to school on an inset day because she was still travelling as part of a cruise trip.

It also heard that Ballard used a Peugeot 5008, purchased for £30,000 with school funds to be used as a vehicle for school purposes, for personal trips between July 2022 and June 2024.

This included using the car for a personal family trip to France in or around Easter 2024.

She allegedly bought camping equipment, a karaoke machine and at least one TV with school funds between April 2021 and October 2022 – all items which were of limited use to the school.

The tribunal heard that Ballard did not follow the correct procedures for the banking of cash between September 2022 and June 2024. She allegedly carried cash in her handbag to take it home and then bank it.

Giving evidence, Will Doyle, current principal of the school and Ballard’s successor, said she created a ‘toxic culture of fear’ which left staff too scared to raise concerns.

Doyle said her behaviour reached a ‘tipping point’ at a four-hour-long meeting of the school’s senior leadership team on March 28, 2024.

Doyle, who was initially ‘excited’ to work with Mrs Ballard, said during a meeting about redundancies that she swore.

‘To have someone use that language, to then be told I might be made redundant was devastating for me,’ he said.

Doyle also recalled the ‘significant impact’ changing school term dates at the end of 2023 to 2024, to accommodate Ballard’s cruise, had on attendance figures.

Parents and staff had already booked holidays for Christmas and families ‘voted with their feet’, he said. Asked why he did not raise concerns sooner, Doyle said he was ‘scared for the repercussions’.

In September 2024, a letter was sent to parents, signed by regional education director Karl Sampson, confirming Ballard had ‘retired’ after 30 years in education.

During this time, vice principal Will Doyle oversaw the academy under the guise of ‘head of school’, before being appointed principal in October last year.

The tribunal continues.

MORE: Torchwood fans are devastated over iconic Cardiff ‘shrine’ being removed after 17 years

MORE: Brave driver stopped teenage girl from being kidnapped off bus

MORE: Rugby player ends up in hospital after falling in dog poo left on pitch

The Crown court backlog will take the ‘best part of a decade’ to improve under plans published today, ministers have admitted.

Justice minister Sarah Sackman said things would ‘get worse before they get better’, with the backlog rising from its current record level of 80,000 to hit 100,000 in a year’s time.

Crown courts in England and Wales are ‘on the brink of collapse’, she said, insisting that ministers will press ahead with plans to introduce judge-only trials for offences likely to attract less than three years’ imprisonment.

The measures, first outlined at the end of last year, will see thousands of defendants a year lose the right to trial by jury.

The proposals have faced grave opposition from some Labour backbenchers and the legal profession.

Ms Sackman said: ‘I have got to level with victims that the scale of the crisis that we have inherited, and which is growing, is not going to change overnight.

‘By the end of this Parliament we’ll start to see it heading in the right direction, so they can have confidence the government is doing everything it can, but it will take the best part of a decade for the timeliness of their trials to improve.

‘Things will get worse before they get better – but they do begin to get better by the end of this parliament under this plan.

‘By my reckoning it will hit 100,000 cases before we begin to see a reduction in the backlog.’

Justice minister Sarah Sackman (pictured) said things would ‘get worse before they get better’, with the backlog rising from its current record level of 80,000 to hit 100,000 in a year’s time.

She added: ‘I fully appreciate that is not good enough for victims who are in the system in the here and now, but at least what they can see is leadership from a government that is prepared to tackle the problems, rather than sit idly by watch it run out of control.’

Some trials already being listed for 2030.

But asked how long victims would have to wait for justice when the system reaches its peak backlog, the minister said: ‘I’m not going to put a figure on it.’

Despite potential rebellions by Labour backbenchers and expected opposition in the House of Lords, Ms Sackman said the reforms – including judge-only trials – are expected to be in place by 2028.

‘We have an ambition for Royal Assent by the end of the year so we can start implementing by 2028,’ she said.

