A PROLIFIC burglar has been jailed for breaking into Aberystwyth’s RAFA Club.

Anthony John Szulc was jailed for burglary with intent to steal after he was convicted in his absence when he failed to attend a trial at Aberystwyth Justice Centre after entering a not guilty plea.

Szulc’s solicitor, Katy Hanson, asked magistrates to reopen the case and set another trial, but the application was refused after magistrates heard Szulc had not attended the trial and had not informed the court he would not be attending.

Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard Jones told magistrates that police­ attended at the RAFA Club in Bridge Street in the early hours of 22 November 2014 after an internal alarm went off.

While two officers went to the front, another two went to the side of the building, but two passers-by saw a man running away and into a nearby building.

After making enquiries, the offi­cers traced homeless Szulc to a nearby car.

The shoes he was wearing were taken and were found to match a footprint found in the middle of the building.

Mr Pritchard Jones said damage had been caused to the building to gain access.

Szulc, 52, said he was sleeping in the car which belonged to his friend and claimed the shoes were not his, but that he had decided to put them on whilst in the car.

Mr Pritchard Jones said Szulc has 29 previous convictions for burglary.

Ms Hanson said Szulc still maintained he had not committed the burglary and that, as the estate agent handling the vacant building had not visited it for around two months, there was no proof that the damage to the property had been caused by Szulc.

She admitted that Szulc has a “lengthy record” and told magistrates that Szulc has suffered with mental health problems and been in prison several times which has led him to be homeless.

While he had recently been allocated a property, Ms Hanson said if he was sent to prison that would mean him losing out on the property and “then he’ll be back to square one”.

Magistrates said that they had “no other options” but to jail Szulc, imposing a four-month custodial sentence.

Prosecution costs were not awarded, but Szulc will have to pay £80 in compensation for the damage caused to the building and a victim surcharge of £80.