Latest news with #MatthewMorgan
Wales Online
5 days ago
- Wales Online
Stolen van smashed through shop, but driver had already left trail of destruction
Stolen van smashed through shop, but driver had already left trail of destruction When Matthew Morgan ram-raided the shop he was on bail for breaking into a strong of vans and burgling a Spar shop and stealing £1,700 of cigarettes and vapes A man stole a van and smashed it through the front of a cycle shop causing around £180,000 worth of damage, a court has heard. The ram raid was the culmination of a spree of offending by Matthew Morgan which saw him damaging and breaking into a string of vehicles and burgling a shop stealing more then £1,700-worth of cigarettes and vapes. Swansea Crown Court heard Morgan has 85 previous offences on his record including burglaries, taking a vehicle without consent, theft from vehicles, and going equipped. Harry Dickens, prosecuting, said the spree of offending began on the weekend of March 29 to March 30 this year when Morgan broke into vans and lorries parked outside commercial garages and repair shops on Neath Road in the Landore area of Swansea. He said in total the defendant smashed his way into five vehicles parked outside the businesses taking items including tools, a stereo, and a TV. Morgan damages another three vehicles in his attempts to get inside. The court heard that the offending was discovered when staff at the garages turned up for work on the Monday morning, and the spree was reported to the police. CCTV recovered from the area showed a hooded male arriving and leaving the scene on a bicycle. An investigation was launched to try to identify the culprit. Matthew Morgan (Image: South Wales Police ) The prosecutor said Morgan struck again in the early hours of April 19 when he used an "implement" - likely a screwdriver - to "attack" the security shutters on the Spar shop on Conway Road in Penlan. Article continues below After gaining entry to the premises the defendant stole 76 vapes and 72 packets of cigarettes worth a total of £1,175 before making good his escape, again on a bicycle. The court heard police had been alerted to the on-going burglary and officers found the fleeing man near Penlan Social Club. Morgan ditched his bike and made off on foot but was chased and rugby tackled to the ground by an officer. The defendant subsequently pleaded guilty to the Spar burglary and was released on bail by magistrates pending a sentencing hearing. For all the latest court stores sign up to our crime newsletter The court heard Morgan's next offending happened on May 11 when he smashed the windows of vans belonging to a contract courier firm on Swansea West Business Park in Fforestfach and stole a VW Crafter van. Just before 1am the following morning the defendant used the van smash through the security shutters at the Uprise cycle store a short distance from the courier business. The court an angle grinder was used to try to cut through the metal railings around the car park before the can was simply reversed over then then repeatedly reverse-rammed into the shopfront. Matthew Morgan (driving) and an unknown female accomplice ram-raiding the Uprise bike shop in Fforestfach (Image: CPS Cymru ) The prosecutor said that once entry was gained Morgan and an as yet unidentified female accomplice tried to steal cycles from the showroom but found them chained together for security reasons. The pair managed to take two bikes - together worth some £10,000 - but then found the the ram raid had so damaged the doors of the van they couldn't open them to put the bikes inside. Eventually the pair made off on foot with the stolen bikes. The court heard a tracking device on one of the bikes was last detected "pinging" on Heol Gwyrosedd in Penlan but neither machine has been recovered. The prosecutor said the estimated cost of repairing the damage to the smashed cycle shop was up to £15,000 while bikes worth some £30,000 had been damaged as the intruders tried to steal them. Matthew Morgan and accomplice trying to steal bikes (Image: CPS Cymru ) The court heard Morgan was identified from CCTV by officers who know him. He answered "no comment" to questions asked in interview. Matthew Morgan, of Woodford Road, Blaenymaes, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of theft from a vehicle, three of attempted theft from a vehicle, two counts of burglary, theft of a vehicle, and criminal damage when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 36 previous convictions for 85 offences including burglary, taking a vehicle without consent, theft from vehicles, and going equipped. The court heard Morgan's partner - 36-year-old Natalie Squibb of Pentregthin Road, Portmead - was charged with the bike shop burglary but the prosecution was not proceeded with. Andrew Evans, for Morgan, said the defendant's ultimate aim was to re-establish contact with his children, and he said he had been asked to invite the court to pass a sentence which allowed him to engage with agencies in the community. Judge Paul Thomas KC said not content with his spree of offending against commercial