TWO men have pleaded guilty after targeting golf clubs in Haverfordwest and Carmarthen in an overnight burglary-spree.

Mikael Bourkhari, aged 45, and Simon Dickey, aged 38 – both from Newport, South Wales – were charged with two counts of burglary and one count of obstructing police.

At around 12.45am on Sunday 18 January, Dyfed-Powys Police received a call reporting that the intruder alarm had been activated at Haverfordwest Golf Club.

When officers arrived just six minutes later, it was clear that the building had been the target of a deliberate and forcible break-in.

With the alarm still blaring, and a light shining from inside, officers entered the golf club, prepared to catch the intruder red-handed.

Instead, they found that the scene had been abandoned and badly damaged.

Club owners arrived shortly after and noted that several golf clubs worth between £100 and £500 each had been taken from the club shop. It was estimated that the total value of items stolen was around £36,000.

While officers secured evidence at the scene, control room staff at police headquarters gathered intelligence on vehicles in the area that could potentially be linked with the crime.

A red Vauxhall van was identified as part of their enquiries, and a description of the vehicle was shared with officers in both Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.

With officers over the county border alerted to the break-in, local units decided to patrol the golf club in Carmarthen as a precaution. On arrival, it was apparent that the Carmarthen golf club had also been hit.

The front door was extensively damaged, and a yellow crowbar abandoned at the scene. It was estimated that around £7,000 worth of golf clubs had also been stolen from the premises. It was also estimated that around £5,000 worth of damage was caused to the building.

Shortly after 2am, Roads Policing Officers located the suspect vehicle travelling along the A48 towards Pont Abraham, despite fake number plates having been used.

The van was stopped, and a suspiciously large number of golf clubs and bags were found inside. The driver and his passenger – who identified themselves as “Richard Smythe” and “Michael Hale” – were arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Back at custody, the pair confessed to giving fake names and were further arrested on suspicion of obstructing police.

All the stolen items were recovered and returned to the golf clubs.

Mikael Bourkhari and Simon Dickey appeared at Llanelli Magistrates Court the following morning (19 January) and pleaded guilty to both counts of burglary and one count of obstructing police.

The two were remanded into custody until their sentencing on Monday 2 February.

Detective Sergeant Sophie Lambert of Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Crimes like this have a profound impact on the community, particularly those whose livelihoods are built on the success of their business.

“This was a fantastic example of multiple teams across different locations working together to stop these criminals in their tracks.

“The work by the control room staff to quickly identify the suspect vehicle played a crucial role in the swift interception by our Roads Policing Officers. This co-ordinated response undoubtedly prevented further offences from taking place.

“We welcome these guilty pleas and hope that this case sends a clear message that we will take robust action against anyone seeking to break the law in our force area.”