A NEWPORT man high on cocaine broke into his elderly neighbour’s flat and stole an iPad and commemorative coins.

Stephen Harris, of Penkin Hill in Alway, was spared jail after admitting to the burglary, which took place on August 6 last year.

Cardiff Crown Court was told of how the victim lived alone in a ground floor flat with her dog. On the day of the burglary, having spent much of the day out of the property, she returned home in the evening and noticed a latch on a window had been damaged.

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“It wasn’t until the next morning that she awoke and realised they had stolen collectable 50p coins, commemorative coins to the value of about £10, and also missing was an iPad from the shelf of the living room,” said Mr Hewitt.

The victim’s daughter managed to track the iPad, and passed the location onto police. When questioned, the owner of the property said she had bought the iPad “in good faith" from the defendant.

“The daughter recognised that name as someone who lived next door to her mother.”

When arrested and initially questioned, Harris told police he had “committed no burglary but obtained it from a child in the street.”

However, crime scene investigators found Harris’ DNA in the victim’s kitchen, when the victim was certain he had never been in her flat.

In a statement read out in court, the victim said she has had to install CCTV and locks on every window following the burglary.

“The whole incident has made me feel insecure in my own home,” she said.

“I feel how I can’t like I want to in my own home. If I hear movements in the night, I feel really jumpy and scared.”

In mitigation, Thomas Stanway told the court how the victim’s flat was not specifically targeted by Harris.

“He was using cocaine at the time,” he said. “As he walked past the property, the window was slightly ajar.

“There was no evidence of an implement being used [to open the window].”

Mr Stanway said Harris, aged 39, had previous good character, however, at the time of the burglary “his relationship had broken down after 20 years” and “his step-father, who raised him, had also passed away.”

He said how Harris had since sought help from his GP and Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service (GDAS).

“He’s provided a number of negative tests, after meeting with GDAS, for cocaine and all other controlled substances,” said Mr Stanway.

Judge Michael Fitton told Harris that his actions caused the victim to “still suffer from anxiety.”

“She is elderly and lives alone. The privacy of her home was broken selfishly by yourself. You had the audacity to sell it on to a relative that lives nearby,” he added.

Judge Fitton sentenced Harris to six months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

He must also complete 10 sessions of rehabilitation activity, and 150 hours of unpaid work - both within the next 18 months.

He has been forbidden from contacting the victim, directly or indirectly, and a restraining order has been put in place for a period of three years prohibiting him from returning to Penkin Hill.

An initial order of £500 costs and compensation was made, although this may be adjusted when the prosecution presents the full costs of the security equipment the victim purchased.

Harris must pay a victim surcharge of £128.