A FIRST-CLASS honours graduate who targeted stores in Haverfordwest for fraud will soon be free after senior judges halved his jail term.

Siphosenkosi Hutton Maplanka was jailed for 12 months at Swansea Crown Court on March 22.

The 31-year-old, of Ger Yr Ysgol, Burry Port, near Llanelli, admitted three counts of fraud.

Maplanka targeted Debenhams and Tesco branches on July 12 last year, Judge David Stockdale QC told London's Appeal Court on Friday, June 15.

His mode of operation was to take clothing from displays and put it in a bag and then seek to exchange it.

He would claim to have bought the items previously from another store in the same group.

Using this method, he got Debenhams to refund him £260 and Tesco to shell out £140.

He came unstuck when he returned to Debenhams on July 23 of last year and tried to repeat the scam but was recognised by staff.

Maplanka had been before the courts on 13 previous occasions for 22 offences, including 10 frauds, said the judge.

His barrister, John Tarrant, argued that his jail term was far too harsh and should be reduced.

Maplanka's crimes were not sophisticated, nor the result of significant planning, claimed the barrister.

While he had 'similar' previous convictions, they dated back several years - and he had won a first -class honours degree since then.

Judge Stockdale, sitting with two other judges, said Maplanka's crimes were “not in our judgment sophisticated”.

The frauds “did not require significant planning” and the loss to the stores was “modest”.

Maplanka's previous convictions were “a significant and potent aggravating factor,” said the judge.

But he added: "In view of the absence of offences in the last five years and, allowing for all we have heard and read in mitigation, we do consider the sentence is manifestly excessive."

Judge Stockdale reduced Maplanka's jail term from 12 months to six months.