TV-Stealing Burglars Jailed

Two men have been imprisoned after being convicted of a burglary in the Canford Cliffs area of Poole – thanks to an eagle-eyed member of the public.

26-year-old Benjamin James Dixon from Bournemouth, and Samuel Lee Barney, 24, of no fixed abode, forced their way into a house on Leicester Road on Thursday 14th June 2012, and stole a brand new television valued at £400.

The two men left the property and walked along the pavement towards a public pay and display car park situated on the corner of Canford Cliffs Road.

They were spotted by a member of the public who was driving past at the time. He saw them carrying the boxed television and loading it into a car.

The witness thought it looked suspicious and contacted Dorset Police who later stopped the vehicle along the A351 heading towards Wareham.

The two men, and a 20-year-old woman driving the vehicle, were arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Both Dixon and Barney pleaded guilty to burglary. They were sentenced to 876 days and one year respectively.

The 20-year-old woman from Poole was given a community sentence and ordered to carry out 90 hours unpaid work.

The officer in the case, Detective Inspector Richard Dixey, of Bournemouth and Poole CID, said:

“This is a great example of the community working with Dorset Police to bring the offenders to justice.

“The vigilant actions of the caller on that day alerted the police to the offence taking place. This enabled us to act quickly and arrest those responsible for the crime.”

“I would encourage anyone who has any information about crimes to call the police as soon as possible. I hope this investigation illustrates that we value and act upon the calls we receive from our communities.”