Family's world is turned upside down after trying to sell items on Facebook Marketplace
13.06.2024 - 10:43
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A masked gang raided a family's farm after spotting some items for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
The burglars travelled from Bristol into Wales to target the victims after they saw an off-road bike advertised on the selling platform, Wales Online reports. They tracked down the farm's location via a computer IP address and travelled for more than 60 miles to get there, Swansea Crown Court 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. The trio were caught red-handed stealing a scrambler motorbike from a shed in the early hours of the morning.
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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.
Regan Walters, prosecuting, told the court how at 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.
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