The second month of 2021 has been a busy one for the courts in Wales.
The criminals locked up for some of the most serious cases including a promising rugby player who murdered a pensioner by repeatedly stamping on his head and a burglar who broke into a couple's home while they were away on holiday and treated the property as his own.
A husband who killed his wife five days into the first UK lockdown, and a murderer who killed fiancée then didn't call 999 for 24 hours.
Here are the criminals locked up in the past month and their crimes:
Madog Rowlands
Madog Rowlands, 23, strangled 21-year-old Lauren Griffiths then wrapped her body in cling film, scrawled on the walls, and ate takeaway food before finally dialling 999 a day later.
"Self-absorbed, manipulative" Rowlands had tried to strangle his partner before but the pair had reconciled and an assault investigation was discontinued. However he attacked her again, with fatal consequences, at the couple's flat in Glynrhondda Street in Cathays.
Judge Daniel Williams sent Rowlands, whom he described as a "sullen and self-obsessed manipulator", to jail for life with a minimum term of 18 years.
Tom Carney
The one-time promising rugby player who savagely murdered a pensioner by repeatedly stamping on his head was jailed for life at the start of the month.
Former Ospreys youth player Carney, 29, killed pensioner David Phillips in a Valentine's Day murder motivated by “anger, revenge, and spite".
A judge at Swansea Crown Court ordered he spend at least 15 years and 10 days behind bars for what he described as a "savage, relentless, and merciless" murder.
Anthony Williams
The pensioner was jailed for five years for killing his wife five days into the first UK lockdown.
The 70-year-old, was cleared of murder following a trial but pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility after strangling Ruth Williams, 67, at their home in Cwmbran, on March 28 last year.
A psychologist argued Williams' depression and anxiety "was heightened" at the time of the attack, which "substantially" impaired his ability to exercise self-control.
Judge Paul Thomas told Swansea Crown Court the incident was "tragic" but that Williams' mental state was "severely affected at the time".
Craig Walters
Walters, who attempted to rape a stranger by following her from a bus, had "fantasised about rape" since he was only 11-years-old, a court was told.
The 40-year-old, who is also known as Craig Watts, followed his victim off a Cardiff bus late at night and attacked her while she was walking and wearing headphones.
Last month a court heard he punched her and attempted to drag her to a secluded spot to commit a sexual offence, but a passer-by intervened and chased him away from the scene.
The judge said he had no option but to sentence Walters to life imprisonment. Walters must serve a minimum of six years before he can apply for parole, and was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge.
Christopher Stock
He assaulted a woman by putting her in a "choke hold" leaving her so frightened she wet herself.
Stock, 29, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court after pleading guilty to assault occasioning ABH and attempting to obstruct the cause of public justice.
The court was told the assault took place on August 13 last year and involved his partner at the time, Carly Roberts, who is 19-years-of-age.
David Kobetic
He was jailed after speeding on a rural road and crashed into a horse - throwing the animal and a teenage girl crashing into the air.
Kobetic was travelling on Heol Simonston in the Coity area of Bridgend on the evening of March 27, 2020, at speeds of between 50mph and 60mph, despite there being a 30mph limit on the road.
Also using the road was Charlotte Pickett, aged 16 at the time, who was riding her beloved horse Archie and returning him to a stable where he was kept at a local farm. As she neared the farm, at around 7.05pm in the evening, she called her father to let him know of her imminent return.
As she got nearer she could see her father, and having checked the road for traffic herself, waited for her father to beckon her across a junction. Having crossed she then heard a vehicle behind her.
The car, an Audi TT, driven by Kobetic, previously of Trem y Castell, Bridgend, approached Miss Picket and her horse at speed before ploughing into them.
Andrew Dark
The disqualified driver mounted the kerb and drove along the pavement as he tried to flee from police.
Dark had bought the Audi car the day before he led police on a five-mile long pursuit through residential streets.
He had previously been banned after taking his partner's car without consent, and crashing it before fleeing the scene.
Daniel Davies
He used a piece of broke mug as a weapon to attack his partner during a row.
After slashing the woman to the neck he tried to stop her calling the police then followed her out into the street and attacked her again.
Sending Davies to prison, a judge told the 35-year-old old he posed a "real risk to any woman unlucky enough to be in a relationship with you".
Glebs Zaicevs
The burglar broke into a couple's home while they were away on holiday and treated the property as his own.
Zaicevs ate food from their fridge, used their car, and even slept in their bed.
Douglas Buchanan
He beat his partner before dragging her into the bedroom, punching her, and removing her trousers so she could not leave his flat.
The alarm was raised by a concerned neighbour who heard Buchanan shouting at the woman that she had to stay in the bedroom until morning. It was the second time in a month the 58-year-old had abused and assaulted his partner.
Lee Prosser
Jailed for attacking the father of his daughter's partner in the street with a length of pipe.
