A BURGLAR photographed by one of his would-be victims has been jailed.

Colin Gill, of Tregonwell Road in Bournemouth, attempted to burgle a home in Clarendon Road on the afternoon of Saturday, February 24.

The homeowner heard the handles of the patio doors at the side of his house being turned at around 1pm. After the noise stopped, the victim pulled back the curtains at the front of the house and saw a man walk past.

When the victim challenged the stranger, the man replied that he had seen a tap by the front door and wanted a drink of water.

He then turned the tap on a took a sip from it. The victim, who had private CCTV cameras, took a photograph of the man. Police later identified the man in the photo as Gill.

Sometime between midnight and 8am on Wednesday, February 28, Gill raided a home off Holdenhurst Road. The victim of the second incident noticed the door of the shed in the garden was ajar.

As he went to investigate further, he realised the back door was unlocked and his wife's handbag, which contained cash and John Lewis vouchers, had been stolen from the kitchen.

Later that day, he noticed a small drill was missing from the shed.

At around 5pm the same day, Gill was arrested in Holdenhurst Road after PCs were told he was wanted for the first offence. At the time of his arrest, he had the John Lewis vouchers and the drill with him.

The 44-year-old has now been sentenced to three years in prison after he was convicted of burglary and attempted burglary following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Detective Constable Ben Swain, of Bournemouth CID, said: “Colin Gill is a prolific burglar who targets people in the very place they should feel safe.

“I hope this conviction and sentence will again remind members of the public that we take burglary offences extremely seriously and have a dedicated team of detectives who work tirelessly to ensure offenders like Gill are brought to justice."