Farm burglar who stole quad bikes and vehicles in 'prolific' spree has found God

Jeffrey Bevan stole quad bikes, tools and pick-ups in a spree of thievery but told a judge he has now found God, and feels ashamed of what he did.

A burglar targeted a series of family-run farms stealing a haul of quad bikes, vehicles, and equipment in a spree of high value break-ins, a court has heard.

Jeffrey Wayne Bevan went out at night with the tools of his trade and broke into barns, sheds, garages, and farmyards across Carmarthenshire.

He was caught by police following an investigation that saw officers using CCTV, automatic number plate recognition technology, forensic, mobile phone, and eye witness evidence - an investigation praised by a judge.

Swansea Crown Court heard the defendant has now found religion after praying to God.

Tom Scapens, prosecuting, said Bevan was responsible for a spree of "prolific, persistent, premeditated and sophisticated" offending over three nights in October this year, taking high-value items from agricultural premises.

In a series of raids at farms across Carmarthenshire the defendant stole four quad bikes, two vehicles - Mitsubishi and Toyota pickups - a horse box, and a large number of power tools and pieces of equipment including chainsaws and petrol strimmers.

The prosecutor said there was evidence 50-year-old Bevan had carried out "scouting exercises" on some of his target farms before returning with bolt cutters and other items to access storage areas and outbuildings, and remove locks.

For some of the burglaries the defendant used a large Renault Trafic van to remove the stolen items, a vehicle which had itself been stolen from a farm on Gower.

Mr Scapens said it was clear Bevan had not been acting alone during the burglaries, but his accomplice was not before the court.

When he was arrested and taken into custody the defendant threw his food around the police station cell, and then gave a no comment interview to detectives.

Much of the stolen property was recovered from locations in Swansea, though some had been damaged.

Bevan, formerly of Mount Pleasant, Gowerton, Swansea, but now of no fixed abode, had previously pleaded guilty to six counts of burglary along with counts of criminal damage, thefts, theft of vehicles, and theft from vehicles when he appeared in the dock for sentencing via videolink from prison.

The court heard the defendant has 25 previous convictions for 53 offences including going equipped for theft, handling stolen goods, vehicle interference, and burglary.

In a series of impact statements read to the court the farmers burgled by Bevan said his actions had impacted them financially and caused great inconvenience, and had left them and their families feeling insecure in their own homes.

One victim said he was the third generation of his family to farm the land, and that he had grown up feeling safe on the farm and wanted his own children to experience the same.

Dean Pulling, for Bevan, said the defendant's guilty pleas reflected his remorse for what he had done.

He said while he had to accept there was an element of planning in the burglaries, there was also a degree of "incompetence" associated with them.

He said that at the age of 50 Bevan had undergone a "revelation" and wanted to turn his life around, noting it was "perhaps better late than never".

Bevan then read out a letter addressed to the judge in which he explained he had prayed to God, and his "religious experiences started almost straight away". He said he was "relieved" to have been caught, and for the first time in his life he felt ashamed for taking things "from others who have worked hard for what they have got".

He said he now wanted to live a positive life and make his family proud, and his behaviour in the past will stay in the past.

The defendant said he found it difficult to express himself but that he "felt every word" of the hymn Amazing Grace.

Recorder Simon Mills told Bevan he had committed a series of "planned and determined" burglaries at family-run farms.

He said such incidents were a "menace to rural communities and to the hard-working and decent people who live in them", and undermined people's feeling of security and safety.

The recorder said he accepted the defendant's remorse as set out in his letter, but told him the way to prove it was not to commit any more offences in the future.

Giving the defendant discounts for his guilty pleas the judge sentenced Bevan to a total of three years and four months for the burglary spree, and and to one month for throwing his food around his cell - the sentences will run concurrently making a total sentence of three years and five months.

The recorder said he was "extremely impressed" by the police investigation and the "strong and complete" case put forward which had resulted in the defendant's guilty pleas.

Speaking after the sentencing Dyfed-Powys Police detective sergeant Paula Jones-Clarke welcomed the jailing of Bevan - and said officers were still hunting for his accomplices.

She said: "We are very pleased with the sentencing outcome for Bevan. We secured his conviction through running an operation targeting criminals responsible for a number of rural burglaries across Carmarthenshire.

"They were targeting quad bikes and high value farm equipment to transport the quad bikes to the neighbouring South Wales Police force area.

"We know Bevan is not working alone. Ammanford CID and the Rural Crime team are working together as part of an on-going investigation.

"We are continuing our efforts to target offenders and prevent further quad bike thefts in Carmarthenshire."