**Burglar Repeatedly Targeted Home While Victim Slept Upstairs in Tenby**
A serial burglar has been jailed after entering the same house three times within an hour, stealing bottles of beer while the female resident was asleep upstairs. Mark Brook, whose criminal conduct extends to a multitude of offences, was later caught on CCTV leaving the property and consuming the spoils of his crime openly in the street.
The incident, which took place in April last year on Lower Frog Street in Tenby, saw Brook take advantage of an unlocked front door after one of the householders left for work early in the morning. CCTV footage from a neighbouring property later revealed the suspect’s repeated attempts at door handles up and down the street between 6.20am and 7.30am, before he returned to the victims’ home three separate times, each occasion leaving with a bottle of beer.
Brook, described in court as a “very complicated individual”, has struggled with substance misuse and a diagnosed personality disorder. His barrister, James Hartson, told Swansea Crown Court that recent psychiatric reports underlined Brook’s difficulties with both drugs and alcohol—issues which have framed much of his criminal history.
Despite being identified as the culprit and later arrested, Brook was released on bail pending further investigation. However, his time in the community was not spent rehabilitating. Instead, he went on to commit an additional 14 offences, including theft, attempted robbery, criminal damage, and assaults on retail staff. One notably alarming episode involved Brook attempting to snatch a necklace from around a woman’s neck. On another occasion, he ripped metal fittings from a building and brandished them threateningly in a youth club, causing distress amongst staff and children.
During his brief periods in custody and police interaction, Brook was described as volatile and unresponsive. On his arrest following the burglary, he appeared dazed and under the influence in Cardigan, wearing little more than a pair of shorts and unable to recall what, if anything, he had taken. His subsequent behaviour in custody included self-harm and complete silence during police interviews, refusing even to acknowledge the damning CCTV evidence.
Brook’s record is long and troubling, with 17 previous convictions for 27 separate offences, including violence and other burglaries. Earlier in the year, he was sentenced for stealing a bottle of champagne from a supermarket on Christmas Eve, a crime for which he had received merely a suspended sentence.
Judge Paul Thomas KC, presiding over the case, expressed deep concern regarding Brook’s ongoing criminal behaviour, commenting that while the monetary value of the items stolen was low, the violation of personal security and peace of mind caused by home invasions is profound. Judge Thomas remarked that the most serious aspect of the burglary was not the theft itself, but the “distress and sense of violation” it caused the victims.
Despite submissions from Brook’s defence about his complex mental health and addiction issues, the psychiatric reports presented to the court did not support a mental health disposal. Judge Thomas concluded that Brook’s drug consumption was central to his problematic conduct, and expressed the hope that a custodial sentence would allow him the opportunity to break the cycle of addiction and offending.
In sentencing, and taking into account Brook’s guilty plea, the judge imposed a prison term of 16 months for the burglary. Additionally, an 18-week suspended sentence was activated to run concurrently. Brook is expected to serve half of this sentence in custody before being released on licence to complete the remainder of his term in the community.
As he was led from the dock, Brook simply said, “Thank you very much,” signalling perhaps both relief and resignation at the outcome. The case underscores ongoing concerns about drug-related offending and the challenge the criminal justice system faces in addressing the root causes of recidivism, particularly where repeat offenders with complex needs are concerned.