Asked if the government would make any changes to the proposals for judge-only trials, the minister said: ‘We are sticking to the plan. What we put forward in the Courts Bill will be very much in line with what we’ve set out in previous months.’

The chief critic on Labour’s backbenches – Karl Turner MP – vowed to continue to fight the plans, which he said were ‘not acceptable’.

‘There is deep and growing concern across Parliament that the plan to do away with jury trials is unnecessary and there is no evidential link between the juries and the cause of the backlog,’ Mr Turner said.

‘How much time would actually be saved through the reduction of a right to trial by jury?

‘What are the unintended consequences of such a move for trust in the justice system? Would other measures be more effective?

‘I remain firmly committed to voting against any changes that weaken the right to trial by jury, and I know many colleagues stand ready to do the same in defence of this fundamental right.’

The reforms will apply retrospectively to cases already in the system, meaning defendants who have already opted for jury trial could find their cases being heard by a judge only.

Ms Sackman said barristers’ professional bodies who argue the backlog can be tackled quickly enough just by increasing court sitting days and improving court efficiency were being ‘unrealistic’.

Justice Secretary David Lammy criticised barristers and MPs who have opposed the reforms.

He said the Bar ‘can sometimes be a conservative profession’ and it had previously ‘opposed changes to the double jeopardy rule’.

Those reforms – introduced in 2005 to allow a previously-acquitted defendant to face a second trial for the same offence – were ‘what delivered partial justice to the Lawrence family’, he added, referring to the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993.

He added that parliamentary opposition to his plans tended to ‘sound quite patrician, quite old fashioned, quite male’ and did not place enough emphasis on how victims of crime were ‘often vulnerable, often minorities, sadly children and very often women’.

Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said: ‘There is no hiding the fact that Lammy is rushing ahead with his plans to abolish jury trials.

‘Labour have no mandate to do this and there is no need for it either.

‘Lammy still has not explained how he will improve court efficiency around issues like recruitment and retention, courtroom productivity, and case management.

‘At a time when confidence in the criminal justice system is fragile, what we need is a practical plan to tackle the backlog, not Lammy’s ideological drive to scrap juries.’

A new Courts Bill setting out the reforms is due to be published tomorrow.

The Ministry of Justice issued what it described as a ‘doom graph’ – based on new statistical modelling – which predicted the backlog will soar to 200,000 by 2035 if ministers fail to act.

Ministers insisted changes to court processes are necessary to bring the backlog down to manageable levels, in conjunction with efficiency measures and investment in the number of days courts can hold trials.

The new modelling data – to be published in full tomorrow – is designed to convince critics that changes to jury trial are necessary.

But lawyers immediately attacked the Government’s plans. 

Past president of the Law Society, Richard Atkinson, said: ‘The Government’s proposals go too far in eroding the longstanding right to be judged by a jury of our own peers.

‘They allow a single judge to determine guilt in serious, lifechanging cases which could significantly affect people’s liberty and reputations.

‘Lasting reform requires sustained funding for court capacity and the legal profession, not rushed legislation that risks weakening confidence in the justice system.’

Welcome to B-List Britain, an exclusive Metro Travel series in which Ben Aitken, the award-winning author of Shitty Breaks, explores unsung cities that are quietly brilliant.

The aim is simple: to seek out the good stuff, uncover hidden gems, and demonstrate that anywhere (like anyone) can be interesting, if approached with the right attitude.

This week, he’s in a city with Hollywood connections…

When I think of Cymru, I think of Tom Jones, Fireman Sam, and the Welsh word for microwave (popty ping).

And when I think of Wrexham? Well, it’s just the Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds, really, who, alongside fellow thespian Rob McElhenney, bought the local football club a few years ago and turned it into a Disney+ documentary.  

Wrexham resides in the top right corner of Wales, closer to Liverpool than Cardiff or Swansea.

The English city of Chester is about ten miles to the north, and far too close for Wrexham’s liking.

