Jealous man waited for ex’s new boyfriend to go on holiday for twisted revenge

Fuelled by envy and a mammoth cocaine binge, Daniel Marshall was hellbent on ‘revenge’ against the woman who had dumped him after a five-year relationship

16:38, 20 Feb 2026

A jealous man broke into the home of his ex-partner’s boyfriend, left a trail of destruction and stole a car. Daniel Marshall, from Senghenydd in Caerphilly county, targeted the house when he knew the new boyfriend, Jack Hodder, would be away in Canada on a rugby tour.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Mr Hodder’s girlfriend, Abby Hillberg, had been in a relationship with Marshall for five years before dumping him last February. Marshall, a 33-year-old groundworker, had “taken the separation badly” and was furious that Ms Hillberg had settled down with Mr Hodder, said prosecutor Ieuan Bennett.

While abroad Mr Hodder had asked Ms Hillberg to keep an eye on his house. She left the Nelson property on the morning of May 25 last year, having checked it was secure, before returning at around 10pm that night. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here

Ms Hillberg, who was with her mother, noticed the lights were on in the house. The court heard Marshall had climbed the garden wall, picked up half a patio slab and hurled it through a window to get in, though it was not clear whether he was still inside when Ms Hillberg entered.

The judge, Recorder Mark Powell KC, said the evidence suggested Marshall had left the property for a short time before returning and stealing the car keys from a kitchen cupboard while Ms Hillberg and her mother were in the house. He then drove off in Mr Hodder’s nearby Ford Focus without being heard or seen.

Ms Hillberg discovered broken glass had been left “everywhere” in the house and that the intruder had gone into the couple’s bedroom to smash up their TV, said Mr Bennett.

“Police eventually found the defendant driving the vehicle nearby, with three other people in the car,” the prosecutor went on. “The car sped off, with the defendant driving rather quickly away from police and into a cul-de-sac. He then got out and ran off before being found hiding in undergrowth, in possession of a single wrap of cocaine in his sock.”

Mr Hodder claimed the car’s suspension was damaged and that Marshall had caused £9,542 worth of damage to his property, most of which was not covered by insurance.

In his victim impact statement he said: “I have had to watch my partner be scared, worried and anxious without being able to help. I have reassured her she is safe but watching her worry in our own home has been tough.

“I believe a restraining order is necessary for the safety of my family. Abby and I are expecting a baby in the coming months and I am wary of the safety of Abby and our unborn child.”

Marshall repeatedly shook his head in the dock while Ms Hillberg’s statement was being read out. “I have not slept properly since the incident,” it read. “I have been waking Jack up in the middle of the night in a panic.

“It is not normal to feel so unsafe in your own home. I have very rarely left the Nelson area, to avoid coming into contact with him. I changed my working hours because I was worried he would show up at my work.”

Marshall, of Alexandra Terrace in Senghenydd, admitted burglary, theft and possession of class A cocaine. His record included previous convictions for aggravated vehicle-taking, battery and assaulting a police officer.

His barrister Harriet Ealden said he felt “genuine remorse and shame” for his actions, adding: “Following the breakdown of the long-term relationship he experienced mental ill health and, rather than seeking support, turned to cocaine use as a coping mechanism.

“This led to daily use in the months up to the offence. At the time of the offences he had been awake for several days due to sustained cocaine use.” Ms Ealden pointed out no evidence had been provided of the car suspension damage.

Handing down the sentence, Recorder Powell said Marshall was driven by “jealousy and revenge” to embark on crimes that involved “significant pre-thought”.

He imposed a jail term of 18 months and said the crimes were too serious for a suspended sentence. As it became clear Marshall would be sentenced to immediate custody, his relatives gasped in the public gallery. One man said “f***ing hell” and two women rushed out of the room in distress. Marshall himself simply bowed his head.

“I am not able to order compensation because I don’t think you have the means to pay it,” the judge went on. “Your offer to pay £5,000 at £50 a month is, I think, derisory.”

Recorder Powell also imposed a restraining order for seven years and a £187 victim services surcharge to be paid at a rate of £10 per fortnight.

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