Prolific thief on 'mini-crimewave' has jail term plea rejected

Peter Luke Amos Smith, 36, and an accomplice drove from Cambridgeshire to north Wales for a spree of thefts in February of this year.

In a secret compartment in the car, they carried tools which they used to break into parking meters and phone boxes and steal coins.

In a series of thefts, they struck in quiet areas near Aberystwyth, the Snowdonia National Park and in Powys.

When they were stopped on the A483, in Llanymynech, on the Powys-Shropshire border, police found more than £3,000 in coins in their car.

They admitted four thefts and one count of going equipped for theft and were each jailed for 27 months at Mold Crown Court in March.

Today, Smith, of Edgerley Drain Road, Fengate, Peterborough, appealed against his sentence, but saw his case thrown out by top judges.

Judge Mark Brown told the Court of Appeal in London that Smith had a long criminal record, involving 48 previous offences.

However, in his appeal, he claimed his sentence was too tough because it did not properly reflect his guilty pleas.

He was also a father of five, with a sick dad of his own, while the stolen cash was recovered by police, he said.

Dismissing the appeal, Judge Brown, sitting with Lady Justice Rafferty and Mr Justice Holgate, said 27 months was fair.

"There were two men involved and they travelled some distance to rural areas in Wales," he said.

"They were equipped for the purpose and a vehicle containing a hidden compartment was used.

"There was damage and a significant amount of money was stolen.

"He had committed similar offences in the past and during his criminal career has received a variety of punishments, including prison sentences.

"We are satisfied that the crown court judge rightly described the offending as a mini-crimewave and there was an element of professionalism about it.

"He was deserving of significant punishment. Whilst the sentence of 27 months imprisonment was severe, it was not excessive and was indeed justified."