A WREXHAM man who admitted handling stolen goods has been jailed for 12 months.

Richard Lee Baldini, 24, already had more than 60 convictions, a court heard.
Sentencing him, Judge Niclas Parry, sitting at Mold Crown Court,  said: “People break into other people’s houses because they know there are people like you who will receive, accept or buy the proceeds.”

There had been a serious house burglary in Wrexham when people had been asleep in their beds at night.

The judge said that Baldini, of Ruthin Road in Wrexham, was only 24 but he had been convicted of 66 previous offences, including four burglaries.

He had already served two-and-a-half-year and three-year sentences and was on licence from prison at the time of the latest offence.

Baldini was originally charged with burglary but that charge was dropped when the prosecution offered no evidence against him.

Prosecutor Sandra Subacchi said the defendant had been found in possession of a mobile phone stolen in the burglary, two days after it took place.

Fingerprints were found at the scene but they were not linked to the defendant.

Arrested and interviewed, he denied any involvement in the burglary and said a friend had given him the telephone one or two days earlier.

Debra White, defending, said Baldini had been recalled after being arrested.

That period had now expired and he had spent 14 days in custody on remand for the offence.

He accepted that when he was provided with the mobile phone, he realised it must have been stolen.

Baldini had a bad criminal history and he knew it had to be custody.