A burglar broke into the uninhabited home of a man whose mother had recently died in a house fire next door, taking a computer and tablets worth more than £1,000. Michael Menzies, 44, targeted a house in Mountain Ash which was not being lived in after a house fire next door claimed the life of a woman. The house had excessive water damage, meaning the family could not return until work had been carried out.
Discovery of the break-in
A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday heard the victim returned to the house on January 12 this year and found the key safe had been smashed. The doors to the property had been left open and the rooms had been ransacked. The items taken included a HP computer worth £700, an iPad worth £300 and a Samsung tablet worth £100.
Evidence and guilty plea
Fingerprints matching the defendant were found on plastic bags which had been ripped up and left on the worktop. Menzies, of Fernhill, Mountain Ash, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to burglary. The court heard he has four previous convictions for burglary committed as a juvenile, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and a substantial record for thefts and offences of dishonesty.
Sentencing and impact
In mitigation, the court heard the defendant has mental health issues as a result of adverse childhood experiences and is neurodiverse. He has also had issues with dyslexia, illiteracy, schizophrenia, and long-term drug use, which led to his offending. In her sentencing remarks, Judge Celia Hughes said: "This incident caused considerable upset to the victim and his family at such a difficult time for them." Recorder Celia Hughes said she would not send the defendant immediately to prison due to his work in tackling his drug issues.
Menzies was sentenced to 17 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. He was also made subject to a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered to pay costs of £400.
