A career criminal with dozens of break-ins on his record was released on bail after being arrested for two more burglaries and then went on to commit another four in a single day. Norman Smith's advocate told a court that as a young man his client had received an "education" in burglaries from an uncle who used to take the youngster with him when he went out breaking into houses.
Dean Pulling, prosecuting at Swansea Crown Court, said on the afternoon of October 9 last year a householder was in the garden of his property in Front Street in Pembroke Dock when he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. The man he went inside to investigate he saw a male standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. The intruder told him he was on the run from the police. The court heard the homeowner retreated to the garden and armed himself with a pole then returned to his property by which time the burglar had fled.
When the victim checked his house he found jewellery boxes scattered over the bed in a bedroom and found thousands of pounds worth of jewellery – much of it bought from Egypt or bought for his wife's 50th birthday – had been stolen. Scenes of crime officers recovered fingerprints from the house and these were matched to Smith. The court heard none of the jewellery, much of it of sentimental value to the victim, has been recovered.
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The following day Smith broke into another house in Pembroke Dock, this time in Imble Street, likely by climbing onto the roof of the garage and gaining entry through a window. When the householder returned home he found jewellery belonging to his late wife had been moved and left in the garage. The court heard police were looking for Smith in connection with the first break-in when they received reports of a man with a knife at a property in Tenby. The defendant was arrested and when searched was found with a pocketknife in his pants.
The prosecutor said Smith was charged with burglary and the prosecution applied for the 45-year-old to be remanded into custody but justices at Aberystwyth Magistrates' Court granted him bail. The following week Smith went on a spree of burglaries, breaking into four houses in a single day in Perrots Terrace and Prendergast in Haverfordwest and stealing a haul of items including a North Face coat, a PlayStation games console, watches, bank cards, and cash. It is thought he used a pillow case belonging to one of his victims to carry away the loot. The court heard police subsequently received reports of a man in a McDonald's restaurant trying to sell a PlayStation and CCTV footage showed Smith wearing the stolen North Face jacket. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter here.
Smith was arrested at an address in Sageston on October 19 and police recovered the jacket and one of the stolen watches. The defendant was taken to Llanelli police station where he gave a prepared statement denying being involved in any burglaries and then answered "no comment" to all questions asked. The court heard the victims of the burglaries had prepared statements in which they described the shock and upset at having their homes entered.
Norman Smith, of Stover Avenue, Sageston, Carew, Pembrokeshire, had previously pleaded guilty to six counts of burglary and to possession of a bladed article when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He had also previously pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud – using stolen bank cards – which were offences committed on October 8 and which saw him buying more than £200 worth of goods from a Bargain Booze shop in Pembroke Dock. Smith has previous convictions for 122 offences including 38 house burglaries – the first when he was aged just 14 – as well as robberies, assault, public disorder, and motoring matters. His last conviction, for possession of a prohibited item in prison, was in 2019.
Stuart John, for Smith, said while a psychiatric report before the court had not identified any significant conditions in the defendant beyond mild anxiety disorder it had gone into details about his "very difficult upbringing" and how at a young age he had effectively received an "education" from an uncle who took him along with him while he committed house burglaries. He said the defendant had been out of trouble for a "not insignificant period of time" before the 2023 burglary spree with stable accommodation, employment, and a positive relationship and he said in his conference with his client the defendant had spoken of "pressing the self-destruct button for no apparent reason" when he committed the October offences.
Judge Geraint Walters said Smith was "a prolific burglar – and skilled at it". He told the defendant that he should have learned by now that burglary was not just an offence against property but was also an offence that left people feeling unsafe and frightened in their homes. With a one-quarter discount for his guilt pleas Smith was sentenced to five years in prison comprising five years for each of the six burglaries, six months for possession of the knife, and three months for fraud all to run concurrently. He will serve up to half that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community
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