A BURGLAR who broke into a house while a woman slept in her bed has been jailed for four years.

Patrick Joseph Kiely, 26, and of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court last month after admitting two counts of burglary, shoplifting and various driving offences.

The court heard that Kiely entered an address in Berkeley Avenue, Poole at around 3.20am on Friday March 10, and disturbed the victim who was asleep in bed.

The woman, aged in her 70s, confronted him and he grabbed jewellery from the top of her dresser before leaving the property.

He was seen to make off in a silver car. The woman was not injured in the incident.

Then, between 8.45am and 11.55am on Friday March 17 the defendant entered a flat in Wimborne Road in Poole and stole a safe containing around £4,000 in cash and jewellery.

Immediately afterwards, residents at an address in Carlton Road, Poole, saw a silver car pull into their communal car park and leave around 20 minutes later, with a safe found abandoned in the location.

The shoplifting offence related to the theft of goods from McColls newsagents in Blandford Road, Poole, the following day.

Kiely also admitted driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and with no insurance.

Detective Sergeant Adam Woolman said: “Officers worked hard to secure an overwhelming amount of evidence in this case and I hope the sentence reflects that burglary offences such as these will not be tolerated.

“A burglary in your home is a very distressing experience and I would like to take this opportunity to remind residents that they can take some simple crime prevention steps to avoid becoming victims of offenders such as Kiely.”