Five masked men smashed their way into property during terrifying late-night raid
A COUPLE feared they were about to be murdered when a masked gang armed with axes burst into their home, a jury at Swansea Crown Court has heard.
Five men dressed in dark clothing and balaclavas forced entry to the property shortly before 9:00pm on May 29, 2021, in what prosecutors say was a planned aggravated burglary. An emergency call was made at 8:51pm.
Prosecutor Mr Wright read to jurors a police statement from homeowner David Davies, who said he had been sitting with his partner, Carmen Bailey, when he heard loud banging at the front door.
“As I got to the entrance, the glass in the door was smashed and the men came through,” he said.
He described five intruders, all carrying axes. One of the men shouted: “Lay face down on the floor.”
Moments later, another voice yelled: “She’s on the phone,” after Ms Bailey contacted police. A further shout of “Let’s go boys” was then heard before the gang fled.
Mr Davies told officers that drawers throughout the property had been opened. Around £3,000 hidden in a spare room was not discovered, but two £50 notes were stolen along with a sanitary item and a Lloyds Bank paying-in book.
He attempted to follow the men as they left and saw the rear of a white SUV. Although his mobile phone had been smashed, it was still functioning.
In a later statement he described one suspect carrying a yellow-and-black rubber-handled axe, adding that another man “hopped out like a kangaroo” as he entered the property.
Ms Bailey said she was left utterly traumatised by the ordeal.
“I was absolutely petrified,” she said. “I felt like I was going to get murdered.”
She told police she could only see the men’s eyes through their balaclavas as she grabbed the house phone and called emergency services. A male voice shouted: “Where’s the money?”
The force of the attack shattered glass up to two metres into the hallway, the court heard.
A third witness, Doreen Jones, said she had phoned Mr Davies during the incident and heard male voices shouting: “Get down, get down.”
The investigation
Jurors were told that a white Nissan Juke — stolen in the Manchester area and fitted with cloned number plates — was later recovered near Paradise Nightclub in Pontardawe after the registration plates had been removed.
Several other men have already pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, but Mohammed Mills and Michael Quinn deny involvement.
When Mills was arrested, officers recovered £235 in cash and a black iPhone. A vehicle linked to him was searched, leading to the discovery of a machete with an orange handle, black gloves and a balaclava.
Quinn was arrested in November 2021. Officers recovered a gold iPhone and a machete, while a large knife was found under his bed at home. A Nokia handset seized from him contained very little data, most of which had been deleted.
Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras placed vehicles linked to the defendants in the Bryncethin area at 6:40pm. Both vehicles were later seen at McDonald’s in Morriston at 7:35pm and at a Tesco service station at 8:32pm — around twenty minutes before the burglary.
There is no CCTV footage of the break-in itself.
The prosecution case
The prosecution allege the burglary was carefully planned, including what they describe as a “dry run” the previous day. They say the vehicles travelled together from Manchester and that the meeting in the area had been pre-arranged.
Jurors were told telecommunications evidence, including phone activity and satnav data, places devices linked to the defendants in relevant locations.
The defence
Mills claims he had recently started taxi work and was paid to drive men to Wales, saying he did not know their intentions. He denies wearing a balaclava and says the machete recovered was not his. His barrister told the court he cooperated fully with police and provided access to his phone.
Quinn maintains he travelled to Wales to sell his Vauxhall Insignia and denies any knowledge of the burglary. He says the knife found under his bed was used for dismantling furniture.
The judge reminded jurors that emotion must play no part in their deliberations and that the verdict is theirs alone.
The trial continues.
