DETECTIVES investigating burglaries to Bournemouth homes tracked down the man responsible - using just the print of his shoes.

Graham Hill, who is of no fixed abode, first targeted a home in Crabton Close Road at around 3.30am on Tuesday, August 22. The owner, hearing a noise, realised a light was on downstairs. He looked out of the window and saw a man in his front garden carrying his laptop bag.

The owner then discovered the laptop, an HP Notebook, had been taken, along with a purse, house keys and a wallet.

Police discovered two footwear marks in the house; one in the kitchen and one in the dining room.

In the early hours of Thursday, August 31, the residents of a house in Grove Road returned after two weeks away to find they property had been burgled. An iPad, jewellery, cash and computer games had been taken.

A CCTV hard drive kept in the basement had also been ripped out and stolen, and a camera to the rear of the house had been smashed.

Officers called to the house discovered a footwear mark in the basement, which matched those discovered in the first burglary.

On Wednesday, September 6, police spotted the defendant in Ashley Cross. He was wearing footwear matching that identified by the crime scene investigators.

Hill said he was on his way to court and the officers, unaware of the significance of the trainers, allowed him to go on his way.

After being told of the trainers' significance, the officers went to Poole Magistrates' Court to arrest him. However, when they arrived they found he had changed his trainers.

Later investigation revealed he had bought new shoes from a nearby shop ahead of his court appearance. The original trainers were found in a wheelie bin.

At 4.50pm on Friday, November 10, the resident of a flat in Cranborne Road was alerted to a burglary at their home. Two panes of glass from a rear window had been removed and a number of items - including watches and war medals - had been taken.

The total value of the stolen items was more than £3,000.

Investigators found a fingerprint on one of the panes of glass. It was a match for the defendant.

A week later, on the afternoon of Friday, November 17, police were called by a member of the public who confronted a man seen going into a property in Dean Park Road through a window.

The man claimed he had lost his keys, but the member of the public called police. The man left the area on a bike.

The home owner was contacted. He discovered a Freeview box and laptop had been stolen.

Hill, 36, was arrested the following day after trying to sell the laptop to a shop in Christchurch Road.

He has now been jailed to 38 months in prison after admitting four burglaries before a judge at Bournemouth Crown Court.

PC Chris Raspini, of Dorset Police’s Priority Crime Team, said: “Graham Hill targeted a number of homes in Bournemouth and we were able to secure evidence to link him to all four burglaries.

“Dorset Police takes burglary offences very seriously as they can be extremely distressing experiences for residents.

“I hope that the sentence imposed by the court demonstrates the offenders such as Hill will be brought to justice.”

Detective Constable Nick Taylor, of Bournemouth CID, added: “I would like to take this opportunity to remind residents that they can take some simple crime prevention measures to protect your property from burglars such as Hill.

“For crime prevention advice visit dorset.police.uk/help-advice-crime-prevention/.”