Swansea Man’s Crime Spree Culminates in Devastating Ram-Raid
A Swansea resident’s spree of criminal activity has left a significant trail of damage to local businesses and has resulted in a substantial custodial sentence. Matthew Morgan, described by prosecutors as a career criminal, was recently jailed after a series of break-ins, thefts and a dramatic ram-raid on a cycle store, causing estimated damages of up to £180,000.
Swansea Crown Court heard how Morgan, whose criminal record stretches to 85 previous offences, embarked on a fresh wave of lawbreaking between March and May this year. The sequence began during the final weekend of March, when Morgan targeted a number of vans and lorries parked outside commercial garages along Neath Road in the Landore district of Swansea. Prosecutors explained that Morgan smashed windows on five separate vehicles, making off with items including tools, a television and an in-car stereo. He was also reported to have damaged a further three vehicles while attempting to gain access.
The break-ins were discovered by business owners returning to work the following Monday. According to court testimony, a review of nearby CCTV provided evidence of a hooded suspect arriving and departing the scene on a bicycle, leading detectives to launch a focused investigation.
Morgan’s criminal activity escalated in April, when he forcibly entered a Spar shop on Conway Road in Penlan in the early hours of the 19th. Using what was believed to be a screwdriver or similar implement, he managed to break through the store’s security shutters. Inside, Morgan helped himself to 76 vapes and 72 packets of cigarettes, with the haul valued at more than £1,100. A police patrol, alerted to the burglary in progress, spotted the suspect fleeing towards Penlan Social Club. Morgan attempted to escape by abandoning his bike and running on foot, but was tackled to the ground by a pursuing officer.
Despite being caught and charged for the Spar break-in, Morgan was granted bail by magistrates while awaiting sentencing. It soon became clear, however, that his criminal behaviour was far from over. In May, Morgan once again targeted local businesses, this time focusing on a courier company based in the Swansea West Business Park at Fforestfach. Court documents reveal that he smashed the windows of several delivery vans before stealing a Volkswagen Crafter van.
Shortly before 1am the next day, Morgan used the stolen van as a battering ram against the Uprise cycle store, which is situated a short distance from the courier depot. Witnesses and CCTV captured the van being aggressively reversed into the shopfront multiple times, after failed attempts to cut through the premises’ car park railings with an angle grinder.
The prosecution conveyed that Morgan and a female accomplice, who remains unidentified, tried to grab a selection of cycles from the showroom, but found them chained securely together. Despite their failed attempts to remove several bikes, the pair managed to escape on foot with two – valued at a combined £10,000 – after damage caused during the break-in prevented them from loading the bikes into the van.
A tracking device briefly recorded one stolen bike’s location in Penlan, but both cycles remain unrecovered. Repair costs for the cycle shop have been estimated at up to £15,000, while additional bikes worth around £30,000 are reported to have been damaged in the attempt.
Morgan was ultimately identified by police who recognised him from the CCTV footage and subsequently arrested. Questioned during formal police interviews, he exercised his right to remain silent.
Appearing before Swansea Crown Court, Morgan admitted to several charges including multiple counts of vehicle theft, two burglaries, attempted theft and causing criminal damage. The court also noted Morgan’s lengthy list of prior convictions, and revealed that his partner, Natalie Squibb, faced charges in connection to the bike shop burglary, although prosecution against her was not pursued.
During sentencing, Judge Paul Thomas KC commented on the significant stress and financial loss caused to Morgan’s victims, and rejected representations to suspend the sentence. Factoring in reductions due to early guilty pleas, the court handed Morgan a sentence totalling 40 months’ imprisonment, combining penalties for offences committed in both Landore and Fforestfach. He will serve half his sentence in custody before being released on licence.
The case has highlighted the substantial costs and distress that can be wrought upon local businesses and communities by persistent offenders, raising further questions about the effectiveness of bail conditions for repeat offenders awaiting sentencing.