Cameron Galston Sentenced After St Asaph Custody Assault 2026

Key Points

• An individual charged with assault of a custody detention officer at St Asaph police station is now facing a sentence of detention at a young offenders’ institution.
• Cameron Galston, 20, of Ffordd Elisabeth, Llandudno, was given the sentence at Caernarfon Crown Court.
• The sentence came after a string of offenses ranging from assaults, racist abuse, stealing, criminal damage and disturbances.
• The young offender got a sentence of one year and nine months of detention at a young offenders’ institution.
• Prior offenses include assault of a police officer, racial abuse of a store keeper, and criminal damage.
• He also smeared his blood on the walls of a custody cell at St Asaph, causing the need for professional cleaning.
• According to the North Wales Pioneer, Cameron had five prior convictions for 12 offenses.
• This case demonstrates the duties of custody officers and the issues associated with handling detainees who may be distressed, intoxicated, or violent.

St Asaph (Wales Times) September 17, 2026 – Cameron Galston, a 20-year-old man from Llandudno, has been sentenced to one year and nine months’ detention in a young offenders’ institution after a series of offences that included assaulting a custody detention officer at uk/local/st-asaph/">St Asaph police station.

The latest development was reported by the North Wales Pioneer in a report published on September 17, 2026. The newspaper’s report stated that Galston was sentenced after assaulting a custody detention officer while being held at the North Wales police station.

The report did not identify the custody detention officer by name or provide a detailed account of the specific actions involved in the assault. It confirmed, however, that the incident formed part of the criminal proceedings that resulted in Galston being detained in a young offenders’ institution.

The sentence was imposed at Caernarfon Crown Court. The court heard that Galston had committed a number of offences over a relatively short period, including assaulting an emergency worker, racially aggravated behaviour, theft and criminal damage.

How long was Cameron Galston sentenced to detention?

According to an earlier North Wales Pioneer report, Galston was sentenced to one year and nine months’ detention in a young offenders’ institution at Caernarfon Crown Court on August 26, 2026. The report attributed details of the prosecution case to prosecutor Michael Stables and identified Judge Daniel Williams as the sentencing judge.

Galston had already spent four months on remand before the sentencing hearing. He had five previous convictions for 12 offences, according to the report.

The court heard that accommodation would be available to Galston in Llandudno after his release. Representing him, Simon Killeen said Galston had been “completely out of control” when the offences were committed but argued that there were “some semblances of hope for the future”.

The sentence reflected the combined seriousness of the offences rather than an isolated incident at the police station.

What offences were linked to the sentence?

The offences described in the earlier North Wales Pioneer report occurred in several locations, including Cardiff, Llandudno, Colwyn Bay and St Asaph.

The prosecution said Galston had received an 18-month suspended sentence at Cardiff Crown Court on March 16 for previous matters. Later that same day, police attended the Huggard Centre in Cardiff, where Galston was reportedly self-harming while under the influence of alcohol and ketamine.

He was taken to the University Hospital of Wales. While there, he verbally abused hospital and police officers. The report said he attempted to flee and was handcuffed.

According to the prosecution account reported by the North Wales Pioneer, Galston then lunged towards PC Kazmierczak, headbutted her in the ribs and spat at her. The report described this as part of the events considered by the court when determining the sentence.

The case also involved incidents at businesses in North Wales.

On March 31, Galston went to a corner shop in Llandudno and took a bottle of wine without paying. When he later returned to the shop, he again took a bottle of wine. Police were contacted after the second incident.

The shop employee, Lisa Owen, contacted her manager, Nimalan Tharmalingam. When Mr Tharmalingam arrived, Galston racially abused him, the report said. The value of the wine was given as £15.98.

Mr Tharmalingam told the court that Galston had been standing so close that he could feel spit coming from his mouth while he was shouting. He said he did not go to work expecting to fear for his safety and objected to being subjected to racial slurs because of his skin colour.

Ms Owen said she felt isolated while confronting Galston in the shop. She also told the court she feared he might return after being arrested and damage the premises.

What happened to the custody cell at St Asaph?

On April 8, Galston stole two bottles of wine worth £13.98 from Home Bargains in Colwyn Bay, according to the earlier report.

He was arrested the following day and taken into custody at St Asaph. While in a custody cell, he smeared his blood on the walls. The cell subsequently required professional cleaning, at a reported cost of £124.80.

The available reports do not state whether this incident was itself charged as criminal damage or whether it was treated as part of the wider circumstances presented to the court. The reports do establish that the cell had to be professionally cleaned as a result.

