OFFICERS and staff who attended the tragic Llangammarch Wells farmhouse fire have been recognised at a Commendation Ceremony for their bravery, professionalism and commitment.

In the early hours of Monday October 30 2017, a horrific fire engulfed the house at Pointyn Farm, Llangammarch Wells, and a father and five of his young children tragically perished as a result of it.

Father David Cuthbertson, 68, and children, Just Raine, 11, Reef Raine, 10, Misty Raine, 9, Patch Raine, six and Gypsy Raine, four, all died in the fire.

Miraculously, there were three child survivors of the fire. The police officers and the fire service were faced with extremely challenging conditions at the scene in the days and weeks following the incident.

The nature of the fire was so intense, the scene presented significant difficulties in respect of the recovery of remains and took considerable time. But the family were the absolute priority for all partners working at the scene from the very beginning, and the dignified and respectful recovery of all the deceased within the property was always the focus of their endeavours.

Despite the heart-breaking outcome of the incident, the effective method that all agencies worked together, during the response to the fire and in its aftermath, is a testament to the hard work and dedication of each agency’s staff and volunteers.

On Thursday evening ( April 11) a Commendation Ceremony took place at Dyfed-Powys Police HQ to recognise the actions of police officers and staff from Gwent, South Wales and Dyfed-Powys, as well as staff from partner agencies including the Fire Service, Army, HM Coroner, Home Office Pathologist, UKDVI, Powys County Council and Cellmark Forensics. Representatives from these agencies are being represented here this evening.

Chief Constable Mark Collins said: “The officers and staff being awarded here today with certificates of commendation have displayed bravery, professionalism and a commitment to duty during a difficult and challenging incident when five children and their father tragically lost their lives following a fire at their home in Llangammarch Wells, Powys.

"I would like to extend my personal gratitude to all the award recipients for the courage shown and their achievements are a reminder to us all of the level of work, effort and support provided during and following this tragic incident.

“Additionally, I am very aware of the tremendous support given by both family and friends and I recognise the important part that they play in the lives of today’s recipients to enable them to continue to provide a first class service to the community. In traumatic incidents such as this, their support can make all the difference.

“I know the family who lost their loved ones in such distressing circumstances on this occasion were extremely grateful for the efforts of all those involved, and have expressed it publicly. They were always the number one priority for everyone being presented with a certificate of commendation this evening.”

Those being presented with Certificates of Commendation:

