Wrexham man jailed for early hours burglary with machete

Ricki Roberts, of Victoria Road in Brynteg, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Wednesday morning.

The 39-year-old had previously admitted an offence of aggravated burglary, which took place last year.

Dafydd Roberts, prosecuting, told how the victim, a woman in her mid-eighties living alone in Marford, was woken by banging at about 3.20am on November 22.

Two men - caught on cctv - had approached her home with a machete and repeatedly punched and kicked the front door until they gained entry.

They were inside for two minutes, during which they entered the victim's bedroom to find her on the phone, having dialled 999.

One of the men, Roberts, snatched the phone from her hand and threw it into the hall so hard it broke.

Before the call cut out, the woman could be heard screaming.

READ MORE: Masked robbers in Wrexham 'targeted Asian family home looking for gold'

Roberts then held the machete over his head and shouted in the victim's face: "Where's the money?"

The other man searched the bedroom, opening boxes and drawers, before the woman told them they could find cash in her bedside drawer.

They took between £130 and £150, then demanded her car keys.

They attempted to make off in her car, but "rolled it," the court heard, and escaped on foot instead.

Ricki Roberts. Image: North Wales Police

When the vehicle was examined, some of the stolen property was recovered.

A bloodstained machete was found in the passenger footwell - which when examined was linked to Roberts by DNA.

It appeared he'd cut himself while gaining entry to the home, the court heard, as blood was also found on the victim's bedding.

Roberts was arrested a week later and initially denied the offence, but then entered a guilty plea before the magistrates court.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the victim said the incident left her fearful to be in her home alone at night, and that her car - a "lifeline" to her - was badly damaged.

A great deal of psychological harm was done to her, the court heard.

Duncan Bould, defending, said: "This is going to be a significantly longer sentence than he has experienced before.

READ MORE: Wrexham man jailed following 'campaign of burglaries' worth over £12,000

"The only feature of the facts which may act in a mitigatory way is that this was not prolonged beyond the minutes that appear to have been the time he was in the house.

"He has expressed, each time I have spoken to him, remorse for what has happened and he can understand the effect of what he did on the lady householder."

Mr Bould added his client is "determined to try to make the most of his time in custody."

Judge Niclas Parry jailed the defendant for seven years and four months, two thirds of which must be served in prison before he becomes eligible for release on licence.

Make sure you don't miss the top court stories of the week by signing up to our free court newsletter