Natasha Morgan was sentenced to 876 days in prison at Swansea Crown Court
A BURGLAR who broke into a woman's flat was caught red-handed by the victim — helping herself to bottles of booze from the kitchen.
When arrested by police she told officers "I don't do burglaries, I'm a shoplifter — but I was off my head on Vals".
Swansea Crown Court heard that the victim was woken in the early hours of August 12 by a "rustling" sound coming from the kitchen of her Briton Ferry flat — she went to investigate, and found Natasha Leanne Morgan kneeling on the floor putting bottles of alcohol into a bag.
Morgan — who was described as being in an "agitated state" — left the liquor when she was challenged, but took the victim's handbag.
James Hartson, prosecuting, said scenes of crime officers were able to recover a total of seven finger prints from the assorted bottles which led police to Morgan.
When she was arrested she told the officers "I don't do burglaries, I'm a shoplifter — but I was off my head on Vals [Valium tablets]".
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Morgan, of Neath Road, Briton Ferry, pleaded guilty to the Llansawel Crescent burglary when she appeared at Swansea Crown Court.
She asked for three counts of shoplifting to be taken into consideration.
The court heard the 28-year-old had 23 previous convictions for 41 offences — mainly for drug and theft matters — but including two dwelling burglaries in 2011 and 2015.
Craig Davies, for Morgan, said his client was remorseful and apologetic.
He said Morgan had been "in a state" on the night in question, and had gone into the flat thinking it was somebody else's.
Judge Geraint Walters described the circumstances of the burglary as "hugely unpleasant" and said it must have been a frightening experience for the victim to be confronted with an intruder in her home in the early hours of the morning.
He told Morgan that she seemed "unwilling or incapable" of addressing her drug addiction, and that she had to make her mind up about her future — "If you keep committing burglaries you will be serving ever-longer prison sentences, it is as simple as that", he added.
Judge Walters said that as it was Morgan's third dwelling burglary he was obliged to impose the mandatory minimum sentence, and he jailed her for 876 days.
Read more at http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/police-told-i-don-t-do-burglaries-i-m-a-shoplifter-8212-but-i-was-off-my-head-on-vals/story-29874792-detail/story.html#hxsUaFbcuAbMmtRW.99
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