Thief stole £48k and Rolex watches from family home after tracking their social media posts

A man planned a burglary on a family home after seeing social media posts that they would be out at a Chinese New Year celebration, stealing £48,000 in cash, two Rolex watches and multiple items of sentimental value.

Shane Davies, from Neath, was given an 18-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting the burglary of the property in Llangyfelach, Swansea, on 18 February.

The family used social media to advertise a celebration they were holding at a Chinese restaurant they owned in Swansea, coming home to find a window had been forced open and the items stolen.

Davies was arrested four days later, with police finding screenshots of the family's social media posts on his phone.

Judge Richards said Davies, 48, had planned the burglary when he knew the family would be out, describing it as "mean and callous". She also said it had been carried out at a time of great cultural importance to the victims.

The court heard the family had arrived home from the celebration to find a safe had been stolen containing £48,000 in cash that had been set aside in red envelopes for restaurant staff.

Other stolen items included two Rolex watches, jewellery of sentimental value, a set of collectable coins, a silver bowl and chopsticks given to commemorate a birth. A designer handbag worth £1,000 was also stolen, as well as Hong Kong and Chinese identity documents and currency.

The prosecutor said the images found on Davies' phone demonstrated an element of planning in the burglary.

Police examining CCTV footage from the night identified a car that led them to Davies' home where he was arrested on 22 February.

A search turned up one of the missing watches and the coin collection, but the money has not been found.

In a statement read to the court the family said the burglary had affected "almost every aspect" of their lives.

They said their sense of peace and security had been stolen, they felt "vulnerable and violated", and their young son had been left frightened and worried.

Davies' barrister told the court her client was sorry for his actions and said he would be willing to meet the victims as part of any "restorative justice" process.

The judge said Davies had been on a "path of self-destruction" at the time of the burglary, but was now engaging with mental health providers.