Prosser was looking to confront his daughter's boyfriend about an alleged altercation between the couple. But he instead found the man's dad and, "with the blood up", assaulted him outside his house.
Cardiff Crown Court heard Prosser has a history of violent offending including a conviction for inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Jordan Barron
The teenage drug dealer found with wraps of MDMA tablets appeared "nervous" after being pulled over by police.
Barron, 19, was stopped by police near Tredegar and searched after raising suspicion. He was found with a total of 11 ecstasy tablets and he was also discovered to be disqualified from driving.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard Barron, from Ebbw Vale, was pulled over in Darby Crescent on May 26 last year after police ran checks on the blue Renault Clio he was driving.
Marcus Falzon
The intoxicated man strangled his partner after she was kicked out of a pub and was walked home by two strangers who were concerned for her welfare.
Falzon, 29, attacked his then-partner at his Cardiff flat on August 10 last year, which left her with bruises all over her body.
Nathan Krishnan
The disqualified driver involved in a police chase drove at speed onto an embankment near a children's playground.
Krishnan, 38, from Cardiff, was first spotted by officers in Newport heading towards the M4 on December 10 last year.
Months earlier he had been pulled over in Cardiff and charged for driving while disqualified and without insurance. When police tried to pull him over again he attempted to make his getaway and drove at speed towards Pentwyn.
Michelle Wetherall
The woman with a cocaine "addiction she could not afford" had crack cocaine and heroin worth almost £1,500 at her "drugs den" home.
Wetherall was found in possession of the Class A drugs, as well as cannabis and more than £600 in cash, when officers from South Wales Police carried out a drugs warrant at her flat.
Tom Scapens, prosecuting at Swansea Crown Court, said Wetherall and two men were at her Neath home when police arrived to execute a drugs warrant on March 16 last year.
Darren Murphy-Francis
Police looking for a vulnerable young girl found a used condom in a mobile home belonging to a 44-year-old man.
Murphy-Francis denied having sex with the child but forensic tests showed otherwise. The father-of-three from Llanelli has now been jailed for four years.
Swansea Crown Court heard that in the summer of 2020 police who were looking for a missing schoolgirl went to a mobile home near Pontyclun.
Benn Murphy
The robber threatened a shopkeeper with a bread knife while stealing money from a till with a plastic bag over his head.
Murphy, 27, walked into a Lifestyle Express store in Barry on January 17 and threatened Amal Raju in a robbery that was caught on CCTV.
Scott Bennett
The jealous boyfriend pulled his former partner around by the hair and strangled her before barricading her inside her own flat.
Bennett developed a pattern of controlling and coercive behaviour towards his former partner over a "short-lived" five-week relationship in 2020, a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard on Monday.
Steven Rees
He spat blood at a police officer and bit another on the leg after calling emergency services asking them to arrest him.
Rees made several calls to Gwent Police on the evening of January 12, 2021, requesting that officers come to a flat in Risca to arrest him.
The 30-year-old had breached the conditions of his bail but told call handlers that he had escaped from prison and warned there would be "murder" if they did not arrest him.
Rachel Miller and Kelly Thomas
The two women have been jailed for a combination of 18 years after carrying out an attack that left another woman fighting for her life - before then stealing her bank card and using it.
Miller, 29, and Thomas, 42, spent the evening with their victim on September 5, 2020.
They then carried out what police described as a “sustained assault” which left the victim with serious injuries. They failed to get her immediate medical attention which left her in a serious condition for hours.
Elvis Presley
The paedophile arranged to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl for sex after grooming her online.
Presley Jr had spent the previous fortnight sending a series of explicit messages to the girl in which he encouraged her to perform sex acts on herself and to send him a pair of her used and unwashed panties.
But when the convicted sex offender turned up for the arranged meeting he found himself detained by members of a so-called paedophile hunter group.
James Hunt
He is described as "trigger happy" when it comes to violence and put a fellow takeaway customer in a choke hold before throwing him to the floor.
The victim suffered catastrophic brain injuries in the late-night assault and will need one-to-one care for the rest of his life.
Swansea Crown Court heard the assault took place shortly after midnight on August 12, 2019, in the Pizza Time takeaway in Haverfordwest.
Ian Curtis
The bungling burglar who used a hammer to knock his victim unconscious was caught by police after falling asleep at his victim's house.
Curtis, 48, from Llwynypia, has been jailed for 11 years having been arrested after his victim managed to raise the alarm with his neighbours.
Police shared footage of the arrest where Curtis is seen fast asleep sitting upright in a chair in the corner of a room.
Matthew Lowe
A late-night high-speed chase ended with a police helicopter and dog unit helping to catch the driver.
Lowe dumped his car and tried to hide in thick woodlands – but he was no match for the four-legged crime fighter who sniffed him out.