Senior Identification Manager

Chief Superintendent Tony Brown – South Wales Police

Deputy Senior Identification Manager

Detective Superintendent Gary Phillips – Dyfed-Powys Police

Scene Evidence Recovery Manager

Inspector 3369 Rob Gwynne-Thomas – South Wales Police

Disaster Victim Identification Teams

Dyfed-Powys Police DVI Team Members

Inspector Ashley Brice

Police Sergeant 1095 Gavin Phillips

Police Sergeant 252 Shane Davies

Police Constable 1003 Wayne Clark

Police Constable 154 Thomas Draycott

Police Constable 345 James Lang

Police Constable 410 Matthew Palmer

Police Constable 536 Liz Kempster

Police Constable 501 Neil Rutter

Police Constable 916 Bob Beaman

Police Staff Jessica Orchard

Gwent Police DVI Team Members

Detective Inspector Nicola Williams

Detective Sergeant 1227 Steven Thomas

Police Sergeant 544 Ewen Smith

Police Constable 767 Kevin Donovan

Detective Constable 87 Lesley Cheverton

Police Constable 1528 Lloyd Davies

Police Constable 944 Rebecca Hamilton

Detective Constable 1279 Ceri O’Brien

Detective Constable 102 Jonathan Parkinson

Mr. Peter Gibbons

South Wales Police DVI Team Members

Police Sergeant 3347 Fiona Haggerty

Police Sergeant 4922 Kelly Thomas

Police Sergeant 998 Malcolm Burr

Police Sergeant 2460 Robert Elmer

Police Constable 3589 Chris Howells

Police Constable 644 Roger Bickerstaff

Police Constable 3989 Clair Griffith

Police Constable 1334 Angharad Willmett

Police Constable 3991 Paul Hall

Police Constable 5710 Sally Crouch

Police Constable Gerard McKay

Police Constable 3835 Jason Forkin

Police Constable 4414 Nicola Lewis

Police Constable 4708 Carl Johnson

Police Staff (51929) Joanna Gibson

Police Staff (54985) Jenna Watts

Police Staff (55189) Joanna Laver

Police Staff (55182) Donnia Evans

Police Staff (52882) Nerys Davies

Police Staff (54637) Angharad Davies

Forensic Imaging Officer

Principal Forensic Imaging Officer Russell Gardner – South Wales/Gwent Police

Forensic Anthropologists

Julie Roberts - Cellmark Forensics

Linda Ainscough - Cellmark Forensics

Dominic Monaghan - Cellmark Forensics

Senior Investigating Officer

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Slevin – Dyfed-Powys Police

Deputy Senior Investigating Officer

Detective Inspector Adam Ellis – Dyfed-Powys Police

Family Liaison Officers

Detective Sergeant 280 Zoe Powell - Dyfed-Powys Police

Detective Constable 885 Michelle Beeson - Dyfed-Powys Police

Police Constable 971 Ailsa Lawton - Dyfed-Powys Police

Interviewing Officers

Detective Sergeant 527 Christine Beaton - Dyfed-Powys Police

Detective Constable 714 Rebecca Saunders - Dyfed-Powys Police

Crime Scene Manager (CSM)

CSM Kath Suttie - Dyfed-Powys Police

Crime Scene Investigators(CSI)

CSI Rachel Wall - Dyfed-Powys Police

CSI Liz Crockett - Dyfed-Powys Police

Fire Investigators

Paul Ryder - Cellmark Forensics

David Hancock - Mid and West Wales Fire & Rescue Service

Andrew Richards - Mid and West Wales Fire & Rescue Service

Fire Service Urban Search and Rescue Team

Team award – To be presented on behalf of the Team to:

Watch Manager Kevin Hughes

– Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

BCU and Scene Management Gold Commander

Superintendent Jon Cummins - Dyfed-Powys Police

BCU and Scene Management Silver Commander

Chief Inspector Matt Scrase - Dyfed-Powys Police

Scene Logistics Co-ordinator

Police Constable 41 Lyndon Heard - Dyfed-Powys Police

Scene Preservation and Logistical Officer

Police Community Support Officer 8073 Gareth Morris

- Dyfed-Powys Police

Scene Preservation and Logistical Officer

Special Constable 7048 Tyler Griffiths - Dyfed-Powys Police

Health and Safety Advisor

Mr. Steve Bergiers - Dyfed-Powys Police

Powys County Council Building Control

Mr. Ian Maddox - Powys County Council

Mr. Nigel Davies - Powys County Council

Mr. Alastair Edwards - Powys County Council

Occupational Health

Tracie McKelvie - Dyfed-Powys Police

Jayne Timmins - Dyfed-Powys Police

Force Chaplaincy

Reverend Tom Evans - Dyfed-Powys Police

Police Mortuary Operations Co-ordinator (PMOC)

Detective Inspector Jacqui Lovatt - Dyfed-Powys Police

Deputy Police Mortuary Operations Co-ordinator

Detective Inspector Cameron Richie - Dyfed-Powys Police

Mortuary DVI Team

CSI Mark Ponting - Dyfed-Powys Police

CSI Alex Morgan - Dyfed-Powys Police

CSI Rebecca Robinson - Dyfed-Powys Police

Police Constable 213 Hannah Thomas - Dyfed-Powys Police

Police Constable 478 Matthew Harris - Dyfed-Powys Police

Police Constable 437 Kate Griffiths - Dyfed-Powys Police

Police Constable 660 Richard Williams - Dyfed-Powys Police

Police Constable 345 Jamie Lang - Dyfed-Powys Police

Police Constable 916 Bob Beaman - Dyfed-Powys Police