Police identified a man who broke into a petrol station using a crowbar thanks to CCTV footage and good local knowledge.
Gary Patterson, aged 33, admitted breaking into Bryn Gelli services, where he stole money from a till and a charity jar.
Dyfed-Powys Police received a call reporting an alarm being activated at the garage at just after 1am on March 24. Officers immediately attended, and found the back doors of the garage had been forced open.
The offender had targeted three tills inside and had left the scene with a small amount of money from the tills, as well as a charity jar.
A review of CCTV footage covering the area showed a man making his way through a car park to the garage. He used a crowbar two to three foot long to force open the door.
A clear screenshot of the offender’s face allowed officers to identify him as 33-year-old Gary Patterson.
All known addresses linked to him were visited.
Patterson was located and arrested on March 27. He was charged with commercial burglary and possession of cannabis, and admitted the offences at Swansea Magistrates’ Court the following day.
Other crime incidents in Llanelli included break-ins at the Brewers Fayre Sandpiper and Jollies at the Hilltop, Bryn. Both businesses were closed due to the Coronavirus outbreak. There was also an attempted burglary at the Anne Street post office. Intruders ran off when the alarms went off.
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