Swansea Crown Court heard the nine-mile nighttime pursuit, which reached speeds of 120mph, started because Lowe "panicked" at having no insurance.
Raphael Gardner
The sick child abuser got his young victim pregnant and then blamed her for "coming on" to him.
Gardner, 57, subjected the girl to a series of sex assaults but refused to admit what he had done until three days into his trial.
During the course of the police investigation into his activities police found a second victim.
Theo Benjamin Parker
The student was running a "corner shop" for drugs from his room in university halls of residence.
Parker was supplying a range of drugs to fellow students but was caught after an eagle-eyed member of staff intercepted parcels addressed to him. The 24-year-old later told police he was dealing in drugs to fund his university tuition fees.
Georgia Jones, prosecuting at Swansea Crown Court, said in January 2019 parcels addressed to Parker at his flat at Swansea University's Hendrefoilan Student Village were intercepted and checked by a member of staff and inside were what appeared to be drugs.
Liam Bell
The dad who began using cocaine after losing his job started drug dealing to pay off his "significant" debt.
Bell began supplying crack cocaine and heroin to pay off his drug debt.
Swansea Crown Court heard the 26-year-old was stopped by police who found heroin worth over £5,000 in a "clear pot", as well as crack cocaine, inside his car.
Lee Gregory
A mobile phone belonging to drug dealer Gregory revealed to police he and his partner were dealing heroin and crack cocaine.
Police raided the home of the 48-year-old and Holly Clark, 36, in Cardiff on October 4 last year after receiving intelligence they had been dealing Class A drugs. Gregory was searched and was found with 1.56g of heroin worth £150.
Also seized were two sets of scales, adulterants used to cut heroin, a sim card, a mobile phone, and £415 in cash.
Darren Richards
He made a grenade and cannon in his shed after learning how to do it from YouTube videos.
Richards, 46, was also found to have 119g of gunpowder in his unlocked garden shed that he had created with chemicals bought from eBay.
Cardiff Crown Court heard how Richards had been living with his mother in Monnow Court, Thornhill, Cwmbran, after being released from prison when he began to research explosive substances.
Rentil Zyberi and Arben Marcu
A sprawling cannabis drug operation worth around £2m was busted after a routine traffic stop in Cardiff.
South Wales Police officers busted the criminal enterprise after stopping "caretaker" Rentil Zyberi in July last year.
When the 23-year-old took officers to his home to produce driving documents he unwittingly alerted them to several of the gang's cannabis factories. On Friday at Cardiff Crown Court Zyberi and the gang's "banker" Arben Marcu were both sentenced for their involvement.
Corey Casagrande
He caught red-handed driving 1kg of cocaine from Liverpool to south Wales.
The courier was arrested after police performed a tactical stop on their car on the A449.
In the footwell of the vehicle was a stash of the Class A drug with a wholesale value of around £40,000 – and a street value of many times that.
Lanoi Liddell
The 23-year-old was caught selling drugs in Cardiff's student area.
Liddell was found to have up to £8,740 worth of drugs at a "drugs shop" set up at his home after being stopped and searched.
Jordon Davies and Carlton Baker
The two young thugs high on drugs and armed with a cut-throat razor robbed a Good Samaritan just yards from a busy railway station.
Davies and Baker lured their victim to a car park under the false pretence that somebody was seriously ill. They then brandished a razor and the terrified victim handed over money from his wallet.
Grzegorz Kramp
The drug dealer was caught red-handed "cooking" cocaine to turn it into crack in his house.
At the time of the discovery Grzegorz Kramp was being investigated by police after cops had stopped his Mercedes as he drove home from Swansea one evening and found £10,000 worth of heroin and a stun gun.
Swansea Crown Court heard the 45-year-old food industry worker was a "significant street dealer of heroin" in his local area.
Fabio Indjai
The cycling drug dealer was caught after a chase by police officers through city streets.
Indjai was stopped by plain clothes officers as he cycled through Swansea but ran off, prompting a foot chase which resulted in him being tackled to the ground.
He was questioned and released under investigation - and was caught dealing again just weeks later.
Sending the 27-year-old to prison for more than four years, a judge said those who dealt in Class A drugs must expect lengthy sentences.
Benjamin Clothier
He was jailed for a rape and sexual assault he committed as a teenager more than two years ago.
Clothier was sentenced to over six years in prison following the attack which took place in September 2018.
The 20-year-old was 17 at the time of the attack which happened while the victim was asleep.
Prosecution Laurence Jones read a victim statement to the court and described how the attack had a life changing impact on the victim, leading to her dropping out of education and moving away.
Liam Davies
Hewas caught dealing cannabis just weeks after getting out of prison.
Liam John Davies had been serving a sentence for deliberately ramming a police car following a high-speed chase when he was released before Christmas last year.
But in January this year he was found in possession of a stash of cannabis and a mobile phone full of texts about dealing.
