Newtown man pleads guilty to double burglary at home

Jonathan Paul Rogers, 34, of Violet Close in Newtown, appeared from custody at Mold Crown Court and admitted two charges of burglary of a house at Lon Eithin, Trehafren, on two occasions, in November of last year.

He also admitted assaulting the householder, Connor Mark Evans, 18.

The court heard that since the offences, Rogers had received a seven-year sentence for an un-related aggravated burglary.

In the circumstances, he received a 12-month sentence to run concurrently to the existing sentence and a five-year restraining order was made not to approach Mr Evans.

Judge Parry told the defendant that the complainant was known to him and he could have taken his chance and waited to see if he would turn up to give evidence against him. But he had pleaded guilty.

They were “nasty offences”, he said.

But if they had been dealt with together he doubted that a sentence of more than seven years would have been imposed.

Prosecuting barrister Ryan Rothwell said the victim had been riding his bike when the defendant punched him in the face.

He returned home and found it had been ransacked. The victim sought refuge with his grandparents but the house was ransacked a second time.

Defending barrister John Hedgecoe asked for the sentence not to be increased.