After dropping my gear at The Lemon Tree (which is also an excellent restaurant), I proceeded to the Xplore! Science Discovery Centre (or Canolfan Darganfod Gwyddoniaeth to you and me), where I spent a happy hour fiddling with this, experimenting with that, and accidentally breaking the other.

To recover from the science, I had a swift pint at Drunk Monk, before moving on to The Rockin’ Chair, where a local band called Declan Swans were due on stage.

It was an odd gig, alright. The first song was about gout, the second was about diarrhoea, and the third was about a kangaroo called Timmy, who duly hopped out from the wings during the chorus.

After a late dinner at Lisbon (family-run, unassuming, cracking pork belly), I went looking for a bit of merriment.

I found it in spades at The Golden Lion, where, back in 1882, lager was first brewed on these shores, by two fellas from Germany who couldn’t stand the local booze.

The pub was crowded with locals – letting their hair down, having a sing-song – and I stood out like a sore thumb.

When I pulled out my notebook and started jotting things down, a woman called Kathy staged an intervention. She leant across from the neighbouring table and asked – politely, mind – just WTF I thought I was up to.

When I explained that I was documenting unfashionable Britain, Kathy said that while I was welcome to run my eye over Wrexham and then share my thoughts, I should bear in mind that those thoughts wouldn’t count for much if I didn’t get amongst it.

‘Places are people in the end,’ she said, ‘so stop scribbling about the f***ing pork belly at Lisbon and get on your feet and sing a song with my cousin Raquel.’

The next morning, after a reviving stroll along the River Gwenny, I set off for the football. I don’t want to bang on too much about what’s happened with Wrexham AFC over the last few years, but given that we’re off to a game, perhaps a bit more context wouldn’t go amiss.

More B-List Britain: the UK’s unsung cities

In March 2020, the club was at a low ebb. They were in the fifth division and in danger of being relegated to the sixth.

Meanwhile, across the pond, Rob McElhenney, having been inspired by a football doc called Sunderland ‘Til I Die, was on the phone to his buddy Ryan Reynolds asking if he wanted to go halves on a football club.

Wrexham was selected because, in short, the club had buckets of pedigree and was practically at rock bottom. Wrexham’s first game with Rob and Ryan in attendance was away to semi-pro Maidenhead, who had a window cleaner in midfield.

When the celebrity duo did a walkabout in Wrexham the next day, I’m told it was a bit like when Charles and Diana visited in 1982.

Throughout the above, a documentary was being filmed. When the first series landed, Wrexham’s star well and truly rose. It has been ascendant ever since.

I was sitting with the away fans, because it was the only way I could get a ticket. For the first half an hour, Wrexham were awful, but then they woke up and scored three times in quick succession.

Every time I took out my phone to photograph the Wrexham celebrations, my neighbour looked at me like I was the quintessence of filth.

After the match, I popped into The Turf, a pub that’s been featured heavily in the documentary.

I got chatting with a group of Canadians who’d travelled over especially for the football (the lunatics). Our conversation was nipped in the bud when a rumour started up that Nessa from Gavin & Stacey was doing a shift behind the bar.

While it was good to see The Turf so busy, I do wish there was something in Wrexham’s success story that other cities could learn from and apply.

But there isn’t, is there? Because the truth is that what happened to Wrexham was akin to an act of God. For a similar PR impact, the Pope would have to move to Nuneaton.

The next morning, with a couple of hours to kill, I scored a cortado at a coffee shop called Bank Street Social, and then some stellar beans on toast at a place called Marubbi’s, which is claiming to be the oldest café in Wales.

As I was finishing my breakfast, a worker in high-vis overalls came in and ordered the XL. It came pretty quickly, but the toast was missing.

The lad brought this up with the waitress a couple of times, but the toast failed to materialise.

He was lovely about it, though, this lad, as he asked for the third time.

