A BURGLAR who was challenged by his victims as he broke into their homes in Bournemouth has been jailed.

Caleb William Warren, 33 and of no fixed abode, was sentenced during a hearing at Salisbury Crown Court on Friday, January 11, after he was previously found guilty of two burglary offences.

At 7.20pm on Sunday, May 20, 2018, a man was upstairs in his home on Poole Lane when he heard a male voice shouting ‘hello’.

The victim went downstairs and discovered Warren in the hallway. The victim challenged Warren who stated he was looking for a girl called Jasmine as he wanted to buy a racer bike from her. He claimed he had been knocking on everyone’s door looking for her.

It was established that Warren had gained entry through the victim’s front door, which was closed but not locked. When he left the address, he was seen to meet a woman nearby before leaving the area. Nothing was taken.

At 2.50pm on Wednesday, May 30, Warren’s second victim was working in his flat in Canford Avenue when he heard a man calling ‘Jake’. The victim got up to investigate and spotted Warren out of his living room window crouched down tying his shoelaces.

The victim decided to go to his bedroom to see where Warren had gone and was shocked to discover him attempting to climb through the open bedroom window. The victim hid in the corridor and shouted to Warren to get out. He apologised and said he was looking to buy drugs.

The victim saw Warren on the street meeting a woman and walking away.

Warren was arrested on Friday, June 1, and released under investigation.

Later that month, both victims attended a police station to take part in an identification process. They identified Warren as the offender. He was re-arrested on Tuesday, June 19.

At court, he was sentenced to a total of 39 months in prison.

He was also sentenced in relation to a burglary committed on November 23, 2017, breach of a restraining order on November 27, 2017, and possession of heroin on November 29, 2017. He had been handed a community order for these offences but had subsequently breached this order.

On November 23, Warren raided the home of a Bournemouth mum whose 15-year-old daughter had died days earlier from cancer.

Among the items stolen from the Leybourne Avenue property was an Apple MacBook Air laptop bought for the teenager using funding donated from Poole Hospital.

Warren’s prison sentence also included an offence of vehicle interference and two counts of using threatening words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of or provoke unlawful violence on November 8, 2017.

Detective Constable Ben Swain, of Dorset Police’s Priority Crime Team, said: “Caleb Warren gained access to both addresses through insecure doors and windows. I would yet again like to remind homeowners to make sure their properties are secure even if you are at home. Don’t make life easy for burglars.”