Barry Winters, 38, was jailed for four years and nine months for burglaries in the Trearddur Bay area
A man with a drink problem who was sleeping rough in Anglesey turned into “a one-man crime wave” last summer, a judge said.
Barry Winters, 38, of no fixed abode, was jailed for four years and nine months today after he admitted two burglaries and an attempted burglary at hotels in the Trearddur Bay area, as well as a nearby holiday home burglary.
Mr Recorder Paul Hopkins QC, sitting at Mold Crown Court, warned him that, unless he addressed his underlying dysfunctional behaviour, he would face longer and ever increasing periods of time behind bars.
The judge said Winters had an appalling record with previous convictions for more than 50 offences.
“You are plainly a career burglar and you will now face the consequences of your career choice,” he said.
“In late August and early September last year, you amounted to a one-man crime wave in the Trearddur Bay area of Anglesey .”
The court heard that, on one occasion, Winters claimed he got lost while looking for a hotel toilet, and had in fact “broken out” rather than “broken in” to the premises.
Prosecuting barrister Anna Pope said the first burglary occurred at the Seacroft Hotel, where he burgled the office and got away with £5,700 from the safe.
He was captured on CCTV and identified by a local police officer.
Winters targeted the same hotel again and committed an attempted burglary there two nights later.
He also burgled a holiday cottage in Ravenspoint Road in Trearddur Bay, where he stole a purse from a table while the owner was at home.
He was again caught on CCTV committing a burglary at the Trearddur Bay Hotel, where he stole £100 in cash and other items such as credit cards.
The following morning, workmen alerted police that a man was “out of it” at a nearby property which was under renovation.
Miss Pope said the defendant met the criteria for a “three strikes” burglar – involving a statutory three-year minimum sentence – for the second time.
The court heard the hotel burglaries had affected staff, particularly those who locked up or worked overnight, and caused a general feeling of insecurity.
Simon Mintz, defending, said the defendant was still a relatively young man who had a partner and two young children.
Last summer, there had been a temporary breakdown in the relationship and “all self-control abandoned him”, said Mr Mintz.
Winters had been recalled on licence, the court heard.
The sophistication of his offences should not be over-stated because he had not sought to disguise his appearance, said Mr Mintz.
On the last occasion, he had been found in a drunken stupor close to the scene.
Winters appeared for sentence via a live television link from Altcourse Prison in Liverpool.
Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Richard Griffith at Llangefni CID said: “Winters is a prolific career criminal and his sentence will bring a huge degree of relief to many in our local community.
“It is important the criminal justice system imposes strong sentences on those few people in our communities intent on disrupting the lives of the vast majority of law-abiding citizens.
“To this end, I’d like to publicly thank the contribution of the CPS, who helped us build this successful prosecution case.
“I hope his incarceration will provide our communities with some reassurance and help keep our towns and villages safe.
“North Wales Police remain determined to effectively target those who cause significant harm in our communities.
“Our message is clear: there will be no hiding place.”
Huw Evans, senior crown prosecutor for CPS Cymru-Wales, said: “Burglary is a frightening crime.
“The violation of privacy is sometimes the aspect which affects people more than the obvious financial loss.
“Winters did this on more than one occasion in a short period of time.
“Anyone that commits this crime should expect the full weight of the law to be used to bring them to justice.”
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/career-criminal-sleeping-rough-anglesey-12634851
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