Connah's Quay,North Wales - BMX burglar was ‘nothing more than a mini crime wave’

Published date: 15 April 2016 | 

Published by: Staff reporter
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A BURGLAR said to have used a BMX bike as a means of getting away has been jailed after he was described by a judge as “nothing other than a mini crime wave".

Steven Hill, 34, used the small black and pink BMX when he committed some of his six daytime house burglaries – two of them at the same property.

When he struck at the same house for the second time he stole some of the items that had been replaced after his first burglary.

The BMX was seen by witnesses at the time of the burglaries. Hill was also seen to be riding it and was later picked out during an identification procedure.

When Hill was arrested stolen property was found at his home, including some hidden in the loft.

Police officers recovered the black and pink BMX that had been used to carry away some of the property.

Hill, of Lon Celyn, Connah’s Quay, admitted burglary at a house in Holly Grange, Connah’s Quay, on March 14 this year where property valued at £3,000 was taken.

He admitted a further two burglaries at another property in Holly Grange on February 2 and March 13, and asked for a further three house burglaries to be taken into consideration.

He got away with a 32 inch television screen, jewellery, perfume and a child’s piggy bank containing about £80 in cash.

In another burglary at the same house he stole property valued at £2,000 including a laptop computer, a sat nav, watches and jewellery and money, including items of sentimental value.

The court heard claims he had been threatened with a gun over a previous heroin debt which rocketed from £1,000 to £4,000.

Interviewed, he denied the burglaries and claimed he had bought the property from a man he would not name.

He said he bought and sold items through Facebook, including Flintshire Flog It and Deeside Sellers, and that was how he made his money.

But the items he advertised for sale were spotted by one of his victims.

Photographs he had taken on his mobile phone of the stolen goods were confirmed by the owners as their property.

Judge Niclas Parry, sitting at Mold Crown Court, jailed Hill for 18 months and told him: “Over a short period at the beginning of this year you were nothing other than a mini crime wave, targeting your own neighbourhood.

“You targeted and attacked six homes. You were after high value goods; you entered one house on two occasions.

“You entered bedrooms in these houses.”

The judge said he had also used information that he gained as an employee of one of his victims.

Judge Parry said that the greatest mitigation was his guilty pleas.

The majority of the stolen items had been recovered and he had asked for three burglaries to be taken into consideration so he could have a clean sheet when he was released.

Myles Wilson, defending, said that they were daytime burglaries. Significant property had been recovered and while he had previous convictions there were no burglaries on his record.

The motivation had been a previous drugs debt.

He had been a heroin addict living in Chester, but started life afresh in Harrogate where his wife came from.

When he returned to Deeside his previous drug suppliers wanted their money back, but the original £1,000 became £4,000 and he was threatened.

It was his case that the threat had been made with a gun.

see-http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/160999/connah-s-quay-bmx-burglar-was-nothing-more-than-a-mini-crime-wave-.aspx