BURGLARS who caused "untold misery" for families across Wrexham, Mold and Chester have been jailed.

Joshua Roberts, aged 27 and of no fixed abode, appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday alongside 21-year-old Connor Birchall-Roberts, of no fixed abode, and 21-year-old Ewan Mackenzie, of Heol Islwyn in Coedpoeth.

The three had previously admitted conspiracy to commit burglary.

Also appearing were 48-year-old Steven Davies, of Bradley Road in Wrexham, and 19-year-old Tyler Gemma Fenlon of Park Road in Coedpoeth - both of whom had admitted handling stolen goods.

Jade Tufail, prosecuting, told the court that between January 5 and February 5 last year, the three burglars broke into 28 homes and stole goods worth £114,000.

In most cases they smashed their way into the properties through rear windows and doors while the occupants were out or on holiday, ransacked the homes and came away with high value items.

This included all manner of irreplaceable family heirlooms and items of incalculable sentimental significance, jewellery, electronics, cars, cosmetics, perfumes, bags, purses and wallets, bank cards - even military and police medals.

Listing the objects taken in her summary of the hearing, Judge Nicola Jones said the burglaries had included the theft of a victim's grandfather's military cross which had never been recovered, a Kukri knife awarded to a victim's grandfather who had served in Burma, a police medal awarded for long service in the community and even £55 in cash from a child's money box.

On one occasion they entered the home of residents who had since moved into a care home and taken a safe, and on another they burgled the home of a woman who had died just weeks earlier, taking a large amount of valuables before her grieving son had an opportunity to remove them.

During one of the burglaries, the occupier's son had been in the property and had to lock himself in a bedroom before calling the police.

On one occasion a brave neighbour challenged the men, causing them to drop a pillowcase full of valuables - a method used in several of the offences - only to be threatened with a knife, the court heard.

Ms Tufail told the court the impact on the many victims has been significant, with residents left feeling anxious and unsafe in their own homes, many investing large sums of money into security measures.

On February 5, police attended an address in Bradley Road.

They were looking for Joshua Roberts because he was wanted on recall to prison.

Inside they found all of the defendants except Mackenzie, who was arrested a few days later, in addition to a large quantity of the stolen items.

Paul Smith, defending Connor Birchall-Roberts, said: "I'm instructed by him that he was excluded from school in year seven and did not successfully reintegrate. "In the last few years doctors have formed the view there is an underlying mental health condition they may be able to medicate."

He invited the court to hand down a sentence which may let his client see "light at the end of the tunnel" so measures put in place by him and his family to help him are not "a distant dream."

Dafydd Roberts, defending Joshua Roberts, said: "He needs to take responsibility and change his ways and he is saying to me that he is endeavouring to do that.

"He had a troubled upbringing and has spent much of his adult life in prison.

"He has been addicted to cocaine in the past and is addressing that in prison."

Andrew Green, defending Fenlon, said: "She may be in a very different position to many of her co-defendants.

"The best mitigation is the maturity she's shown since March last year. "Her grandmother would have found the last 12 months extremely difficult were it not for her care and company."

Sentencing, Judge Jones said the burglars has caused "untold misery."

She told them: "You were clearly looking for high value, portable items.

"This was a campaign of burglary. There was a significant degree of planning and you went equipped. "These offences have had significant impact for the victims.

"Many of them are anxious and they have had to increase security which has cost them significantly.

"Some struggle to sleep at night and many have lost irreplaceable family heirlooms."

Joshua Roberts was jailed for seven and years six months, Connor Birchall-Roberts was jailed for six years and Ewan Mckenzie was jailed for four years and three months.

Steven Davies and Tyler Gemma Fenlon received 18 month community orders.

DI Mark Hughes said: “Operation Blue Leather was an investigation into a series of burglaries between January 5 and February 5, 2020, in which a substantial amount of property was stolen, causing great distress to many people.

"I am delighted at these sentences which demonstrate that there are serious consequences for such crimes and which will I hope reassure the public that we are determined to pursue burglars and bring them to justice.”