A TOTAL of four people who were involved in the handling of high-value goods stolen from Gwynedd have been spared jail.

Glenn Beresford, Liam Griffiths, Niall Lloyd and Brad Skidmore were handed the following sentences at Mold Crown Court today (September 20):

  • Beresford, 21, of Chapel Street, Brierley Hill was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for 21 months.
  • Griffiths, 32, of Swan Street, Pensnett, was sentenced to a 12-month community order.
  • Lloyd, 26, of Windsor Crescent, Broseley, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for 21 months.
  • Skidmore, 20, of Moor Street, Brierley Hill, was sentenced to 24 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

All four of them had previously admitted handling stolen goods, while Beresford had also pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit burglary, and Skidmore to cannabis supply.

There are co-defendants who still await sentencing for their roles in the criminality.

Prosecuting, Olivia Appleby told the court that the defendants’ offending took place in the Tywyn, Dolgellau and Bala areas from August to October 2022.

The total value of the stolen property, of which little has been recovered, was an estimated £200,000.

Stolen items included chainsaws, leaf blowers, a generator, motorbikes, a shotgun, an air rifle, a quadbike, and a Land Rover vehicle.

Skidmore was found to be advertising on Facebook Marketplace one of three motorbikes which had been stolen from outside the shed of a property in Bala.

He was asked to sell it by a third party, but did not take possession of it.

Police analysis of his mobile phone also revealed that he had been involved in the supply of cannabis for about nine months in 2022.

Lloyd was responsible for travelling into North Wales, collecting stolen property, and taking it back to the West Mercia area.

Beresford was a “trusted associate” whose role involved collecting property, sometimes travelling to North Wales to do so, and passing it on to a third party.

Following these incidents, he then committed an attempted burglary at a pensioner’s property in Dudley in April of this year.

Griffiths was a handler of stolen goods provided to him by Beresford; his role came to light after he, too, advertised some of the stolen items for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

Representing Skidmore, Richard Davenport said his client, a father who was working in a bakery with his mother up to the end of 2023, is “somewhat more mature now”, and accepts he got involved with “older peers who led him down a path of criminality”.

Defending Griffiths, Will Smout said his client, who works as a gardener, is a “loving father” who is “remorseful”, and who wants to “work hard to support his family”.

For Beresford, Astakhar Ahmed said his client had no previous convictions, is a “vulnerable” individual, and is “ashamed” of his actions, which were “out of character”.

Duncan Bould, representing Lloyd, said his client has a young family, is “thinking differently these days”, and has “genuine remorse and empathy towards those affected” by his actions.

Sentencing, Judge Timothy Petts also ordered Skidmore to complete 35 days’ rehabilitation activity, and a “trail monitoring” requirement.

The seized drugs and paraphernalia are to be forfeited and destroyed.

“You’re on your last warning,” Judge Petts told Skidmore..

Griffiths will complete 20 days’ rehabilitation activity and 60 hours’ unpaid work as part of his community order, meanwhile.

Beresford, who Judge Petts said had a “more significant role” in the handling of stolen goods, will complete 25 days’ rehabilitation activity and 150 hours of unpaid work.

“You’ve got, still, some growing up to do,” Judge Petts told him.

Lloyd, who Judge Petts said had a “wider involvement” in the offending, will complete 10 days’ rehabilitation activity, and 200 hours of unpaid work.

All of the defendants were also ordered to pay £500 each in prosecution costs, apart from Beresford, who will instead pay £700 in compensation to the victim of the attempted burglary in Dudley.