Martin Shipton and his wife were ‘shell-shocked’ by the dawn raidWales News Service, Conor Gogarty Investigations editor and Josh Payne, Press Association
17:27, 05 Mar 2026Updated 07:41, 06 Mar 2026
Martin Shipton during his days with the Western Mail(Image: Western Mail)
A veteran journalist had his front door destroyed in a dawn raid by police investigating the Chinese spying scandal. Officers seized Martin Shipton’s phones, laptops and even old cameras belonging to his daughter as part of the investigation.
The highly experienced reporter, 72, was the chief reporter at the Western Mail – a sister title to WalesOnline – and is currently employed as associate editor at the Nation Cymru website.
Neighbours in the terraced street in Riverside, Cardiff, said they awoke to the sounds of police battering down Mr Shipton’s door at 6.07am on Wednesday.
He was quizzed by detectives but not arrested in the probe which saw David Taylor – the 39-year-old husband of Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid – arrested along with Matthew Aplin, 43, of Pontyclun, and Steven Jones, 68, of Powys. Taylor, Aplin and Jones all previously worked for Welsh Labour politicians in the early 2010s. Steve Jones was former First Minister Carwyn Jones’ chief special adviser.
In a piece for Nation.Cymru, Mr Shipton wrote: “It was an utterly terrifying experience, and one that I don’t hope to repeat.”
“My house was searched but I have not been arrested, this has come completely out of left field. I am doing everything I can to help the police with their enquiries.
“The police have agreed to pay for a new front door. Finally, I would rather like to have my passport back so I can attend with my wife and daughter a long-anticipated concert of Christy Moore in Dublin in two weeks time.”
Speaking at the property, Mr Shipton’s wife Kay, 61, said the family had been left “shell-shocked” and had “no idea” why police had visited their home.
She said: “Martin thinks this is a smear campaign. It’s very nasty whatever it is. Martin and I, we’re not spring chickens and we’re quite shell-shocked by having the door bashed in. There wasn’t really any need for that. We would have opened the door.
“But they were banging on the door at 6.20am and I thought it was a drunk so I said to Martin don’t open it. They broke it open because they thought we were not going to open it.”
Mrs Shipton said police took photos of their home and searched for documents including bank statements before making off with electrical devices.
Neighbours said they feared a drug raid was taking place at the home after seeing police spend several hours going in and out of the property.
Mr Shipton won Journalist of the Year in the 2024 Wales Media Awards for his coverage of former First Minister Vaughan Gething accepting a £200,000 donation from a convicted polluter.
Taylor, Aplin and Jones have since been released on bail.
Matt Aplin is also a former employee of the Western Mail and WalesOnline, having worked as a reporter around 20 years ago. He left journalism to first work for a Welsh Labour Senedd Member, then in the press office of the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales before becoming a lobbyist. He worked as an independent lobbyist before joining public affairs agency Camlas.
Matt Aplin
Rhodri ab Owen, the managing director of Camlas, told the Telegraph: “Matthew Aplin has been suspended until further notice.
“The police have not been in touch with us at Camlas and there are no links between Camlas and any Chinese companies or the Chinese government. We are a small Welsh public affairs agency.”
David Taylor(Image: Western Mail)
David Taylor, 39, was born in Ruthin and previously worked for Welsh Government minister Leighton Andrews and for former Welsh Secretary Peter Hain. He unsuccessfully stood for election as Labour’s police and crime commissioner candidate for North Wales in 2016 and has been influential in Labour circles for many years and through a company Earthcott Ltd, of which is is a director, works in third-party lobbying.
In 2009, he apologised after posting messages on Twitter that were deemed offensive to victims of the Hillsborough disaster, although he insisted he would not have done it knowingly.
Steve Jones, 68, of Powys, was once one of the most influential people in the inner circle of Carwyn Jones when he was the First Minister for Wales. Jones was the First Minister’s chief special advisor and also held a number of other roles within the Labour party.
The policing operation came as security minister Dan Jarvis told MPs that Chinese officials in the UK and Beijing had been given a dressing down, and that the investigation relates to “foreign interference targeting UK democracy”.
Met officers were seen at a property linked to one of the men in South Wales on Wednesday – with a car outside the address being searched and photographed.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, previously said the force does not believe there to be “any imminent or direct threat” related to the arrests.
Other properties in London, East Kilbride in Scotland, and Cardiff have also been searched, the Met said.
In her statement after the arrests, Ms Reid – the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven – said: “I have never been to China. I have never spoken on China or China-related matters in the Commons. I have never asked a question on China-related matters.
“As far as I am aware, I have never met any Chinese businesses whilst I have been an MP, any Chinese diplomats or government employees, nor raised any concern with ministers or anyone else on behalf of, even coincidentally, Chinese interests.”
She added: “I am not any sort of admirer or apologist for the Chinese Communist Party’s dictatorship.
“I have never seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law.”