A MAN who admitted stealing hundreds of pounds worth of goods from two businesses, including a woollen mill which has become a favourite with the royal family, has been jailed.

Justin Rantanen, 36, of Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly, admitted stealing a woollen blanket valued at £181 from Solva Woollen Mill, near Haverfordwest, on Tuesday, August 30.

On the same day he took a boogie board, valued at £20 from Solva’s Bay View Stores.

Police said that Rantanen was arrested in a hotel in St Davids at shortly after midnight on Wednesday, August 31, after he was caught on camera stealing property from local shops.

During his arrest, Rantanen attempted to make off by jumping out of his hotel window, but the quick-thinking officers blocked his car to prevent him getting away.

They also recovered the items he had stolen from the vehicle.

Magistrates at Llanelli heard that Rantanen had previous convictions for similar offences.

They took his guilty plea into account, sentencing him to a total of 16 weeks in custody, giving the fact that this was a high value theft, aggravated by the ‘defendant's previous convictions for like offences’ as their reason.

Rantanen also admitted driving a BMW while disqualified and without insurance at the Grove Hotel car park, St Davids, and failing to provide a breath specimen when required to do so.

He was handed a 12-week prison sentence, to run concurrently with the other, for the driving while disqualified offence.

For failing to provide a specimen of breath when required to do so in Haverfordwest, he was disqualified from driving for three years and two months.

Magistrates did not impose a separate penalty for the no insurance offence but endorsed Rantanen’s driving licence.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed on Thursday that a 47-year-old woman was also charged with four counts of theft. She is due to appear at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court later this month.