A man whose lawyer characterized him as having “the worst record you will have seen” was arrested again after being caught many times attempting to steal from a restaurant.
Andrew Davies, 43, may have the longest criminal record in Wales, with a “appalling” and “atrocious record” of 517 previous offenses.
The serial thief, who became hooked to heroin as a child, has spent the majority of his life in and out of jail.
His efforts to steal wine from The Dock in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, occurred just a month after he narrowly avoided prison for earlier thefts.
Prosecutor Nicholas Evans told Cardiff Magistrates’ Court that at 6.30pm on October 25, a “strange-looking” man was seen coming down a flight of stairs in The Dock with bottles under his jacket.
A restaurant employee was alerted after a member of the public witnessed the robber. Davies was seen on CCTV taking three £30 bottles of vodka from behind the bar.
He returned to the crime scene three days later, but not before stealing some garments. On October 25, he broke into JD Sports on Queen Street and stole five Under Armour coats valued £225. The next day, he returned with four Fred Perry t-shirts worth £300.
On October 28, he crept inside The Dock’s staff room but fled when confronted by a worker. He tried to enter the staff room again a few minutes later but was stopped. Davies then proceeded to Sports Direct in Cardiff Bay Retail Park and took three Liverpool FC jackets worth £195 in total.
Davies, of Butetown, admitted in court to burglary, attempted burglary, and three counts of stealing.
He has 517 offenses on his record, 355 of them are related to dishonesty.
His solicitor Oliver Jenkins said: “I am the first to recognise he has an atrocious record. He perhaps has the worst record you will have seen.
“He recognises that is an appalling record and cannot be excused. His life has been blighted by addiction and unfortunately he has been a heroin addict from childhood.”
His lawyer added that Davies’ sister Nicola passed away after struggling with lung cancer, adding that his client’s behaviour was aggravated by the fact that it is her funeral on Friday, Nov. 3.
“Unfortunately the loss of his sister triggered a relapse and all these offences occurred over a three-day period when he was dealing with that. She was his one remaining family member,” he argued.
He asked what immediate custody “would achieve”.
The hearing was rescheduled for later in the day to allow for an update from a substance abuse specialist, who, it is understood, did not offer a good assessment of Davies’ participation with programs.
Presiding Justice Clare Byrne sentenced the offender to ten months in prison and ordered him to pay a victim services surcharge of £154 upon his release.