#penplas — Public Fediverse posts

SWANSEA: Prolific shoplifter who stole entire chocolate display case jailed after targeting city convenience stores

Richard Wolsey, 47, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to six counts of theft from a shop at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on 11 May and was sentenced to eight months in prison.

Wolsey targeted supermarkets and convenience stores across Cadle, Portmead, Fforestfach, Penlan and the city centre — leaving with items worth as much as £657 in a single visit.

CCTV footage from one of the businesses, released by South Wales Police, captures the moment Wolsey walked out carrying an entire Cadbury’s display stand. The footage was shared by officers as part of a wider warning to shoplifters that persistent offenders will be identified, pursued and jailed.

PC Christian Thomas of South Wales Police said Wolsey had never shown any signs of attempting to change his ways. “Shop workers should not have to deal with petty thieves targeting their businesses,” he said. “But Richard Wolsey cares not a jot for those whose lives he makes harder with his shoplifting.”

He added: “We will relentlessly pursue anyone involved in shoplifting, especially those persistent offenders like Richard Wolsey, and they will be sent to prison.”

The shoplifting convictions are the latest chapter in a long and serious criminal history. In 2023, Wolsey appeared at Swansea Crown Court on far more serious charges — pointing a knife at his former partner’s neck on a park bench and threatening to slit her throat.

Prosecutor Hannah George told the court that Wolsey and the complainant had been in an on-off relationship for some 23 years, during which the defendant had been repeatedly violent towards her. The court heard that when Wolsey was released from prison following a 2021 assault conviction, the pair had rekindled their relationship with him promising to change — but by January the following year he had returned to his old ways.

Richard Wolsey. Picture: South Wales Police

The knife incident occurred in June 2022. Wolsey attended a garden area the couple used to frequent, found his former partner sitting on a bench reading a book, and grabbed her — pointing a Stanley-type knife at her neck and threatening to slit her throat. When she tried to flee, he punched her repeatedly to the back of the head.

At that sentencing, Wolsey was found to have 16 previous convictions for 32 offences including 11 for violence and two involving weapons. He had also breached a restraining order designed to protect his former partner on seven separate occasions since it was first imposed in 2015.

Judge Geraint Walters jailed him for two years for the knife offence and related charges, telling him the sentences would only get longer each time he broke the order. A new indefinite restraining order was imposed.

The latest sentence means Wolsey has now spent significant periods of his life in custody. He was of no fixed abode at the time of the shoplifting offences, and South Wales Police say he remains a priority target for enforcement action.

South Wales Police say shoplifting causes real harm to the people who run and work in small businesses — and that persistent offenders like Wolsey who show no intention of stopping will face the full consequences.

Anyone who recognises shoplifting activity in their local area can report it to South Wales Police on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

More court cases

Prolific shoplifter jailed for ten months and banned from every store she targeted
Another persistent offender sentenced after a sustained campaign of theft from Bridgend shops.

Maesteg meat thief: serial shoplifter jailed after six raids in six weeks
A serial shoplifter who repeatedly targeted the same stores was banned from the town’s shops entirely.

Swansea burglar jailed after targeting city business
Another Swansea offender jailed after targeting local businesses.

Serial dine and dashers sentenced to jail
A pair who repeatedly ran off without paying at restaurants across south Wales were jailed.

#Cadle #Fforestfach #Penlan #Penplas #shoplifting #SouthWalesPolice #Swansea #theft

SWANSEA: 186 homes planned for Penplas – including derelict supermarket site

Plans have been unveiled to build 186 new homes on land in Penplas that has stood derelict for nearly three decades.

The proposals focus on three sites off Milford Way — including the former Leo’s superstore, which has remained vacant since it was demolished in the mid-1990s.

Developers say the scheme could finally bring the long-neglected land back into use, delivering new housing for local families and first-time buyers.

Map showing the three proposed housing sites off Milford Way in Penplas, including the long-derelict former Leo’s supermarket site

The plans have been submitted to Swansea Council for pre-application consideration by housing association Codi (previously known as Pobl), working in partnership with building firm Morganstone and the local authority.

If approved, the development would form a key part of wider efforts to regenerate the Penderi area, which covers Blaenymaes, Portmead, Penplas and Cadle.

The move comes amid growing demand for housing in Swansea, particularly in established communities where younger generations are struggling to stay close to family.

Local resident Dylan Jones said the plans could help keep communities together.

He said: “New houses are very much needed in this area. People who grow up here naturally want to live near to their parents and friends when they start their own families.”

He added: “We are a proud community, who always look out for each other, and these proposals look like they will also enable those who may want to downsize from family homes as they get older.”

The new homes are expected to be modern and energy efficient, with developers promising lower energy bills and environmentally friendly design.

Plans also include improved green spaces and better links between different parts of the neighbourhood, reflecting feedback from local residents.

The development builds on wider regeneration work already underway in Penderi, including the launch of a major masterplan aimed at transforming the area, as previously reported when a long-term vision for the community was unveiled.

It also follows significant investment in existing homes, including a groundbreaking energy retrofit scheme that has seen hundreds of properties fitted with solar panels to cut costs and carbon emissions — part of what we reported as the UK’s largest project of its kind.

Homes in Penderi fitted with solar panels as part of a major energy retrofit scheme already underway in the area
(Image: Codi)

Codi says the latest proposals are another step in a long-term commitment to the area, where it has been a landlord for more than 30 years.

Development director Claire Tristham said the plans are about more than just housing.

She said: “These proposals add another step in delivering high-quality, energy-efficient homes providing comfortable, affordable homes.”

She added: “Regeneration here isn’t short term — it’s a long-term commitment to people, place and opportunity.”

The scheme is still at an early stage, with further consultation expected before any formal planning application is submitted.

But for many in Penplas, the prospect of finally seeing the long-empty supermarket site brought back to life could mark a turning point for the area.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Masterplan launched to transform a Swansea community
The wider vision behind regeneration plans in Penderi.

Contract awarded for largest UK energy retrofit of its kind in Penderi
Major investment has already upgraded hundreds of existing homes in the area.

UK’s largest energy retrofit scheme reaches milestone in Swansea community
Ongoing work to cut energy bills and emissions for local residents.

#BlaenYMaes #Cadle #Codi #CodiGroup #Fforestfach #housingAssociation #LeoSSupermarket #MilfordWay #Morganstone #newHomes #Penplas #Pobl #regeneration #socialHousing #Swansea