A 48-YEAR-OLD man has pleaded guilty of burglary after thousands of pounds worth of tools were stolen from an electrical shop in Aberystwyth. 

Dyfed-Powys Police received a call reporting that a burglary had taken place at CEF Electrical sometime between 3pm on Sunday 29 September and 7.15am on Monday 30 September, 2024. 

The shop owner explained that when he arrived to open the shop on the Monday morning, he noticed that the front door was smashed, and the wires linked to the alarm system had been cut.  

Inside the building, he noticed that several items – mainly high-power electrical tools – had been taken. The shop keeper calculated the total value of the stolen items was around £30,000.  

Officers were dispatched to the location and began securing forensic evidence from the scene and conducting CCTV and house-to-house enquiries.  

CCTV cameras captured a vehicle attending the business at around 11.30pm the night before and returning to the business at around 1am.  

Checks confirmed that vehicle belonged to a 48-year-old Christopher Cole from Hackney, London.  

DNA swabs taken from the inside of a broken windowpane also pointed to Christopher Cole being present at the crime scene. 

Cole was named as a wanted suspect, and extensive search enquiries led to his arrest in Rugby, England, by Hampshire Police on Wednesday 19 November 2025. 

He was brought into Aberystwyth police station for questioning. 

Cole was subsequently charged with burglary and released on conditional bail. On Monday, the 48-year-old admitted to the offence and will be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on 30 January, 2026 

PC Joe Roberts, the officer in this case, said: “This was a serious offence committed by a man who thought he could travel into our force area and target a local business for his own gain. 

“This crime has understandably had a significant impact on the business and its employees, and I hope this outcome will reassure them that Dyfed-Powys Police will not tolerate travelling criminals in our area. We eagerly await his sentencing.” 

Motorist stopped in Milford Haven after officers noticed poor driving

A PEMBROKEHIRE carpenter has been banned from driving after being caught behind the wheel while over the drink-drive limit.

Nathan Edwards, aged 28, was stopped by police as he drove his black BMW along St Peters Road, Milford Haven, on December 5.

“He was stopped as a result of his manner of driving,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“He was followed for a short distance and when officers stopped the vehicle, they observed that his eyes were glazed and that he appeared nervous.”

Ms Vaughan said Edwards admitted to officers that he had consumed two pints of lager prior to being stopped.

Subsequent breathalyser tests showed he had 41 micrograms of alcohol in his system. The legal limit is 35.

His solicitor, Tom Lloyd, told the court: “That reading puts him only just over the limit.

“But the consequences are going to be absolutely huge for him, as he is a self-employed carpenter.

“He thought he was probably okay to drive and he took that foolish risk, which he deeply regrets.”

Edwards, of Charles Street, Neyland, was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £400. He was also ordered to pay a £160 court surcharge and £85 in costs.

Driver stopped in early hours after police detected smell of cannabis

A MILFORD HAVEN motorist has been convicted of drug-driving after being stopped by police in the early hours of the morning.

John Hilton, aged 42, was pulled over just before 1:00am on October 19 after officers observed him driving at excessive speed along Langford Road, Johnston.

When the vehicle was stopped, officers detected a strong smell of cannabis coming from inside. Hilton told police that he had consumed cannabis the previous day.

Blood tests later carried out at the police station showed that Hilton had 16 micrograms of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol in his system. The legal limit is 2 micrograms.

Appearing before Haverfordwest magistrates this week, Hilton, of Oaklands, Milford Haven, pleaded guilty to the drug-driving offence.

His solicitor, Tom Lloyd, told the court that Hilton had been using cannabis as a form of self-medication.

“But I’m pleased to say that he no longer uses the drug,” said Mr Lloyd.

The court heard that Hilton is already disqualified from driving for three years following a previous drink-driving conviction in 2021.

Magistrates fined him £120 and ordered him to pay a £48 court surcharge and £85 in costs.