A burglar who targeted businesses, creating his own crime wave, has been jailed for a total of three and a half years.

Samuel Thomas Davies, 24, of no fixed abode but who comes from Llandrindod Wells, was originally charged with a burglary at The Fountain public house in Builth Wells.

He was bailed – but Mold Crown Court was told how he went on to commit a large number of offences in other part of Powys and Gloucestershire.

Davies, who appeared in court via a live television link from Altcourse Prison in Liverpool, admitted the pub burglary and nine further burglaries at businesses while on bail.

He also admitted three burglaries in Gloucestershire – two at hair dressing shops and one at a pharmacy – and asked for 25 other burglary offences to be taken into consideration.

Davies was told by Judge Rhys Rowlands that he had committed “a raft of offending” and had been responsible for a series of burglaries which targeted businesses in the area between March and August of last year.

On March 3, together with a second unknown man, he had entered the Fountain Inn in the early hours and taken a till containing £1,500 in cash.

He was arrested a few days later and bailed.

All the remaining burglaries were committed while he was on bail.

Judge Rowlands, said: “The over-all loss and inconvenience to businesses has been considerable.”

The burglaries were committed at night and he targeted safes and tills.

There had been significant losses when property was stolen and damaged, the judge said.

His actions had a profound effect on his victims.

Davies, he said, received a significant sentence in 2015 but sadly had not learnt from that experience.

Defending barrister Ffion Tomos said that her client was still only 24, suffered from schizophrenia and the offences were committed at a time when he was homeless, not taking his medication and mixing with the wrong crowd.

That, it was accepted, did not excuse or justify his behaviour, she said.

In addition to the public house burglary, he admitted burglary at Satori Designs at Hay-on-Wye; New Home Furnishings in Newtown; The Strand Café in Rhayader; Precision Engineering at Rhayader, Wesh Royal Crystal at Rhayader, and Phoenix Furniture at Newtown.