Burglar caught after car chase
A TEENAGE burglar who broke into a pub in the middle of the night was chased in a car by the man living upstairs after he was woken up.
Leon Queeley, 19, broke into the Royal Oak in Bryncethin, Bridgend, on May 17 with another in order to steal money but he woke up Callum Jones who was sleeping above the pub.
Despite making off with £400, Queeley was chased by Mr Jones and tried to make an escape on his bike but he was soon discovered by police hiding in a garden.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard that Mr Jones was woken at 4am by a disturbance from the pub downstairs and he heard voices.
When he looked out the window he could see two men and he went downstairs to discover the till had been opened and there was a smashed window.
Describing the incident, prosecutor
Byron Broadstock said: “(Mr Jones) jumped in his car to locate the offenders and a mile onwards he saw a male on a pushbike making off.
“He telephone the police while pursuing the male but he abandoned the bike and made off on foot. Mr Jones followed him but the man then entered a residential garden.”
When police arrived at the scene, they discovered Queeley hiding behind a garden shed and was wearing dark clothing.
On his person was £30 in notes, £70 in loose change and £300 in a metal tin, making a total of £400. A rock was found in the pub which was used to damage the window, which cost £240 to replace.
In his police interview, Queeley denied the offence, claiming he only hid in a garden because he was being chased.
The defendant, of South Road, Bridgend, later pleaded guilty to burglary of a dwelling including theft and to a charge of criminal damage in relation to a separate incident when he smashed a window at his uncle’s home on May 6.
Defence barrister Lucas Edwards said his client had become involved in the burglary through a friend but he accepted being part of the break in and taking items from the pub.
He described Queeley as a “vulnerable” and young man who suffered from alcohol misuse and mental health issues who had “fallen in with the wrong crowd”, which led him to become involved in criminal situations.
Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said: “Around £400 cash was stolen as well as damaging the window which cost more than £200 to repair, meaning that the people most affected by the coronavirus pandemic had to use money they cannot afford to spend.”
Queeley was sentenced to 10 months’ detention in a young offender institution and was made subject to a restraining order preventing him from attending anywhere near the pub for 12 months.
Speaking after the hearing, Mr Jones’ partner Abbey Page said: “We have got two young kids in the house and it was a scary experience.
“Thankfully they didn’t get away with too much money but they still shouldn’t have done what they did.”