A GOOD Samaritan who helped save a woman’s life after she lay seriously injured for 19 hours following a car crash was jailed for burglary yesterday.

Stephen Clifford, 54, of Hillside Crescent, Rogerstone, who found and rescued Sophie Cull after her car came off the A449 in 2009, appeared in Cardiff Crown Court for sentencing yesterday having previously pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, possessing an air rifle and an air rifle moderator.

Prosecutor Anthony Trigg said the first burglary happened at Hill Barn Farm, near Caldicot, on June 24, 2009, while the owner was out.

Among the items stolen were £1,400 in cash, a gold watch case, six silver pocket watches, a gold chain, and a virgo zodiac pendant.

The homeowner asked Chepstow Market stallholders to look out for the items and was contacted by one who bought some items from Clifford and had taken his full name and details.

The second burglary was at Nantymark Farm, near Usk, in July 2009, when a .22 air rifle, two pairs of cufflinks, two gold rings and a handbag with a blue leather purse containing collectable coins were taken.

Police searched Clifford’s home on August 9, 2009, after he was identified as selling the items at the market and recovered the air rifle and the blue leather purse and coins.

Mr Trigg said Clifford brazenly lied, saying he had owned the rifle for years and had bought the leather purse and coins on separate occasions at car boot sales.

He pleaded guilty to the offences on June 8 when his trial was due to start.

Representing Clifford, Andrew Taylor said his client had acted as a “Good Samaritan” rescuing a woman whose car had overturned after coming off the road.

He said Clifford had undergone treatment for cancer and was also suffering from depression.

Mr Taylor said: “He cannot be said to be a highly sophisticated burglar, because presumably if he was he wouldn’t have provided his full details when he was in effect selling the spoils of the burglary.

That shows his amateur nature.”

The Recorder of Cardiff Nicholas Cooke QC said in usual circumstances Clifford would face a custodial sentence of two years and three months, but due to his ill health and the fact he acted as a Good Samaritan at some risk to his own safety he would make an exception.

Clifford was jailed for 18 months.

Rescuer found crash driver

SOPHIE Cull, now 29, was on her way back from a Take That concert in Coventry on June 9, 2009, when her Nissan Micra careered down an embankment on the A449 at Llantrissent, near Usk, and overturned at around 2am.

She managed to crawl out of the vehicle despite suffering a head wound, but became trapped in undergrowth.

When she failed to arrive home her fiance and mother retraced her route and called the AA, police and hospitals for any news, but she was not found until 19 hours later, when Clifford was walking home after shooting rabbits on farmland.

She and her grateful fiance later invited Clifford to her wedding.