It got to me a bit, the sight of this strapping lad with indelicate manners, wolfing down his three egg, three bacon, three sausage and so on, saying ‘Don’t worry, it’s all good, no problem, okey dokey.’

When the toast finally came, some five minutes after the lad had finished his breakfast, he folded up the triangles and squashed the whole lot into his mouth, waving an unseen goodbye as he went.

It might sound daft, but that’s what travel is about for me. Little scenes like that.

I can hardly put the young man forward as a reason to visit Wrexham, of course. He might only eat at Marubbi’s once a week, for a start, and what if the toast comes promptly the next time he’s here?

No, if you’re going to come to Wrexham, come for the things that can be depended upon.

Come for the character of the streets and the buildings. Come for the amount of friendliness per capita. Come, if nothing else, to acquire a few lines of Welsh, including byddaf yn ôl, which means, as chance would have it, I’ll be back.

Ben Aitken is the author of Shitty Breaks: A Celebration of Unsung Cities.

MORE: Monk avoids prosecution for sending woman ‘spiritual’ pictures of himself nude

MORE: The Lisbon hotel that’s perfect for a spring city break

MORE: Cab driver jailed for raping woman who fell asleep in his car

Comments


Add as preferred source

The Getaway Expert

Your exclusive seven-day guide to travelling with confidence from Metro’s resident travel expert, Alice Murphy.

A predatory taxi driver has been jailed for raping a sleeping passenger after carrying her to bed.

Dominic Dalton took advantage of his victim after she fell asleep in his cab, a court heard.

The woman had been picked up along with a friend following a night out in Aberystwyth, Wales, on February 25, 2024.

Dalton, 30, of Pencader, Carmarthenshire, dropped off the friend before turning off his meter and taking the sleeping woman home and putting her to bed.

She later woke to find him raping her.

The woman managed to grab a knife from the kitchen and screamed at him to leave her house.

When he refused, she ran outside barefooted at used the knife to slash his tyres before seeking refuge at a neighbour’s house, where she alerted the police.

Dalton eventually left the property in his car and parked up nearby.

The predatory cabbie then flagged up another taxi, claiming that his tyres had blown out.

He later drove back to the woman’s home when he realised her phone was with him.

However, police had already arrived in the area.

This Is Not Right

On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.

With the help of our partners at Women’s Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.

You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.

Read more:

In a desperate attempt to avoid being caught, he made attempts to formulate his story, the court heard.

His phone records revealed searches including ‘have you been falsely accused of rape?’ and ‘perverting the course of justice’, ‘wasting police time in cases involving allegedly false allegations of rape’.

The taxi driver was later arrested, but denied charges of rape, telling Swansea Crown Court that the sexual activity was entirely consensual.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison on Wednesday.

A jury had found him guilty after less than two hours of deliberation.

DI Mathew Nelson said: ‘I sincerely commend the victim’s bravery and resilience in coming forward to report the heinous crime of which she had been subjected to.

‘Engaging with the Criminal Justice System as the victim has in this case takes an act of immense courage that deserves profound respect.

‘By standing up and reporting Dalton, the victim has protected other members of the community too. I hope this conviction and sentencing brings some closure to the victim after experiencing such an horrific ordeal.

‘As a taxi driver, Dalton’s job was to ensure that his passengers got home safely. He abused that position that night, exploiting the victim’s vulnerability, and later went on to lie about his actions.

‘The conviction and sentence passed serves to punish Dalton for his actions, but importantly also validate the victim’s voice.

‘I hope the outcome will give confidence to other victims, in knowing their voices will be heard and listened to.

‘I hope for the wider community, you will feel safe in the knowledge that a perpetrator such as Dalton has been dealt with robustly.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: British influencer arrested for ‘trying to kill husband with poisoned wine’

MORE: ‘Kind, selfless’ mum, 47, dies eight days after attack with murder investigation launched

MORE: Top bishop arrested on suspicion of sexual assault against man