A Camarthenshire sheep rustler stole 73 ewes from a neighbouring farm.
Hywel Williams, 40, of Llangadog, Carmarthenshire, admitted an offence of theft at Aberystwyth Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 28th May 2025.
Theft is an offence under section 1 of the Theft Act 1968. The maximum sentence for theft is 7 years' custody on conviction on indictment, 12 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction. We have previously written an article on the legalities surrounding theft.
The court heard that the ewes, which were all in lamb, belonged to farmer Rhodri Llyr Evans.
Some of the ewes were recovered from Williams' 270 acre farm, others were recovered from a local abattoir and auction mart. Williams had also given away some of the ewes to another entirely innocent farmer in payment of a debt.
The court heard that Williams stole the ewes because he was under financial pressure. He is said to "deeply regret" his actions, which he acknowledges were "unacceptable".
Magistrates' were of the view that Williams' crime was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate.
He was sentenced to 12-months' custody suspended for 12 months, with the requirement that he completes 250 hours' unpaid work.
Williams was also ordered to pay £5,000 in compensation.
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