A BURGLAR begged his victim not to call police after she caught him red-handed as he looted her flat.

The woman, who had been away for two weeks over Christmas, found Daryl Woods-Dean in her Holdenhurst Road flat on the afternoon of Monday, January 8.

She discovered the communal door lock had been broken and the front door to her flat had been forced open.

As she walked into the address, she saw a woman sat on her bed. The woman rose and closed the door on the victim.

Woods-Dean, who is of no fixed abode, then followed the victim into a communal area and pleaded with her not to call 999. She ignored him and called for police.

As she did so, Woods-Dean and the woman ran out of the flat and into Windham Road.

Police arrested both an hour later. Woods-Dean, 21, was later charged with burglary, while the woman was released without charge.

He has now been jailed for 35 months after admitting the charge.

A judge sitting at Bournemouth Crown Court last week heard the victim found her flat had been "trashed" while she was away.

Her toilet was blocked with excrement and there was vomit in her bath.

A TV and a two-hob cooker were stolen.

Detective Constable Christian Bryant, of Dorset Police’s Priority Crime Team, said: “Daryl Woods-Dean is a prolific offender who targets people in the very place they should feel safe.

“I hope the sentence handed out by the court sends a very strong message that burglars will be dealt with robustly and face lengthy prison terms.”