Cardiff Magistrates' Court Sentencing Results

Hannah Hyde stole fragrance products valued at £108 from Boots in Barry on July 4, 2026, and food and coffee worth £45 from Tesco in Barry on July 28, 2026. She indicated guilty pleas to both thefts at Cardiff Magistrates Court. A suspended prison sentence previously imposed for similar offending was activated, increasing her overall time in custody.

Alex Allegretto admitted operating a mobile phone beneath the clothing of another person for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification. On 7 July, police were called to St David's 2 shopping centre after a mother reported that Allegretto, who was unknown to her, had upskirted her daughter. CCTV showed him sitting on a bench before walking up behind the victim and her mother in the busy shopping centre, putting his phone by the victim's legs, and running away. He was caught on CCTV heading back to his car and later arrested.

Paula Stanton, 62, a transgender woman and former Falklands War veteran, was taken by ambulance to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff in the early hours of 17 May after making threats of self-harm. While awaiting a mental health evaluation in the waiting area, she placed her hand down her trousers and masturbated in full view of the nurses' desk, making eye contact with a nurse. Police were called and she was arrested, telling officers she had done nothing wrong. The offence put her in breach of a six-month suspended sentence for an indecent exposure offence from August 2025.

Jack Sweetland sent a message to a family member during an argument on 23 December 2025, referring to people being burned in the Holocaust. The court found the offence was aggravated by hostility based on antisemitism and disability.

John Hitchman Small, of Lansdowne Road, Canton, Cardiff, admitted 19 housing and licensing offences at 328 Cowbridge Road East. Hazards included an inadequate fire alarm system, incomplete fire doors, poor fire separation, no fixed heating, trip hazards and an overgrown garden with waste. The annex had been built without planning permission. He was not registered or licensed with Rent Smart Wales. An emergency prohibition order was issued for the annex maisonette.

Ian John Hammond failed to meet the welfare needs of three huskies (two adults and a puppy) found severely underweight in a house covered in faeces, rubbish, discarded clothing, with no adequate food or water. Vets confirmed adults had body condition score of 1/9 and puppy 2/9 (healthy 4-5). Dogs had eaten plastic and indigestible materials. RSPCA officer noted strong smell of urine/faeces, dogs alert but nervous with visible ribs, hips, spines. Dogs taken into care, condition improved; two rehomed, one awaiting.

Wendy Willis, of Stow Park Crescent, Newport, collected rent at a flat on the same street without the required licence on July 23, 2025.

Majeda Sikdar unlawfully collected rent at a property on Tasker Way in Haverfordwest last April without a licence to manage it.

Stuart Maskell, a landlord living on Grosmont Way in Newport, was convicted of unlawfully taking rent payments at a property on Sullivan Circle, Newport, last July, at a property he was not licensed to let.

Jason Sultana, 44, of Butetown, pleaded guilty to stealing more than £260 worth of toys from Waterstones and the Entertainer in Cardiff city centre. He was arrested by the Cardiff Bay Neighbourhood Team.

James White, 52, of Ely, admitted stealing £220 worth of skincare products from Boots in Central Square, Cardiff. He was arrested by the Cardiff Bay Neighbourhood Team.

Nesta Urquhart, a landlady of a property at 29 Norton Road, Penygroes, near Cross Hands, in Carmarthenshire, failed to meet the legal requirements of the Rent Smart Wales scheme. Despite the property being eventually registered in December 2025, she did not complete approved training or obtain a licence to manage the property, and failed to provide required information. This non-compliance was investigated following reports, leading to her prosecution.

Adrianna Caldarer caused unnecessary suffering to her black and white cat, Melody, by failing to provide veterinary treatment for a leg injury she was aware of. The injury, likely from an attack by another cat, led to an untreated infection and abscess. Despite multiple visits from RSPCA inspectors and police between April 10 and April 17, 2025, and advice to seek vet care, Caldarer refused access and claimed the cat was fine. Melody was eventually found in a lane behind the property on April 17, 2025, taken to a vet, but died in RSPCA care from infections related to the initial injury. An old healed wound on the hind leg was also self-treated without vet attention, causing weeks of unnecessary pain.

