Warren Mason, 54, of Winchester Road, Wolverhampton, was caught red-handed after a gang used a jackhammer, crowbar, and hydraulic cutters to burgle a Spar shop in Brecon, but he is refusing to name the two men who fled and left him behind.
Gang used heavy tools to break into shop and ATM
Merthyr Crown Court heard that in the early hours of September 22, a BMW M3 estate car pulled up outside the Spar shop in Brecon. Three men got out, one carrying a portable jackhammer, one a crowbar, and one a "jaws of life" cutter of the type firefighters use in car crashes. The gang travelled from the west Midlands to carry out the raid.
The trio cut their way into the shop and then attacked the cash machine with the tools. The owner of the business lived in a flat above the store and was woken by the commotion, prompting them to call the police.
Police arrive as gang flees
After a few minutes of trying to get into the ATM, the gang fled as police arrived. Two raiders jumped into their BMW and drove off, clipping a police car as they did so. Mason tried to escape on foot but was detained and restrained after Pava incapacitant spray was used.
In his subsequent interview, Mason answered "no comment" to all questions and later denied knowing the identity of his fellow burglars. Joseph Hocquard, prosecuting, told the court the details of the raid.
Victim describes ordeal as 'extremely frightening'
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the shop owner said the incident had been "extremely frightening". She said she was devastated, now struggles to sleep, and no longer feels safe, adding: "I would not have got by without the support of our community".
Mason, a former painter and decorator, had previously pleaded guilty to burglary and going equipped for theft. He has 28 previous convictions for 77 offences, largely for dishonesty matters. His last conviction for burglary was in 2010, and his last conviction of any kind was in 2019.
Sentence suspended despite 'considerable hesitation'
Alex Granville, for Mason, said his client "clearly wasn't the ringleader in this, or the mastermind". He said Mason had worked as a painter and decorator prior to a shoulder injury and had demonstrated remorse throughout the pre-sentence report.
Recorder Paul Lewis KC rejected the assertion that Mason did not know the identity of the others involved, saying his remorse was "tempered by his lack of candour". He said he would be failing in his public duty were he to impose a non-custodial sentence, but given everything he had read about the defendant and the time spent in prison on remand, he was prepared to suspend the sentence, though "not without some considerable hesitation".
With a one-third discount for his guilty plea, Mason was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years, ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work, and complete a building better choices probation requirement.
