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.

A MILFORD HAVEN man has been banned from driving for three years after admitting drug driving for the second time in a decade.

Adam Gilbert-Morris, 34, was followed by police officers as he drove his Skoda Fabia into the Tesco car park in Milford Haven on September 12, 2025. Officers suspected he was under the influence of drugs and carried out a roadside drug swipe, which proved positive.

Further blood tests later confirmed he had 5.7 micrograms of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol in his system. The legal limit is two.

Gilbert-Morris, of Birch Mead, Milford Haven, pleaded guilty when he appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court. He was represented by solicitor Alaw Harries.

Ms Harries told the court there had been no evidence of bad driving or impairment at the time of his arrest.

“He had smoked a single joint around 10 or 12 hours before driving and did not believe it would still be in his system,” she said.

“There was no intentional decision to drive whilst impaired.”

Because the offence was his second drug-driving conviction within ten years, magistrates disqualified him from driving for 36 months.

He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £48 surcharge.

A FISHGUARD woman has been banned from the roads after admitting she had cannabis in her system when she was stopped by police in Haverfordwest.

Amy Morgans, 37, was driving her black Volkswagen T-Cross in Fleming Crescent on the evening of December 15 when officers pulled her over.

Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court heard that when officers spoke to Morgans, she admitted she had smoked cannabis the previous day. Subsequent blood analysis confirmed she had 6.6 micrograms of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol in her system, more than three times the legal limit of two.

Morgans, of Gwelfor, Fishguard, pleaded guilty to drug driving and was represented by solicitor Alaw Harries.

Ms Harries told magistrates her client used cannabis regularly to help manage medical conditions.

“She has psoriasis and arthritis, and the cannabis helps ease both these conditions,” she said.

“She used it the night before and drove almost 24 hours later, not realising it would still be in her system.

“The defendant describes this as her hardest lesson, and she’s genuinely devastated to find herself in court today.”

Morgans was disqualified from driving for 12 months. She was fined £80 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £32 surcharge.