Drug addict used dog flap to enter home and steal
A CRACK cocaine addict used a dog flap in a back door to get access to a house and steal a treasured NHS long-service medal.
Shaun Edwin Davies crept into the house while the victim’s daughter was asleep, and searched rooms looking for items to steal.
He was identified as the burglar by DNA evidence after police found his bite marks on a warranty card for a piece of Clogau Welsh gold jewellery.
Swansea Crown Court heard the burglary took place in the early morning of October 11 last year in Cwmrhydyceirw, Morriston.
Tom Scapens, prosecuting, said when the victim’s adult daughter – who had been staying at her mother’s house – got up she noticed her laptop computer was missing from the study. A search of the property showed items of jewellery had also been stolen, including a Welsh gold necklace taken from an upstairs bedroom, along with an NHS longservice medal from a display case.
The prosecutor said the mother returned home and the pair carried out their own “detective work” on the burglary, and it appeared the intruder had gained access to the house by reaching through a dog flap in the back door and removing the keys from the inside lock. The keys themselves were found in the external lock of the door.
Police were called and officers recovered a warranty card from the missing Clogau gold necklace from the kitchen – there were bite marks on the document, and from it forensic examiners were able to recover DNA.
In a victim impact statement from the mother and daughter burglary victims, which was read to court, they said the incident had left them feeling vulnerable and anxious.
The court heard that in January, while the DNA
sample was still being tested, police began a manhunt for 32-year-old Davies after he breached a restraining order by going to the home of a former partner in Gorseinon. This offence had seen Davies approach his victim when she pulled up outside her house in her car and he used his own vehicle to block her escape before banging on the windows and shouting at her.
Mr Scapens said officers made “numerous attempts” to find the defendant in relation to that matter until, some 10 days later, they received intelligence on his whereabouts – when they went to the target property the woman who answered the door denied he was present but a search of the house found him hiding under a bed.
Davies, of Rosehill Terrace, Mount Pleasant, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to burglary and to breaching a restraining order when he
appeared in the dock for sentencing.
The court heard he has 28 previous convictions for 68 offences including for thefts, harassment, and house burglaries. He falls to be sentenced as a thirdstrike domestic burglary, and subject to the mandatory minimum sentence of 876 days.
Dan Griffiths, for Davies, said the defendant’s misuse of crack cocaine made his behaviour “unpredictable and erratic”, and he said his client wished to apologise to his victims.
Judge Catherine Richards sentenced Davies to 876 days for the Cwmrhydyceirw burglary and to six months for the breach of the restraining order, the sentences to run consecutively. The defendant will serve up to half that period in custody before being released under the UK Government’s early release scheme to serve the remainder in the community.
NOBODY could have expected 2020 to be such a turbulent year for business, but our local Welsh warriors showed their boundless tenacity and stepped up to the challenge. With boatloads of innovation and determination, our economy was able to do more than just survive, it was able to thrive.
Celebrating these local legends is exactly what the West Wales Business Awards 2021 are here for. The ingenuity shown from members of our community deserves recognition, especially when paired with the hard work they have undertaken in this difficult past year. The evening of Thursday, May 27 will be full of remarkable ambition and enterprise, homegrown in our own region.
The West Wales Business Awards 2021 are free and available for everyone to attend and show their support. The event will be streamed virtually so that we can all safely celebrate from our own homes.
Though in our living rooms, we can still get dressed up and raise a glass of prosecco to our hardworking heroes. Tickets will be available from the start of April.
Do you know a business that has overcome adversity in 2020? Has a family business stepped out of its comfort zone and impressed you?
Enter the local businesses that should be recognised for its triumphs and it might end up scooping a coveted title. Entries close on Monday, April 19.
The categories are all curated to celebrate the diverse range of businesses in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. Entries are restricted to companies from these areas so that the local community receives the recognition it deserves.
Jonathan Roberts, editor of the Evening Post, Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli Star, said: “The last year has brought unprecedented challenges for our business community.
“The global pandemic has affected companies the world over, and the impact has been no less severe at a local level here in West Wales.
“So many companies will have revised their ambitions in recent months.
“Projections of expansion and growth will, for many, have been replaced with a fight for their very survival – and securing employment for thousands of people.
“We look forward to meeting our friends from firms across the region, albeit via the virtual platforms we have now become so accustomed to.
“While 2020 has given us little cause for celebration, this night will surely be an opportunity for reflection, consideration, and expectation of a brighter future to come.”
Here are the 11 categories for the West Wales Business Awards 2021:
BUSINESS IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY
This award will go to a business which has gone the ‘extra mile’ during the agonising months of lockdown. The winner will have demonstrated excellence under pressure that also benefited businesses or communities during this time. Key attributes demonstrated during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic will be courage, conviction and a commitment to diversifying and producing a flexible model that showed pride and a passion to help others.
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
The award is open to companies with fewer than 25 employees. Our judges will be considering the challenges and achievements of, but not limited
to, the past six to 12 months. The winner will have demonstrated the work that has been done to mitigate (or in some cases, capitalise on) the impact of Covid-19 on people, processes and profit, as well as long-term planning. Our judges will be looking at the agility of the business for its people and the future. We want to hear about what it has done to protect its business and its people and what is in place to build on in 2021. We also want to hear what they have done that has supported their wider community (for example, fundraising, or diversification to home deliveries/online ordering).
MEDIUM - LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
This award is open to companies with 25 or more employees. The category has the same criteria as the Small Business of the Year award; the judges will be interested in innovative products, services and processes as
well as expansion into new markets and different areas of business activity.
FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
This award is open to first generation family-owned companies, multi-generational businesses and publicly-owned firms in which founding families still hold a significant stake. Our judges will be considering the challenges and achievements of, but not limited to, the past 12 months. The criteria matches the Small and Medium-large Business of the Year categories.
AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
This award is open to businesses operating in agriculture, agri-business and food production. The judges will be looking at all aspects of company performance and will be paying particular attention to managerial and financial performance; long-term plans and company strategy; evidence of sustainability and environmental awareness; and
examples of engagement with the rural community.
RETAIL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
This award will go to the company that best demonstrates that it is at the heart of its local community. It will need to provide the judges with evidence of how it contributes to the business community in West Wales, providing employment to local people, as well as offering consumers choice, quality and service.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
This award will go to the business or organisation which has made a significant commitment to the ongoing training and education of its employees, and can prove how investment in training has brought success. Judges will be looking for companies that can show how staff have gained the necessary skills to maximise their contribution.
MANUFACTURING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
This award will go to a company whose primary business is manufacturing. The judges will pay particular attention to strong financial performance, job creation, investment, industry recognition, accreditation, and accolades. They will also look for firms that have won new contracts, broken into new markets and have a strong commitment to the region.
SERVICE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
This award will go to a business that demonstrates excellence in the provision of a service. This business will be seen to be regularly going ‘above and beyond’ the call of duty to ensure its customers receive excellent service in the sector that it is operating. Judges will also be looking for a company that demonstrates excellent business acumen.
CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
This award will go to a company whose primary
business is in the construction industry. The judges will pay particular attention to strong financial performance, job creation, investment, industry recognition, accreditation, and accolades. They will also look for firms that have won new contracts, broken into new markets and have a strong commitment to the region.
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
The coveted award will go to the local business that impresses judges with aspects from the previous categories.
Enter the local Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion businesses that have excelled this year by Monday, April 19 by visiting https:// reachplcevents.com/ events/mediawales/westwales-business-awards/
The West Wales Business Awards 2021 will take place virtually on Thursday, May 27. Free tickets will be available from the start of April.