A burglar who told police he had "got the wrong house" was tasered and PAVA sprayed after threatening an officer with a broken bottle. Jac Jones, 31, was sentenced to three years imprisonment at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday.
Break-in caught on neighbour's watch
The court heard that a neighbour was woken by the sound of breaking glass in Llandrindod Wells in the early hours of May 30. She looked out of her window after hearing further bangs and crashes and saw a man dressed in black kicking the door of a property.
The man, later identified as Jones, picked up large pebbles and threw them at the door, smashing the glass. He reached through the broken glass, opened the door, and entered the property. The neighbour had called the police.
Police pursuit and arrest
Jones was seen holding his hand as if nursing a cut before re-entering the house and closing the door. He was later seen through an upstairs window using a torch on his phone before leaving, picking up solar lights as he walked away.
He returned 10 minutes later with plastic bottles containing brown liquid, which he poured on the glass of the door. He returned again 20 minutes later with three other people before leaving for the final time.
At 5.25am, police attended the property, but Jones ran away and could not be caught. At 6am, officers went to his home and were confronted by Jones on the doorstep. After they entered, he closed and locked the front door and wielded a broken glass, holding it up to an officer's face.
Jones was PAVA sprayed and locked himself in a bedroom, but officers gained entry and deployed a taser and PAVA spray to detain him. He was placed in handcuffs.
Sentencing and background
In response, Jones said: "I never took anything from there, I walked in and thought 's*** I've got the wrong house'."
Jones, of Maes Yr Ithon, Llandrindod Wells, also admitted criminal damage for destroying a CCTV camera worth £496 in Merthyr Tydfil on February 4. He pleaded guilty to burglary, possessing an offensive weapon, threatening a person with an offensive weapon, obstructing a constable, and criminal damage.
The court heard he has 16 convictions for offences including burglary, criminal damage, and obstructing a constable. In mitigation, Kirsten Murphy said her client had been addicted to drugs for most of his life and that most of his offences stemmed from this addiction. He has also been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
Judge Wayne Beard sentenced Jones to three years imprisonment.