On 14th January 2026, Clive Connell directed racial abuse at another person on Merthyr Mawr Road in Bridgend, constituting a hate crime. Neighbourhood policing team responded immediately, arrested him, gathered witness statements, and reviewed CCTV footage. Charges were authorised rapidly, leading to his court appearance on 16th January 2026.

Mohammed Ahad Ali, freeholder of 85 Tudor Street in Riverside, Cardiff, was sentenced for managing a property in poor repair with cockroach infestation. Inspectors visited in March 2024 and found hazards including defective fire alarm, incomplete fire doors, unsafe escape routes, inadequate kitchen facilities, penetrating damp, defective windows, poor electrical installations, and unprotected gas and electricity meters.

Lukayan Property Rentals Ltd, the letting agent for 85 Tudor Street in Riverside, Cardiff, was sentenced for managing a property in poor repair with cockroach infestation. Inspectors visited in March 2024 and found hazards including defective fire alarm, incomplete fire doors, unsafe escape routes, inadequate kitchen facilities, penetrating damp, defective windows, poor electrical installations, and unprotected gas and electricity meters.

Christopher Storer raided a Boots shop in Llanrumney, Cardiff, 10 times in one week in October 2025, stealing toiletries worth more than £1,100. He had a previous conviction in March 2025 for dozens of shoplifting incidents across the city.

Jason Evans made a profane comment about PCSO Keith Cooper, calling him a 'horrible c***', while walking in Queen Street, Cardiff, on July 24. This occurred in a public area with members of the public, including small children, and was deemed offensive, alarming, and distressing by the officer.

Luke George Martin operated an illegal waste operation from a Cardiff industrial estate under the company name LGM Recycle Waste Removal. In May 2023, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called to a waste fire at the site, which resulted in a large amount of contaminated fire water run-off entering the nearby Roath Brook. An investigation found he stored and sorted waste without an environmental permit. His actions led to the fire endangering lives and polluting the river. He was served a Section 59 Notice to remove the waste by 30 May 2023.

Jeyaratnam Pathmastri, owner of Family Choice Mini Market in Ely, Cardiff, failed to address a rodent infestation despite warnings from April 2024. On 14 August 2024, inspectors found rat droppings and gnawed packaging, leading to a zero hygiene rating and voluntary closures. The shop reopened after cleaning and pest control.

Jihad Abass Subhan, owner of Corner Mini Market on Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, sold a vape to a 14-year-old child during a Trading Standards sting operation in April 2025. He had previously been warned by the Shared Regulatory Service in March 2025 after a similar failed test purchase, and a warning letter and guidance were issued. Despite this, he continued to sell age-restricted nicotine products. When officers entered the store after the test purchase, Subhan apologised, claiming he was distracted by a phone call, and could not explain basic age-check procedures such as Challenge 25.

Matthew Pemberton used the messaging platform RandoChat to attempt sexual communication with a person he believed was a girl under 16. The profile had been set up as a decoy by an online investigative group. He pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to four months' imprisonment, suspended for 15 months, with 15 days rehabilitation activity.

Franky Dymott, of Main Street, Barry, was given a restraining order on March 2 prohibiting him from making contact with a woman. Despite this, he contacted the victim by messages and phone calls on May 4, then attended her home in Cardiff the following day. He admitted two charges of breaching the restraining order.

Glyn Webb, 69, from Dinas Powys, attempted to engage in sexual communication with a person he believed to be a girl under 16. The offence was committed on 29 August 2025, and he pleaded guilty to a single charge.

Ian Hammond, 33, of Partridge Road, Tonypandy, failed to provide a safe environment for three husky dogs (two adults and a puppy) found living in dire conditions at his home on March 19, 2023. The house was covered in rubbish, clothes, faeces, urine, and needles were present in the room where the dogs were kept. There was no food or water, and no access to a toilet. The dogs were severely underweight (adults body score 1/9, puppy 2/9), with faeces containing non-digestible items like crisp packets and plastic.

Yvette Phillips, trading as estate agent R Miles Scurlock of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, failed to submit a completed licence application or register her rental properties. She was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice in June 2017 but failed to pay, submit a licence application or register the properties despite further reminders.