A ‘PROLIFIC burglar’ who bought more than £200 of alcohol using stolen cards broke in to four homes in one day whilst on bail and tried to sell what he stole to customers in McDonald’s.

Norman Smith, 45, of Stover Avenue in Sageston, was jailed after admitting six offences of burglary, two counts of fraud, and one of having a knife in a public place.

Prosecutor Dean Pulling told Swansea Crown Court that a mobile phone was stolen from a car in Bush Street in Pembroke Dock on the evening of October 8. The phone had two women’s bank cards in its case.

Smith used the cards in Bargain Booze, buying alcohol and tobacco worth £133.67 with one of the cards and £83.58 with the other.

In the shop, he could be heard telling people he was “looking to party”, Mr Pulling said.

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Mr Pulling said that the following day, Smith broke in to a house on Front Street in Pembroke Dock. He was spotted standing between the kitchen and the living room – and shouted that he was running from the police. The witness went outside, before coming back after grabbing a bar, but Smith was gone.

The homeowner reported that jewellery had been stolen worth “a little over £13,000”, as well as an Egyptian vase.

The police were called, and the defendant’s fingerprints were found on the kitchen window which had been prized open.

The next day, police received reports that a man had broken in to a house on Imble Street in Pembroke Dock. When they arrived, the defendant was still inside the property.

He was arrested, and when searched at the police station, he was found to have had a pocket knife hidden in his underwear.

Smith appeared at Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court on October 12, and was granted bail.

However, just six days later, the defendant burgled four houses in one day.

Mr Pulling told the court that a man had left for work at around 8am and returned home to an address on Prendergast in Haverfordwest and noticed his jacket – worth £170 – had been stolen, along with various items in the pockets. A dog lead which had been in the pocket was found outside.

A woman was asleep upstairs at another address on Prendergast. When she came downstairs at 11.30am, she found drawers and cupboards were open and her purse, a wallet, cash and a mobile phone had been taken.

The owner of third home on Prendergast was away on holiday at the time, however officers noticed marks on the window frame when they were investigating the area for the other burglaries.

Mr Pulling said that a woman returned to her home on Perrots Terrace at around 3.30pm that same day and found the drawers and cupboards were open, her son’s PlayStation 5 console, games and controllers had been stolen, as well as two watches, an iPod, an iPad, and a pillowcase.

The defendant was captured by a CCTV camera on a nearby house, and McDonald’s in Haverfordwest contacted the police about a man trying to sell items including a PS5 and games to its customers.

Smith was arrested at an address in Sageston on October 19. He has convictions for 122 offences, including 38 for dwelling burglaries – the first of which was in 1993.

“Plainly a lengthy custodial sentence is inevitable,” admitted Stuart John, defending.

Mr John said it was “inexplicable” that Smith went on the crime sprees.

“He was working at the time,” he said. “He was in a positive relationship. He did not need money. He wasn’t on drugs at the time. But yet he decided to commit a series of offences.”

He said that the defendant was “now motivated to get as much help as he can” in prison – and had already taken drug rehabilitation and substance misuse courses and was having counselling.

“Burglary, you should have learned by now, is an offence not just against property, but an offence against people,” said Judge Geraint Walters.

“You leave them feeling unsafe in their own home.

“To describe it as a spree is an understatement.

“You are obviously a prolific burglar and are skilled at it.”

Judge Walters said that it was “astonishing” that Smith burgled four houses in one day whilst on bail for the first set of offences.

Smith was jailed for five years – running concurrently for each of the burglaries. He was also sentenced to six months for possession of the knife and three months each for the fraud offences. These all ran concurrently to the burglary sentence.