Three jailed after knife burglary terrorised Ely children

Three men have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms after breaking into a home in Ely and threatening children inside with knives before stealing their belongings.

The break-in

Anthony Edmunds, Ben Emmott and Craig Smith forced their way into a property on Jackson Road during the early hours of Wednesday, August 20. Once inside, the trio brandished knives at the children present, snatching mobile phones and a games console before fleeing the scene and leaving the young victims terrified.

Quick thinking leads to arrests

Despite being frightened, one of the victims realised her phone had been taken and quickly contacted South Wales Police. Using the “Find My iPhone” feature, she was able to pinpoint exactly where her device was – and within minutes, officers located the three men sitting in a car on nearby Plymouth Wood Close.

A search of the vehicle uncovered two knives along with t-shirts the men had used to conceal their faces during the burglary.

Guilty pleas

All three were charged with aggravated burglary. Edmunds and Smith both pleaded guilty, while Emmott initially denied any involvement before later changing his plea to guilty.

Sentencing

On Thursday, February 12, the trio received the following sentences:

• Anthony Edmunds, 52, of Rumney – eight years in prison, plus an additional 14 weeks from a suspended sentence to be served consecutively
• Ben Emmott, 33, of Caerau – nine years and four months
• Craig Smith, 44, of Adamsdown – seven years and seven months

Detective Constable Craig Pearce, who worked on the case, said: “I would like to commend the bravery of the young victims. It was a terrifying ordeal for them but thanks to their quick thinking they were arrested within minutes. Incidents like this one are extremely rare and the streets are indeed safer with these cowardly and immoral criminals behind bars.”