A BURGLAR was arrested by an off-duty police officer after he raided her home at night.

Jack Martin, 21, from Newport, had been drinking when he went into Georgina Care’s house in Cwmbran last month, prosecutor Talia Keskin told Cardiff Crown Court.

She confronted him and he ran off, before burgling a couple’s home nearby and trying to steal their car after taking the keys.

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Miss Care had followed Martin and she arrested him after she heard a group shouting, “He’s jumping the fence”.

When he was being interviewed by detectives he told them he had been with another man but he had ran away.

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The defendant, who appeared in court via a video link from Swansea Prison, admitted burglary and burglary with intent at around 11pm on Friday, June 17.

Martin gained national notoriety in the summer of 2019 when he issued a threat on social media under his own mugshot which the media lapped up.

When Gwent Police launched a wanted man appeal on Facebook the then teenager posted a reply which read: “If you see me keep your mouth shut.”

He was arrested by the force not long after.

Miss Keskin said this was a “third strike” burglary conviction for Martin who was sent to a young offender institution in both 2018 and 2020 for that offence.

He had 21 previous convictions for 52 offences in total which included supplying cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis, harassment, assault and criminal damage.

Tom Roberts, representing the defendant, said in mitigation: “He is only 21 years old and of course his antecedent record does him no credit.

“After his release from prison in March for a previous sentence he was making good progress and beginning to turn things around.

“He had been provided with an address in Cwmbran where he was settling and comfortable but unfortunately he was moved to an address in Newport.

“It’s at that address that he fell foul of, certainly by my instructions, some quite restrictive conditions on his tenancy.”

Mr Roberts added: “He found himself breaching those conditions and homeless.

“It was at that stage that things began to spiral.

“He said it got to the stage where he simply didn’t know what to do and felt he was a burden to those who had offered him some support and he turned to drink.”

Judge Niclas Parry told Martin: “These were serious burglaries for the following reasons.

“They occurred at night, the properties were occupied, there was a confrontation, you were acting with another, you were acting under the influence of alcohol and you were on licence after being released from another sentence.

“And on top of that you have two previous convictions for burglary and two previous convictions for attempted burglary.”

The defendant, of no fixed abode, Newport, was jailed for 27 months and ordered to pay a victim surcharge following his release from prison.