The North Wales Pioneer also reported that, later on the same day, Galston entered a property in Llandudno with two other men and kicked a fire door from its hinges.

What did the sentencing judge say?

Judge Daniel Williams described the incident involving Mr Tharmalingam’s shop as “disgraceful”, according to the North Wales Pioneer. The judge found that the incident had a substantial effect on the shopkeeper.

The court imposed a restraining order preventing Galston from entering the shop for three years.

The order was separate from the detention sentence and was intended to protect the shopkeeper and prevent further contact at the premises. The published report did not indicate whether additional protective conditions were imposed in relation to other alleged victims or locations.

The judge’s comments, as reported by the newspaper, focused particularly on the impact of the racial abuse and threatening behaviour on the shopkeeper.

How does the case relate to custody safety?

The incident also sits within the wider operational responsibilities of North Wales Police custody facilities.

A joint inspection report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and HM Inspectorate of Prisons identified St Asaph as one of North Wales Police’s three custody suites. The other facilities are at Llay and Caernarfon. The inspection examined how detainees were managed, including the treatment of vulnerable people, the use of force, risk assessment and the recording of custody incidents.

The inspection was carried out in November 2021 and published in 2022, so it predates the incident involving Galston. It does not provide evidence about the specific circumstances of his detention or the assault reported in 2026.

However, the inspection identified several general areas requiring improvement in North Wales custody provision. These included oversight of the use of force, the quality of custody records and the management of detainee risks. Inspectors said information about what force was used, which officers used it and why it was necessary was sometimes incomplete or inaccurate.

The report also said that custody detention officers did not always conduct risk checks in a way that ensured continuity, meaning that changes in a detainee’s behaviour or condition might not be identified. It further identified concerns about the recording of rousal checks, the removal of clothing and the use of anti-rip clothing.

Those findings are general inspection observations and should not be treated as a conclusion about the St Asaph incident involving Galston.

What is known about the custody officer assault?

The latest North Wales Pioneer report confirms that Galston assaulted a custody detention officer at St Asaph police station and was sentenced to detention in a young offenders’ institution.

The available report does not include the officer’s name, the date of the assault, the injuries allegedly caused or a detailed account of how the assault took place. It would therefore be inappropriate to add details that have not been reported or confirmed.

The earlier coverage gives wider context about Galston’s conduct while in police and medical custody. It states that he had previously assaulted a police officer and behaved violently or abusively during incidents involving hospital staff and police officers.

The court proceedings also considered the effect of his behaviour on members of the public, including the shopkeeper who was subjected to racial abuse and the employee who said she felt unsafe while working alone.

What is known about young offenders’ institutions?

A young offender institution is a secure establishment used for certain children and young adults in custody. Young offender institutions may hold boys aged 15 to 17 and young adult men aged 18 to 21.

The sentence imposed on Galston therefore places him in a custodial setting designed for younger offenders rather than an adult prison environment. The exact arrangements for his detention, rehabilitation and release were not set out in the reports available for this article.

What was known about St Asaph custody facilities?

A previous inspection listed St Asaph as a 32-cell custody suite. It examined the facility as part of a wider assessment of North Wales Police custody services.

Inspectors found that custody staff were generally respectful, calm and confident when dealing with detainees. They also said staff gave additional time to people who were vulnerable or distressed. At the same time, the inspection identified weaknesses in risk management, use-of-force oversight and custody-record accuracy.

The inspection found that North Wales Police had three custody suites and that its custody workforce included custody officers and custody detention officers. It also said the force had systems for reporting adverse incidents and learning from them.

The inspection was not connected to Galston’s case and does not establish that the conditions identified during that review contributed to the assault.

How could this development affect the public and custody staff?

The immediate effect is that Galston will serve a custodial sentence for a series of offences that included an assault on a custody detention officer, an assault on a police officer, racial abuse, theft and criminal damage.

For the public, the case may reinforce concerns about safety for shop workers, emergency workers and police staff dealing with people who are intoxicated, distressed or behaving violently. The court’s three-year restraining order also provides specific protection for the shopkeeper involved in the case.

For custody staff, the development underlines the risks associated with working in police detention facilities. It may lead to renewed attention on staff safety, risk assessments, incident recording, access to support and the review of force used in custody.

The longer-term impact will depend on how the custodial sentence is administered and whether the authorities identify further rehabilitation or risk-management needs. The available reports do not make a prediction about Galston’s future behaviour or provide details of any treatment plan.