Burglar ram-raided petrol station for cigarettes and alcohol

South Wales Guardian

01-06-2025

Ryan Thomas appeared at Swansea Crown Court after admitting a spree of burglaries in Carmarthenshire which saw him steal cars from two homes before ram-raiding a garage.
Thomas broke in to a home on Broad Street in Llandovery in the early hours of April 1, 2023, by reaching through a disused cat flap to open the door, prosecutor Dean Pulling said.
He stole a box of Budweiser and the keys to a Toyota Yaris, and a neighbour reported hearing the car driving off at around 1.30am.
Thomas drove the car some 18.5 miles, and it was found abandoned in the Llandybie area having sustained 'some damage'.
After ditching the car, Thomas broke in to a nearby home on Ammanford Road and stole the keys to a Volvo S80.
The court heard Thomas drove the Volvo to Petro Express petrol station on Cwmamman Road in Glanaman, where he committed 'a ram-raid style burglary' at just after 4am.
Mr Pulling said Thomas was seen putting what appeared to be plastic bags over his hands and head, before attempting to lift the shutter to the garage's shop. After being unable to lift it, he reversed the car into the shutter 'a number of times', before turning around and driving into it front-on twice.
This smashed through the shutter, and Thomas went inside and swiped cigarettes, alcohol, and cash from the tills.
After around 40 minutes, the defendant fled in the Volvo.
The car was recovered in the Swansea area, Mr Pulling said it had extensive damage and an attempt had been made to set fire to the interior.
The ram raid had caused damage worth £17,820 to the petrol station.
Thomas' fingerprints were found on the door and cat flap of the first home, as well as on the empty beer bottles left in the abandoned Yaris. He was seen entering the second home on the doorbell camera.
However by the time officers were able to link him to the burglaries, he had been jailed for unrelated offences.
The defendant, who is currently a serving prisoner at HMP Cardiff, pleaded guilty to three charges of burglary and one of aggravated vehicle taking.
The court heard that Thomas, from the Merthyr Tydfil area, had 54 previous convictions and was subject to a suspended sentence and banned from driving at the time of these offences.
'The best mitigation in this case is his credit for a guilty plea,' said Hywel Davies, appearing for Thomas.
Mr Davies said it was 'accepted and unavoidable' that the defendant would face a lengthy prison sentence for his offending.
He said there had been a year-long delay in the defendant being interviewed, which had also led to a delay in the case coming to court.
Mr Davies added that Thomas was now working to address his substance misuse issues in prison and was undergoing weekly drug testing.
The judge, Recorder Christopher Felstead, sentenced Thomas to a total of 31 months. He was also banned from driving for five years and three months, and must pass an extended re-test.