A CRIMINAL who carried out a string of offences has been spared a prison sentence.

Benjamin James Cook, who is of no fixed abode, has been ordered to reimburse a number of his victims after being sentenced for 14 counts of theft, one of failing to surrender to custody and one of attempted criminal damage.

The offences were carried out between November 2017 and June this year.

Four of the charges relate to the theft of bicycles.

Cook, 35, first stole three bikes worth £1,400 from Stone Close in Poole on November 23 2017. Just £300 compensation was ordered for the offence.

He then stole a bike from Station Approach in Broadstone on February 17. He was ordered to pay the victim £800 in compensation.

Five days later, Cook returned to the same road and stole another cycle. Magistrates ordered him to pay £100 for the second bike.

The defendant stole another bike worth £600 in Poole on June 27. He must pay the full value of the bike in compensation.

Cook also admitted a string of thefts from shops.

Magistrates sentenced Cook to a total of 21 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months.

He was also told to pay a surcharge and costs in addition to any compensation ordered.