A FORMER gamekeeper who turned burglar has apologised from prison to one of the victims of three frightening night-time house breaks-ins at Christmas.

Victim Damian O’Reilly had said in an impact statement that as a Christian he felt no hatred towards Mark Cunningham, 50, but the distress he had left behind meant “it will take a long time to get back to a normal life”.

Mr O’Reilly, 72, sat in the public seats at Caernarfon Crown Court and Cunningham, appearing via video link from HM Altcourse prison in Liverpool, said: “Can I offer an apology to Mr O’Reilly while he’s in court, please?”

Cunningham, of Berwyn Street, Llangollen, was jailed for four years and three months after pleading guilty to three burglaries, assaulting a PC and PCSO to resist arrest, and possessing a police captor spray which he had grabbed and used against the two officers.

Dafydd Roberts, prosecuting, said two burglaries occurred on December 29 and one the following night.

The first was at 4.15am in Froncysyllte at the home of Wendy Caffrey, her husband and son.

A valuable haul included a 50-inch TV, three mobile phones, an iPad and wallet.

At 5am Mathew Oswald-Haggett of Llangollen awoke, shouted to an intruder to get out, and discovered items missing from the kitchen and living room including an iPad, iPhone and a digital radio.

On December 30 Mr O’Reilly, of Corwen, whose 12-year-old granddaughter had been staying with him, discovered a 50-inch TV, wallet, £100 cash and other items had been taken overnight.

Mr Roberts said that on that day PC Sarah Smith spotted Cunningham taking property into his home from a Fiat Punto.

She told him he was under arrest and asked PCSO Karl Joseph to handcuff him.

There was a scuffle and PC Smith decided to use incapacitant spray but Cunningham grabbed it from her and sprayed the officers’ faces. However with the help of members of the public he was overpowered.

The barrister said Mr Haggett’s impact statement stated he had gone downstairs “with a growing sense of dread” when he realised someone was in the house.

His wife had been distraught and their three children had become fearful of the dark.

“My son was so upset he gathered his toy swords in case the burglar came back,” he added.

Cunningham had 25 previous convictions, including a dozen burglaries, the last in 2005 when he got 54 months.

Simon Killeen, defending, described how during the prison term Cunningham had managed to clean himself of a heroin addiction.

Afterwards he got a job as gamekeeper on a Llangollen estate, with a house included, but returned to his addiction because of his grief at the death of a close relative.

This had proved catastrophic and he lost his job and home.

Mr Killeen said Cunningham was “deeply ashamed” of the burglaries.

Passing sentence, Judge Huw Rees said it would have been “distressing” for the officers to be sprayed in the face.

“What you stole were items which were well chosen for you to make money to spend on whatever was your addiction at the time.”

He sentenced Cunningham to 45 months for the burglaries and an additional six months for the offences involving the two officers.