A TORFAEN man has been jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary.

Marcus Ball, 34, of George Street, Pontypool, committed the offence on January 19, 2021.

The court heard Ball had knocked on elderly victim Roy Morgan's door in Newport at 8.40pm on the evening in question. When the victim asked why he was there, he was told to open the door and it would be explained.

As Mr Morgan opened the door, Ball, who was armed with a pair of scissors, kicked it in and pushed the victim backwards towards the kitchen.

As Mr Morgan was pushed back, he saw a second male was with Ball. He was made to sit down while Ball jabbed the scissors at him and demanded to know where he kept "the gold".

Mr Morgan was also threatened with a knife picked up in the kitchen and told that he would be cut up if he told the police.

A number of items were taken from the property. After the men left, Mr Morgan locked the door and put a piece of wood across it to prevent them from returning. He called a friend and explained what had happened.

The police were then contacted by another friend.

Throughout the ordeal, Mr Morgan was not physically hurt but was left shaken.

The following morning, Ball was arrested by the police. He was found to have a red bag with a number of items in, including a camera, black phone, gold watch, tobacco, toothpaste and a Stanley knife - all of which Mr Morgan later identified as his.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Mr Morgan described how the incident had left him feeling unsafe and he had to move from Newport, where he had lived since 2008, to live with his daughter in Bristol.

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Mr Morgan also said in the statement how he now always locks his door and bars it with wood and gets scared when he hears noises in the evenings.

The court heard Ball, who has previously appeared in court 33 times for more than 100 offences, including dwelling burglaries, is a crack cocaine and heroin addict and that he has said he commits offences to fuel his habit.

Judge Caroline Rees sentenced Mr Ball to nine years in prison with a one-month concurrent sentence for cannabis possession.

She ordered that the scissors and the cannabis be forfeited and destroyed.

Gwent Police officer Alistair Frame said: “I welcome the sentence given today. This was a particularly terrifying ordeal for the elderly victim, and I would like to thank him for his courage and support during the investigation.”