A man who admitted breaking into a café in Aberaeron has been jailed for 20 weeks.

But Marcus Aaron Yeldham, aged 34, was due to be released almost immediately because he had already spent several weeks in custody awaiting the sentencing hearing.

Georgina Buckley, prosecuting, told Swansea crown court how staff at the Cegin Alban café in Bridge Street noticed on May 5 that the back door key was missing.

That night Yeldham climbed over a wall and a flat roof to reach the rear of the café and used the key to let himself in.

The following day staff realised a plastic box containing up to £550 in “float” money was missing.

Police found a footwear impression that later proved to match Yeldham’s shoes.

A few days later police stopped his car and found the missing plastic box.

Yeldham, a festival rigger, admitted the offence, but denied burgling Sofie’s café in North Parade, Aberystwyth, between 12 and 15 April, and stealing £4,500 in cash. The pleas were accepted and no evidence was offered in relation to the Aberystwyth break in.

Janet Gedrych, representing Yeldham, said he had been a “prolific” burglar of commercial premises in his youth but not in recent years.

Judge Huw Davies said he intended to order Yeldham to repay the money stolen from Elizabeth Ann Williams at Cegin Alban, but Yeldham claimed it had still been in the plastic box when he had been arrested and that it was now in the hands of the police.

Barristers for the prosecution and defence studied photographs of the box and agreed there seemed to be “some loose change” inside.

Judge Davies said he would make the order when the police could tell him just how much money had been recovered.

Yeldham gave police an address in Worthing, Sussex.