Woman lost snaps of her late mum in street mugging
A WOMAN lost treasured photographs of her recently deceased mother when a mugger stole her handbag and mobile phone.
David James Conibeer approached the woman in the street and snatched the bag from her shoulder, dragging his victim to the pavement. The woman pleaded for him to return the phone containing the precious images but he fled the scene.
Conibeer was linked to the crime from DNA recovered from his victim’s clothes but denied being involved and opted for a trial – and while on bail burgled a house.
Swansea Crown Court heard the street robbery took place on the evening of October 6, 2019, in the Penlan area of Swansea.
Danielle Lodwig, prosecuting, said that at around 8pm the victim was walking home when she was approached by Conibeer. The defendant said “Alright love” to the woman before grabbing her shoulder bag and pulling it, causing the woman to fall to the floor.
The 52-year-old pleaded with the man to return the phone from the bag, and tried to give chase but could not catch him. The prosecutor said the woman suffered bruising to her arm, writs, hip and thigh in the incident.
In the stolen bag was £160 in cash, house and car keys, a driving licence and other documents and a mobile phone on which were photographs of the
victim’s recently deceased mother. The phone has never been found.
The court heard forensic tests were carried out on the woman’s clothes, and DNA from the attacker was recovered.
The defendant was arrested on March 18, 2020, and denied knowing about about a robbery before giving a “no comment interview”. He was then released under investigation.
Miss Lodwig read an impact statement from the victim of the robbery in which she said the incident had ruined her life, turning her from a confident outgoing woman to “a shadow of my former self” who was wary of strangers, and had become a prisoner in her own home. She said not only had the mugger robbed her of her phone with its photos of her late mother but had also “robbed me of my independence”.
The court heard that Conibeer was subsequently charged with the robbery and while on bail awaiting his trial burgled a shared student house in Brynmill, Swansea.
On February 23 this year he entered a property on Bryn Road through an unlocked door and went into a first-floor room – when the student whose room it was returned from
making a cup of tea in the communal kitchen he found the intruder going through his possessions. Conibeer fled with two mobiles and a coin purse.
The defendant was identified by police from CCTV at the property, and arrested the following day.
Conibeer, who also goes by the names Mark John, and Jonathon Price, of Heol Gwyrosydd, Penlan, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to robbery and to burglary when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
Giles Hayes, for Conibeer, said the defendant had a long-standing problem with alcohol and drugs. He said there had been significant periods of time when he had not committed offences and had led a stable life, but that at the time of the current offending he had relapsed back into drug use. The solicitor said Conibeer had asked him to express his remorse to his victims.
Giving the defendant credit for his guilty pleas of 10% and 20% respectively Recorder Ifan Wyn Lloyd Jones sentenced him to a total of 72 months in prison comprising 43 months for the robbery and 29 for the burglary.
Conibeer will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence.