Judge stops sentencing of serial burglar after seeing defendant has 26 birthdays

Judge stops sentencing of serial burglar after seeing defendant has 26 birthdaysAnthony Paul Maughan pleaded guilty to a string of thefts across Wales, but his sentencing was held up by judge after it was found he had dozens of listed birthdaysNewsJason Evans and Liam Doyle08:37, 17 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesAnthony Paul Maughan was not sentenced due to his dozens of birthdays(Image: Media Wales)A judge was forced to halt sentencing a defendant in court after he was confronted with his 26 different birthdays - and ordered him into the witness box instead.‌Anthony Paul Maughan, of no fixed abode, was due to be sentenced this week after pleading guilty to 10 counts of non-dwelling burglary and one count of theft from a vehicle, and had appeared in the dock as he awaited Judge Huw Rees' ruling. He had embarked on a burglary spree across Wales, hitting cafes, restaurants and shops in Swansea, Neath, Bridgend and Cardiff.‌But the "persistent offender" wasn't sentenced when originally planned after the judge said he wasn't prepared to hand down a decision without knowing which one of Maughan's 26 dates of birth was correct.‌READ MORE: Should balaclavas be banned in the UK? Take our poll and have your sayREAD MORE: Seven tips to stop thieves stealing your petrol amid Iran war crime waveView 2 ImagesMaughan was found to have 26 different birthdays, and ordered to attend court as a witness to straighten out the issue(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)Wales Online reports that Judge Rees adjourned the hearing and ordered Maughan, then appearing via videolink, to be brought to the court in person. He also asked the prosecution to conduct their own enquiries to discover the defendant's true date of birth.Prosecutors had earlier told the court about Maughan's 18-day burglary spree. Matthew Comer told Swansea Crown Court that the defendant had spent the nearly 20 days in January and February burgling 10 businesses.‌His targets included the Gigglin...