garages in Landore and burgling a Spar shop in Penlan, the defendant had then gone on to commit further offences while on bail. He told the defendant that while what happened during the ram raid "does not exactly make you the Professor Moriarty of crime" his offending had caused significant loss and stress for his victim. The judge said he had been invited to suspend the sentence that was due but said even if the sentence was one that was capable of being suspended - that is one of two years or less - the offending was too serious for him to consider that. Article continues below With discounts for his guilty pleas Morgan was sentenced to a total of 40 months in prison comprising 20 months for the Landore and Spar matters and 20 months for the Fforestfach offending to run consecutively. The defendant will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
Epoch Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Maryland Governor Vetoes Reparations Bill, Says It's Not Time for Another Study
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has vetoed a bill that would have established a commission to explore reparations for slavery. In a Instead, he urged lawmakers to shift their focus toward concrete actions aimed at addressing racial disparities. 'In light of the many important studies that have taken place on this issue over nearly three decades, now is the time to focus on the work itself: Narrowing the racial wealth gap, expanding homeownership, uplifting entrepreneurs of color, and closing the foundational disparities that lead to inequality—from food insecurity to education,' he said. The decision drew criticism from the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, which represents 66 of the 188 members of the state Legislature. 'The state's first black governor chose to block this historic legislation that would have moved the state toward directly repairing the harm of enslavement,' the lawmakers a statement. Related Stories 4/5/2025 9/4/2024 The The proposed forms of reparations included an official apology, direct monetary compensation, property tax rebates, assistance with making a down payment on a home, business incentives, child-care support, debt forgiveness, and college tuition waivers. Supporters argued that reparations are necessary because the legacies of slavery still affect black Americans today. Opponents countered that reparations are unfair, as slavery ended generations ago and no one alive today perpetrated it or directly suffered from it. 'I think it's disgraceful that we're going to set up a reparations tax that might tax one race and give to another race all in the name of equity,' Matthew Morgan, a Republican delegate, said in April before voting against the bill. Some lawmakers also took issue with the bill's broad language, which gave the proposed commission wide discretion in defining eligibility. They warned that, in theory, this could extend benefits to millions of people across the United States or even the world, costing billions of dollars. House Minority Leader Jason Buckel, a Republican, called on his colleagues to face the financial realities and proposed an amendment to limit the commission's recommendations for relief or remedies to individuals currently residing in Maryland. His amendment did not pass. 'As much as we would like to, we cannot solve—and we cannot absolve—the entire problem of the United States of America,' he said in April ahead of the vote. 'We can only help those who are within our borders and boundaries because we are helping them with our tax dollars.' Maryland abolished slavery in 1864 through a state constitutional amendment, months before the Thirteenth Amendment outlawed the practice throughout the United States in the aftermath of the Civil War. In 2007, the Maryland Legislature issued official statements expressing 'regret for the role Maryland played in instituting and maintaining slavery.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
North Marion High School Marching Band to perform in Pearl Harbor Parade
FARMINGTON, (WBOY) — The North Marion High School Marching Band is set to perform in the Pearl Harbor Parade in December. When the marching band was invited back in November of 2024, Band Director Matthew Morgan jumped at the opportunity for the students to learn about and honor American history, travel to Hawaii, and perform in front of a wide audience. Students compete in statewide robotics competition at Fairmont State Once the school administration gave its approval, the marching band found out about their future performance at their Christmas concert a few months ago. Morgan remembers the shock and excitement from the band students when they were told about the performance. To Morgan's knowledge the only other school from West Virginia who has gotten to perform in Hawaii is Morgantown High School. The marching band is looking to raise somewhere between $80,000-$120,000 for new uniforms and to pay for the trip. If you're interested in donating, you can click for the uniforms here and for the trip here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
