A teenage burglar targeted “at least” 40 houses during a spree of offending, a court has heard.
Jacob Lawday had been released on licence from a young offender institution following a previous conviction for multiple burglaries when he returned to law-breaking.
A judge at Cardiff Crown Court described the 19-year-old as a “determined and persistent burglar” who was not deterred by custodial sentences.
Tim Lewis, prosecuting, told the court that on September 10 this year Lawday broke into a house in Sully in the Vale of Glamorgan in the dead of night while the householders – a couple and their two daughters – were asleep upstairs. The defendant took the keys to a number of vehicles before stealing an Audi S6 car which was parked in the drive.
The court heard the burglary and theft was reported to the police and officers subsequently spotted the stolen Audi being driven in Penarth. The Audi sped off from officers and was later found abandoned. Lawday was identified from CCTV evidence and when officers arrested him at his home address in Barry they found the other sets of car keys which had been taken in the Sully raid.
Jacob Lawday, of Hood Road, Barry, had previously pleaded guilty to burglary and to two counts of attempted burglary when he appeared in the dock via videolink for sentencing. The attempted burglaries relate to another house in Sully which the defendant tried to enter on the night of September 10 and to an incident in July when he entered the summerhouse of a property in Penarth but failed to gain entry to the main house. Lawday asked for another 24 offences of attempted burglary committed in the summer of 2026 to be taken into consideration. For the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter
The court heard that in February this year the defendant was sentenced to 24 months detention in a young offender institution for a total of 24 offences of attempted burglary, burglary, and vehicle theft across Cardiff and the Vale.
That previous spree started with Lawday and an accomplice breaking into in a house in Llanmaes near Llantwit Major in September 2025 and taking a Kia X-Ceed and Mercedes E 220. The vehicles were subsequently located in Penarth after the owners used tracking devices. While recovering the vehicle officers witnessed a Range Rover being driven in a suspicious manner.
Checks showed vehicle was being driven on cloned plates. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle Lawday and another teen ran away but were caught after a short foot chase. The Range Rover had been stolen from an address in Cardiff three days earlier.
Following his arrest and after being released on bail Lawday targeted a further four addresses over two days in September and went on to steal a BMW and a Peugeot from an address in Ogmore-by-Sea. The teenager was arrested again after CCTV evidence led to a Transit van in which he was a passenger. In the back of the vehicle were four stolen bikes and a key for a BMW car.
Lawday was released on licence following his February sentencing in April and was subject to the licence when he committed his second spree. Don’t let an algorithm decide what Welsh news you see – click here to add WalesOnline as your preferred Google source
Derrick Gooden, for Lawday, said following his release on licence the client had chosen not to work with probation but had “re-engaged with old acquaintances” and started using cannabis. He said following his arrest for the new offences the defendant had been recalled back to detention on a full recall.
Recorder Paul Lewis KC said the defendant had burgled or attempted to burgle “at least” 40 houses since last August and he described him as a “determined and persistent burglar” whose modus operandi was to enter properties looking for car keys and vehicles to steal. He said the teenager was “clearly not deterred” by custodial sentences.
With one-third discounts for his guilty pleas Lawday was sentenced to 32 months in prison. He will serve no more than half the sentence in custody before being released on licence.
The recorder said as a matter of law as the defendant had been recalled back to custody the new sentence would have to begin immediately and could not run consecutively to the recalled sentence.
Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.
