Family put items for sale on Facebook Marketplace, next thing they knew masked men were outside their window

A gang of burglars from the Bristol area travelled to Wales to raid a farm and steal off-road bikes, a court has heard. David King, Sheldon Meaker, and a third male equipped themselves with masks, gloves, and bolt cutters and crossed the border in a stolen van.

Swansea Crown Court heard the trio were caught red-handed stealing a scrambler motorbike from a shed in the early hours of the morning - one was caught at the farm, one ended up getting stuck under the farmer's pickup truck after fleeing on one of the stolen machines, and one made good his escape on foot over the fields. A judge said the raid had clearly been planned with the trio travelling more than 60 miles to target the farm.

Regan Walters, prosecuting, said around 2.30am on April 23 this year the occupants of a farm near Kenfig Hill, Pyle, became aware of masked and hooded males in the farm yard - when live CCTV footage was checked the intruders were seen pushing off-road bikes away from a storage shed towards the main farm gate. The alarm was raised and members of the family rushed outside.

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The court heard one of the raiders - 18-year-old David King - was caught near the farm entrance but the other two males made-off on the stolen bikes and were chased by the farmer in his Ford Ranger pickup. King, who was dressed in black and wearing a ski mask and had a set of bolt cutters, said he and his accomplices had travelled from Bristol to steal the bikes after seeing one of them for sale on Facebook Marketplace and tracking down the farm's location via a computer IP address.

The prosecutors said that while police were en route to the burglary they received reports of a road traffic collision near the farm - an officer went to the crash and found 21-year-old Sheldon Meaker stuck under the farmer's pickup while the two stolen motorbikes were laying in a roadside ditch. The court heard the front of the Ford truck had significant damage, and the driver appeared "shocked". The driver was questioned and said a second biker rider had run off across the fields.

The court heard the van used by the burglars to get to Kenfig Hill was found in the lane near the farm. Inside the vehicle, which had previously been stolen, was another set of bolt cutters. When police examined the farm and storage shed they found padlocks had been cut to allow the intruders to get to the bikes. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here

David King, of Hillside Road, St George, Bristol, and Sheldon Meaker, of Arnolds Mead, Corsham, Wiltshire, had both previously pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to steal when they appeared in the dock in custody for sentencing. King has no previous convictions while Meaker has previous convictions for taking a vehicle without consent, handling stolen goods - items stolen from a farm - and inflicting grievous bodily harm. He also has a youth caution for burglary.

Harry Dickens, for King, said the defendant was remorseful for his actions and knew he had done wrong. He said the teenager's cannabis use had "impacted his family life and his person life" and at the time of the burglary he was homeless having been "kicked out of the family home" a few days earlier.

He said King was "hanging around with the others" and went to Bristol looking to earn money before becoming involved in the burglary. The barrister said the teenager's relationship with his family was good apart from his use of cannabis, and said his mother had arranged an apprenticeship for him after his release from prison - whenever that might be. Richard Ace, for Meaker, said through his own actions the defendant had missed the birth of his daughter three weeks ago and he realised he was probably going to miss the first year of her young life as well. He said Meaker was remorseful for his actions and was a "young man who needs to change".

Judge Paul Thomas KC said in April the two defendants and a third male had travelled from Bristol to Kenfig Hill - a distance of 60 miles or more - in a stolen van and dressed and equipped for a planned burglary. He said Meaker's past convictions were an aggravating factor in the case while King was of previous good character - he noted the teenager had been in prison since his arrest and he told King he hoped he had "hated every second of it".

With one-third discounts for their guilty pleas, Meaker was sentenced to 16 months in prison and King to 12 moths in prison suspended for 24 months. King was also ordered to complete a rehabilitation course and do 150 hours of unpaid work. Meaker will serve up to half his sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

The court heard a third male identified during the course of the investigation had been arrested in connection with the burglary but had not yet been charged.

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