A BOURNEMOUTH man who admitted committing a string of burglaries of businesses in the town centre has been jailed for more than two years.

Lewis Gibson, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on Monday, after pleading guilty to five counts of burglary at a previous hearing and asking for 11 other burglary offences to be taken into consideration.

The 38-year-old was also sentenced for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon in relation to a separate incident in Wimborne Road in Bournemouth on September 19, 2017.

Gibson was jailed for two years and four months in total.

Detective Sergeant Adam Gill, of Dorset Police’s Priority Crime Team, said: “Burglary offences have a huge impact on local businesses and I would like to reassure them that we take this crime extremely seriously.

"We will investigate them and do all we can to bring offenders such as Lewis Gibson to justice.”

Gibson's first burglary offence took place at around 12.15am on April 1, this year, at W2 food and drink shop in Post Office Road. He ‘donkey-kicked’ the glass of the door, squeezed through a hole and stole cash from the till, a tablet and laptop.

He also admitted being responsible for other burglaries at Café Thrive in Richmond Hill, on April 2, Debenhams in Commercial Road on April 3, the Cosy Club in Old Christchurch Road, April 22, Ojo Rojo, also on Commercial Road, on April 23.

CCTV was seized and viewed and investigating officers identified Gibson as being the offender.

Gibson was arrested on April 23 after a police officer on cycle patrol spotted two well known class A drug users entering the stairwell on the Avenue Road car park in the town centre.

The officer followed them and identified Gibson among the group.

He was quickly arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Gibson fully admitted the burglary offences when interviewed.

He also admitted to committing a further 11 commercial burglaries, which he asked to be taken into consideration when sentenced.