Alberta family gets back $40K from dealership after new truck seized for being stolen
Alberta family gets back $40K from dealership after new truck seized for being stolen
Swansea burglar jailed after repeatedly targeting woman in her nineties
Targeting the vulnerable
Brandon Williams, of Lon Gwendraeth, admitted burglary and theft offences after entering multiple addresses in the Morriston area in November 2024 and July 2025. On one occasion he stole cash and house keys from a woman in her 90s, money she had set aside to pay for her boiler to be serviced the next day.
Williams later returned to the same property months later, again stealing from the pensioner, who told the court she no longer feels safe in her home of many years. She has since changed her locks, installed security measures and altered her daily routines.
Vehicles also stolen
While police were investigating the first burglary, Williams struck again, taking the keys to a Nissan van from another Morriston home and driving off with the vehicle, which contained the victim’s work tools. The van was later found abandoned in Pontarddulais, with Williams’ DNA recovered from inside.
Police: “Absence of morals”
Detective Sergeant Samuel Stanway of South Wales Police said:
“Brandon Williams is the kind of selfish criminal who makes people, especially elderly people, no longer feel safe in their own homes. He clearly deliberately targeted a woman who was vulnerable due to her age, which is despicable in itself… He is someone who doesn’t care at all about his community, and his community will now be free of him for a number of years.”
Judge: “Hard to think of a more despicable offence”
At Swansea Crown Court, Judge Paul Thomas KC described Williams as a “prolific burglar” despite his young age. He told him:
“It is hard to think of a more despicable offence of its type. Earning an honest living is something you might want to try at some stage.”
The court heard Williams had two previous convictions for 12 offences, including burglaries, handling stolen goods and aggravated vehicle taking. He was out on licence from a 16‑month sentence when he committed the first Morriston burglary.
Sentence
Williams pleaded guilty to burglary and theft, with two further burglaries and a vehicle‑taking taken into consideration. He was sentenced to three years and three months (39 months) in prison. He will serve up to half in custody before being released on licence.
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#burglary #DNA #LonGwendraeth #Morriston #Pontarddulais #SouthWalesPolice #stolenVehicle #Swansea
Thieves steal vehicle from award winning Swansea cinema
An award winning mobile cinema has had its van stolen which included important equipment necessary to carry out their show.
The bright yellow Ford Transit Custom was stolen from Penclawdd on North Gower on Thursday 16th April by a gang of thieves who arrived in a black hatchback car at 1am. A neighbours CCTV footage show the gang drive off
in the car, followed by the stolen Sol Cinema’s yellow van.
The theft was a spate of other similar vans being stolen but the same gang on that same night. Police have stated that “there have been a number of thefts of vehicles overnight”.
Another Ford Transit was stolen in Dunvant within minutes of the Sol Cinema van being stolen.
Co-founder of the Sol Cinema, Paul O’Connor said; “The theft of our van is a devastating blow to our show. We choose a bright yellow van as our cinema is completely powered by the Sun. Our solar panels generate the renewable energy to power our projector, lights, sound and computer.
Sol Cinema has toured all over the UK, Ireland and the EU entertaining tens of thousands of people with short films, usherettes and popcorn. The van was a recent purchase and was was just finished being kitted out for this Summers festival tour, which includes Glastonbury and Camp Bestival in Dorset.
Our vital tools and equipment were in the stolen van which we can not afford to replace now. We don’t know what we will do now”
The Sol Cinema has won a Digital Hero award for best digital communication project for its use of 100% solar power. Sol Cinema are appealing to anyone who may have had their vehicle stolen that same night to get in touch. Perhaps someone has CCTV footage of the thieves faces.
A Houston police officer fired his gun at three men in a stolen vehicle as they were driving toward officers early Friday morning, officials said.
#CityOfHouston #Crime #Houston #Local #News #Police #HoustonPolice #HoustonPoliceDepartment #PolicePursuit #StolenVehicle
None of the three men was struck by gunfire, according to Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Luis Menendez, who said officers responded to a call about an aggravated robbery in northeast Houston just before 11:30 p.m. Thursday after the men allegedly stole a black Ford Mustang.