by The court heard that a burglar was pretending to be a police officer when one of his victims challenged him. Jordan Hennessy showed the housewife what appeared to be a “police badge” after she was found in her kitchen in the early hours of the morning.
The break-in was one of four carried out by Hennessy in just five days as part of what his lawyer called “an eight-day spree to fund a desperate habit”. During the burglary the 25-year-old defendant stole personal items from laptops containing university work to family jewelery and two cars – but it was the tracking technology of one of the vehicles that led to his arrest. Cardiff Crown Court heard that Hennessy has 24 previous offenses on his record including grievous bodily harm, an offense which saw him stab his stepfather with a bread knife during an argument on their doorstep.
The court heard that the defendant burglarized four properties in the Rath area of Cardiff in five days in May this year stealing a long list of items including games consoles, cash, passports, jewellery, phones, computers laptops, bank cards and car keys. In one of the houses he was disturbed by a housewife in the kitchen of the property at around 6am, and when challenged he claimed to be a policeman and showed her what the woman thought was a “police badge”.
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The court heard that two of the victims of the burglary were university students and the laptops stolen by Hennessy were important coursework. The defendant used car keys stolen from two of the victims to steal their vehicles from outside their property. The first vehicle Hennessy stole, a Vauxhall Zafira, was later caught on CCTV being driven by the defendant near Cardiff’s Huggard homelessness center but was never found. The defendant was arrested as a result of the second – a Vauxhall Mokka – after the owner gave the police tracking information for the car which allowed them to locate him and the vehicle on Christina Street in Bhutan.
In impact statements read to the court, the burglary victims all spoke of the anxiety and worry and feelings of security lost as a result of the break-ins. One said she was now considering leaving Cardiff, while another said the jewelery stolen by Hennessy was of great sentimental value and some of the pieces she planned to pass on were family heirlooms. to the younger generations.
Jordan Hennessy, of no abode, previously pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary, two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of driving while disqualified, two counts of driving without insurance, and two counts of fraud – using the stolen bank cards in shops – when he arrived in the dock for sentencing. He also previously pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage and two counts of theft from a motor vehicle – these offenses related to the defendant smashing car windows in the Pellett Street car park and stealing items from inside on May 11.
The defendant has eight previous convictions for 24 offenses including burglary, taking vehicles without consent, taking vehicles seriously, and driving while disqualified. In 2020 he was sentenced to 34 months in prison for grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife after repeatedly saving his stepfather with a paring knife.
Kirsten Murphy, for Hennessy, said that although it was not an excuse for this behaviour, the defendant had a “troubled upbringing” with his mother in prison for neglect and then her client going through 52 different foster homes and placements between 11 and 18 years your age. She said after leaving the care system the defendant began experimenting with drugs and progressed from using cannabis to heroin and taking crack cocaine as a “coping mechanism for the pain and trauma. She said The court heard the offenses were committed in an “eight-day spree to fund a desperate habit” but she said since being remanded in custody on May 21 the defendant had completed at least 68 courses in prison, was seeking support from the prison chaplaincy, and was taking steps to rehabilitate himself. She said the defendant was “really ashamed” of what he had done latest, sign up to our crime newsletter here.
Judge Paul Hobson said that house burglary was a very serious offense because its impact went beyond the monetary value of the goods stolen and it was an invasion of people’s homes and their privacy, and he said that the intrusion, the distress and loss that Hennessy made all with funding. his Class A drug habit. He said he had read a letter from the defendant and accepted he was remorseful, and told him he was still a relatively young man “it’s not too late for you to do something positive of your life”.
Hennessy was sentenced to 32 months in prison with a one-third discount on his guilty pleas. From September 2024 most defendants must serve 40 per cent of their sentence in custody before being released on license to serve the rest in the community, Hennessy was also disqualified from driving for a total of three years.
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