Burglars broke into a family home and were disturbed by the owner who heard a noise downstairs and thought it was her daughter. They broke into another home in order to steal items in order to fund their drug habits.
Craig Griffiths, 42, Christopher Horner, 42, and Lee Rees, 55, broke into properties in Pontypridd in the early hours of May 3, a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard on Wednesday. All three of the defendants had been staying at a hostel in Mill Street which they were seen leaving at 1.48am and returning at 4.51am.
They first attended an address in Middle Street at around 2am while a husband and wife were asleep upstairs. Prosecutor Jac Brown said the woman woke during the burglary and left her bedroom. As she approached the landing she could see someone in dark clothing downstairs and initially thought it was her daughter but upon realising it was an unknown man she locked the door. She could see two people walking in the direction of the Llanover Arms. Upon checking their property, the couple realised a number of items had been stolen including car keys, house keys, bank cards, and a leather wallet containing £15.
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A around 2.25pm the occupants of a house in East Street were awoken after hearing the door handle being tried from outside. When they they looked out of their window they could see the doors and window of a neighbour's house were open. After seeing two men go into and out of the property they called the police.
Having been called to East Street police attended the neighbour's house and informed them they had been the victims of a burglary. Among the items stolen were alcohol, various bags, papers, debit cards, £75 in cash, electronic items including an iPhone, plus car keys and medication while the burglars had also looked in the fridge.
All three defendants were arrested and they pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and one count of attempted burglary. The court heard Griffiths and Rees were habitual burglars with numerous previous convictions for burglaries and thefts while Horner had only one conviction for burglary. Griffiths was also on licence at the time of the burglaries.
In a victim personal statement read to the court one of the occupants of the house in East Street said: "We have had to change certain aspects of our daily routine. We felt safe leaving window open and doors unlocked during the day but I have found myself more paranoid and cautious. I never expected to be a target of burglary and the prospect of someone entering my home terrifies me." An occupant of the house in Middle Street said: "I feel lucky my wife was able to interrupt the suspects but that doesn't take away the total shock we were subjected to this crime while we were sleep in our bed at nights."
In mitigation David Pinnell, for Griffiths, said his client was in the "grip of addiction" at the time of the burglaries and stole the items in order to obtain drugs. William Bebb, for Rees, said his client "bitterly regrets" his involvement and wished to apologise to the victims. Laurence Jones, for Horner, said the defendant was "not a habitual burglar" and became involved in the burglaries after relapsing into drug use having begun using illicit substances from the age of 11.
Sentencing, Judge Wayne Beard said: "Burglaries such as these have long-term impacts on people who are victims of crimes committed by people like you." Griffiths was sentenced to a total of three years and eight months imprisonment while both Horner and Rees were sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment.
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