A PROLIFIC burglar who stole jewellery, laptops and bikes worth thousands of pounds before pawning them for cash has been jailed.

John Pearce, who is of no fixed abode, raided a property in Southbourne Road on May 25 this year after the homeowner went to work.

The defendant used a block of wood from the garden to smash the patio doors before taking his haul out through the front door, which he left wide open.

Stuart Ellacott, prosecuting at Bournemouth Crown Court, said the property stolen was worth between £6,000 and £8,000.

"Police were notified and crime scene investigators attended and a fingerprint was recovered," he said.

"It matched that of Mr Pearce.

"He was arrested and interviewed on June 27. During the interview, he made a full confession."

The court heard that this is Peace's third three-strike sentence.

A judge must impose a sentence of three years for three-strike offences unless it is unjust to do so.

The defendant, 40, has 47 convictions for 108 offences, including a large number of burglaries.

In 2015, he was sentenced to 876 days - three years less 20 per cent for a guilty plea - for burglary, and in 2011 he also received three years for burgling homes.

Nick Robinson, mitigating, urged a judge to give Pearce a chance to prove himself by deferring his sentence for three months to consider a drug rehabilitation requirement rather than a prison sentence.

"He is weathered by the distresses and vicissitudes of life," he said.

"The reason why he offends and reoffends is accommodation and drugs."

The defendant told police the names of the pawnshops where he had sold on jewellery, and even a Turkish pizza restaurant in Bournemouth used for "harbouring stolen goods", as part of a bid to assist police, Mr Robinson said.

"He is a prolific burglar - who cares about him?" the barrister said.

"The short-term gain of punishing him is perhaps less attractive in the public interest than a long-term solution which is not without its merit."

On his last release from prison, Pearce attended catering college to pursue a dream of being a chef and volunteered to paint and garden for elderly people in Weymouth, the court heard.

"I ask the court to take a bold approach with confidence and believe in this defendant," Mr Robinson said.

However, Recorder Gordon Bebb QC said Pearce has an "appalling" record and must serve time.

The judge sentenced Pearce to four years behind bars.