A PONTARDDULAIS man stole a PS5, a Nintendo Switch, and a laptop from student accommodation in Cardiff.

Thomas Fadian was jailed after he broke in to a room at Cardiff University’s Talybont Student Halls on August 5 last year.

The occupier had left the room for his dinner at around 6.30pm. When he returned around two hours later, he found his PS5 and games, Nintendo Switch, and a Dell laptop. A smaller laptop and the victim’s wallet had also been stolen.

The total value of the items stolen was around £1,000.

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Cardiff Crown Court heard that the window had been left slightly open, but was found to have been damaged as it was forced further open when Fadian broke in.

Police investigators noticed fingerprints – which matched the defendant’s – on the window of the room, and CCTV footage from the student halls showed Fadian dressed in black, looking in to windows, and pulling an object out of his backpack.

Following a police appeal, Fadian was arrested, and answered no comment in interview. He later admitted a charge of burglary dwelling and theft.

Fadian, 40, of Bolgoed Road, has 42 previous convictions for 96 offences.

“The best mitigation is the timely guilty plea in the Magistrates’ Court,” said Mr Evans, defending.

“He has suffered for a number of years with a Class A drug addiction.”

He said that Fadian had had access to medication to help with his addiction while in custody, and that this was having a positive effect.

“A dwelling house burglary of whatever type – whether student accommodation or a household – is too serious to be dealt with by anything other than a custodial sentence,” said Judge Jenkins.

“Luckily you left your fingerprints at the scene and CCTV clearly showed you going in to Talybont and looking in to windows.”

He sentenced Fadian to 20 months imprisonment.