A MAN who burgled a number of homes in Bournemouth has been jailed after fingerprints were found at one of the crime scenes.

Michael Charlton, 40 and of Winchester, was sentenced to two years and five months in prison at Bournemouth Crown Court on Wednesday, February 21.

He was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of burglary and asking for a further five burglary offences to be taken into consideration.

On Tuesday 3 October 2017 a burglary occurred at an address in Central Drive in the town.

The owner left his flat at 5.38am and cannot recall whether he locked the door.

He returned home at 5.15pm to discover the door opened without the key being used. Inside items had been moved and a laptop, box of personal items and a cream-coloured carrier bag had been stolen.

Crime scene investigators examined the scene and discovered fingerprints on a bag that had been moved onto the bed inside the flat. Tests revealed these belonged to Charlton.

He was arrested and admitted the offence in police interview. The five burglaries taken into consideration occurred between Saturday, October 7 and Monday, November 27 2017.

DC Ben Swain, of Dorset Police’s Priority Crime Team, said: “Michael Charlton broke into people’s homes for his own gain.

“Dorset Police takes burglary offences very seriously as they can be extremely distressing experiences for residents and I hope that the sentence imposed by the court demonstrates that offenders will be punished.

“I would like to remind residents to ensure they take as many steps as they can to protect their homes.

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