A burglar shamelessly pretended to be a police officer when questioned by one of his victims, a court heard. Jordan Hennessy showed what appeared to be a “police badge” to his female homeowner after he was discovered in her kitchen in the early hours of the morning.
The theft was one of four burglaries carried out in just five days as part of what Hennessy’s lawyer called an “eight-day spree to fund a desperate habit”. During the thefts, the 25-year-old defendant stole a raft of personal items, from laptops containing his university work to family jewellery and two cars – but it was the tracking technology on one of the vehicles that led to his arrest. Cardiff Crown Court heard that Hennessy had 24 previous offences on his record, including one for grievous bodily harm when he stabbed his stepfather with a bread knife during an argument on his doorstep.
The court heard the defendant burgled four properties in the Roath area of Cardiff over five days in May this year, stealing a long list of items including a games console, cash, passports, jewellery, phones, laptops, bank cards and car keys. At one of the homes, he was disturbed by the female homeowner in the kitchen at around 6am and when challenged he claimed to be a police officer and showed her what he thought was his “police badge”.
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The court heard that two of the victims of the thefts were university students and that the laptops stolen by Hennessy contained important course work. The defendant stole the vehicles from outside their property using stolen car keys from two of the victims. The first vehicle stolen by Hennessy, a Vauxhall Zafira, was later caught on CCTV driving the defendant near the Huggard homeless centre in Cardiff but was never found. The second – a Vauxhall Mokka – led to the defendant’s arrest after the owner gave the police tracking details of the vehicle, enabling them to locate both him and the vehicle on Christina Street in Butetown.
In impact statements read to the court, all the victims of the thefts spoke of the anxiety and worry they had caused, and the loss of a sense of security. One said she was now considering leaving Cardiff, while another said the jewellery stolen by Hennessy had great sentimental value and some of the items were family heirlooms that she planned to pass on to younger generations.
Jordan Hennessy, of no fixed abode, had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of theft, two counts of motor vehicle theft, two counts of driving without a licence, two counts of driving without insurance and two counts of fraud – using stolen bank cards in shops. He had also previously pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage and two counts of theft from a motor vehicle – offences relating to the defendant smashing car windows and stealing items from a car in Pellett Street car park on May 11.
The defendant has eight previous convictions for 24 offences including theft, unauthorised taking, aggravated taking and driving without a licence. In 2020 he was sentenced to 34 months in prison for grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife after stabbing his stepfather with a knife during a fight.
Kirsten Murphy, speaking for Hennessy, said there was no excuse for the behaviour but that the defendant had a “troubled upbringing” with his mother being imprisoned for neglect and his client going through 52 different foster homes and placements between the ages of 11 and 18. She said that after leaving the care system the defendant began experimenting with drugs and moved from using cannabis as a “coping mechanism” for the pain and trauma to taking heroin and crack cocaine. She said the offences before the court were committed in an “eight-day spree to fund a desperate habit” but that the defendant had completed at least 68 lessons in prison since being remanded in custody on May 21, was seeking support from the prison chaplain and was taking steps to rehabilitate himself. She added that the defendant was remorseful for his actions and was “genuinely disgusted” by what he had done. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here.
Judge Paul Hobson said house burglary was a particularly serious offence because its impact went beyond the monetary value of the items stolen and was an invasion of people’s homes and privacy, and said the disruption, distress and loss caused by Hennessy was all to fund his Class A drug habit. He said he had read a letter from the defendant in which he admitted remorse and told him that he was still a relatively young man and “it was not too late to make something positive out of his life”.
Hennessy was sentenced to 32 months in prison, a one-third reduction for his guilty plea. Since September 2024, most defendants must serve 40% of their sentences in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community, and Hennessy was also banned from driving for a total of three years.
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