Jail for armed trio who threatened children in their home before stealing phones and games console

Three burglars who entered a house in Ely and threatened children inside with a knife before making off with their games console and mobile phones have been jailed.

Anthony Edmunds, Ben Emmott and Craig Smith entered their victims’ house on Jackson Road in the early hours of Wednesday, August 20.

They threatened the children with knives before making off with mobile phones and a games console, leaving the occupants terrified.

But they were arrested shortly after in a nearby street. Despite being frightened, one of the victims, having realised her phone had been taken, contacted South Wales Police and used the ‘Find My iPhone’ function to tell them where the phone was located.

Within minutes, officers arrived to find the three men in a car parked on Plymouth Wood Close.

Edmunds, Smith and Emmott were arrested and officers searched the car to find two knives and t-shirts they had wrapped around their faces at the time of the offence.

They were charged with aggravated burglary and Edmunds and Smith both pled guilty. Emmott, who initially denied being involved, changed his plea to guilty at a later date.

On Thursday, February 12, Edmunds, 52, of Rumney, was jailed for eight years, plus an extra 14 weeks of a suspended sentence to serve consecutively; Emmott, 33, of Caerau, was jailed for nine years and four months; and Smith, 44, of Adamsdown, was jailed for seven years and seven months.

Officers in the case, Detective Constable Craig Pearce, said:

“I would like to commend the bravery of the young victims. It was a terrifying ordeal for them but thanks to their quick thinking they were arrested within minutes. Incidents like this one are extremely rare and the streets are indeed safer with these cowardly and immoral criminals behind bars.”