Burglar targeted store twice within three days
A SERIAL burglar stole more than £6,000 after breaking into a Co-op store by smashing a window with a crowbar.
He returned three days later to the same store and stole a further £700.
Carl Hill, 37, targeted the Co-op shop in Machen, in Caerphilly, on two occasions, on September 7 and 10, 2022.
The thief was caught on CCTV, but was wearing dark clothing and covered his head.
A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on April 18 heard Hill first broke into the Co-op on September 7, when he gained access by smashing a window with a crowbar and removing items from behind the till.
He took £5,400 from a cash unit under the till, £192 worth of stamps and a further £800 in cash.
CCTV played to the court by prosecutor Sol Hartley showed Hill breaking into the store, with a smoke deterrent going off, covering the store in smoke.
He managed to flee the scene before returning three days later.
On September 10, he again used a crowbar to break away the wooden covering of the smashed window and removed items from behind the till.
This included £660 from the till itself and £40 from a charity box.
A representative of the Co-op said the total loss to the store came to £7,676 and the cost of the damage came to £1,848.
The defendant was identified from DNA taken from a bloodstain at the store, and he was stopped on September 11 and found to be in possession of a crowbar and similar clothing to that seen on the CCTV.
Hill, of HMP Parc, pleaded guilty to two counts of commercial burglary.
The court heard he has 44 previous convictions including 25 convictions for theft, wounding with intent, driving offences, burglary and attempted burglary.
Defence barrister Harry Baker said his client fell into drug problems after witnessing a murder in 2018, for which he was required to attend court as a witness.
The father-of-four also lost his sister to a drug overdose and had a difficult upbringing at the hands of a violent parent.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Mills said he was more concerned about an attack on a “valuable local shop” rather than the financial amount involved. He told the defendant he was mindful of his efforts in prison to become drug-free.
Hill was sentenced to 72 weeks’ imprisonment. He will serve half of the sentence in custody before he is released to serve the remainder on licence.