Robert Devney (Image: Gwent Police)
Last Updated: 2 minutes ago
A serial offender broke into a house in Newport and made off with a gold necklace worth £1,500 along with bank cards he then used at a local shop to purchase tobacco and a bottle of brown sauce.
Robert Devney, 53, of no fixed abode, appeared at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court after admitting to the burglary at a property on Drinkwater Gardens on Saturday, August 16.
The break-in
The victim left her home at midday and returned around 4pm to discover the property had been ransacked. Drawers and cabinets in the living room had been searched through, while upstairs her bedside cabinet had been emptied onto her bed.
A gold necklace of sentimental value, worth approximately £1,500, was missing along with several bank cards.
Following the money
After contacting her bank, the victim learned her card had been used at three nearby shops. Attempted payments of £46 at Reliance Stores and £28 at Spar were both declined, but a £29 transaction went through at Gaer Stores.
CCTV from the shop captured Devney walking in and purchasing a bottle of HP sauce and a 30-gram pouch of Amber Leaf tobacco. A Gwent Police officer who reviewed the footage recognised him, leading to his arrest.
The evidence
The necklace was never recovered, but forensic examination revealed Devney’s fingerprints on a jewellery box inside one of the victim’s bedrooms.
During interview, he admitted using the cards but claimed they had been given to him by someone he refused to identify. Asked about his DNA being found at the address, he maintained he had been there lawfully.
He later pleaded guilty to burglary and three counts of fraud by false representation.
Previous offending
Devney had 29 previous convictions spanning 86 offences, 31 of which related to theft or similar crimes.
He was jailed in November for a separate burglary at an address on Maindy Road in Cardiff on September 16, during which he broke in while the occupants were out and stole a Nintendo Switch, a MacBook, an iPad, watches, designer bags and sunglasses, and jewellery. He also took a bank card which he unsuccessfully tried to use three times at a Lidl in Splott.
Sentencing
Alice Sykes, representing Devney, told the court: “He’s been blighted by addictions and mental health all his life. He’s in a much better position now than he was previously. He was at a low ebb. He’s determined to turn his life around.”
Recorder Dyfed Thomas described the defendant’s criminal history as “frankly atrocious” and said it was “highly regrettable” that Devney had not been sentenced for this burglary alongside his previous offence in November.
Devney was jailed for 876 days – the mandatory minimum sentence less the reduction for his guilty plea.
