Powys car thief jailed for four years after asking witness to help flip crashed car

A 20-year-old who stole vehicles across the Brecon area, leaving residents without transport and frightened inside their own homes, has been sent to prison for four years.

Tinos Short, now of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday after admitting 17 offences committed earlier this year.

A householder in Brecon was roused at 4am on 18 February by his barking dog.

Checking his Ring doorbell recording, he watched a stranger push open his front door and step inside.

Downstairs, the door stood open, the dog had bolted into the road, and his Hyundai was missing - along with the keys, lifted from a jacket pocket. Replaying the footage, he saw the defendant holding those keys before driving the car off.

Roughly ten minutes on, prosecutor Alexandra Wilson told the court, a woman living nearby was woken by the sound of her gate opening. Looking out, she saw two men at the entrance to her property. They walked up to the house before taking her Vauxhall. CCTV later identified Short.

The second raid came on 19 March.

A homeowner, then at work, was alerted by his Ring app at 3.30am to a man testing his front door handle before moving on to try a neighbour's. A resident further along the street looked from a bedroom window to find headlights burning.

A Volkswagen Scirocco belonging to a neighbour was being wrenched out of a parking space, reversing hard into the vehicle behind and dragging its bumper along the one in front. After several attempts the driver freed the car and accelerated away.

Moments later came a loud bang and headlights angled towards the sky, Ms Wilson said.

The Scirocco had landed on its roof. Smoke rose from the wreck as a man crawled out. He appeared to be intoxicated, and asked the onlooker to help him turn the car back over. Instead he climbed back inside, switched off the engine, and fled down an alleyway.

The Scirocco's owner woke to find his home had been ransacked, and learned from his neighbour what had become of his car.

A second collision followed when Short drove a stolen Vauxhall Meriva through Sennybridge with two of its tyres blown out.

A farmer working his land at Brecon noticed two men on mobile phones close by. His silver Mitsubishi, carrying his tools and equipment, was later driven away.

That same day an officer spotted Short at the wheel in Brecon and moved to stop him. He pulled up briefly, but drove off as the officer stepped out of the police vehicle to speak to him.

He was eventually found in the attic of his home and taken to Brecon police station.

His eyes were glazed and he was unsteady on his feet.

Refusing to provide a sample, he said: "I would do a drugs wipe but it will come back for coke as I've not long done it."

Short pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated vehicle-taking, two of burglary, four of driving while disqualified, four of driving with no insurance, one of dangerous driving, one of attempted burglary, one of taking a vehicle without consent and one of failing to provide a specimen.

The court was told he already had 15 previous convictions, spanning burglary, theft, shoplifting, aggravated vehicle-taking and taking a vehicle without consent.

Mitigating, Mr Hywel Davies said his client accepts his way of life has to change and he wants to move away from Brecon to distance himself from negative influences.

The barrister described a vulnerable childhood in which Short was taken into care after losing his father and his uncle within a short space of time.

Mr Davies said since Short has been in prison he has completed many courses and his seeking to gain qualifications for employment when he is released.

His Honour Judge Wayne Beard said one of the worst things was that Short had targeted one of the victims before, and that victim reported being very stressed, being in low mood and said it had cost a significant amount for hire cars for hospital appointments.

Another victim said his partner and teenage daughter were in the house when Short broke in. He said his partner is disabled and needs to attend regular hospital appointments and the loss of the car has caused lots of problems and his daughter does not feel safe in her own home, is fearful of more incidents and they are now looking to leave the area.

Judge Beard said Short had committed 17 offences between February 18 and March 19.

He said: “This was a serious and sustained course of criminal conduct.

“You targeted occupied dwellings during the hours of darkness, stole keys and then made unlawful use of the vehicles. The offending was deliberate and persistent and you had victimised one of the people before.”

Judge Beard said he had read the pre-sentence report, took into account Short's youth, accommodation issues and personal factors and that he had expressed remorse. Also that he had resided for a long time in care and is now trying to deal with substance abuse.

But he said the aggravating features in the case are substantial and Short had just been released from a custodial sentence for similar offences.

He jailed Short for a total of four years.

He was banned from driving for five years and he will have to pass an extended driving test.

No compensation was awarded and no restraining order was made.