A "HEARTLESS" burglar who stole a charity tin from a hospital cancer ward before breaking into a church and damaging crucifixes has been jailed.

Darren Jones, of Christchurch Road in Bournemouth, repeatedly raided the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

On July 23 he broke into the endocrine department and stole cash from charity tins, the coffee machine and some drawers. On September 28 he returned, taking cash from the orthopaedic department's coffee machine. He then burgled the oncology department of a radio, a charity box and cash on October 4.

He also attempted to steal from the Kings Park Community Hospital in Gloucester Road on June 30. Although he broke in through a window and searched through several rooms, it is not believed anything was stolen.

The 34-year-old was finally apprehended in the early hours of Thursday, November 7 outside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Albert Road, Bournemouth.

Police received a call from a priest living on the church site at 4am. The priest said he'd heard noises in the church and seen two men leaving through a garden gate.

Officers rushed to the scene to find extensive damage had been caused inside the building.

A sacristy table and two crucifixes were broken and glass vials containing sacred oil had been smashed. A safe containing money from collection boxes had also been removed.

Jones and an accomplice, 49-year-old William James, of Bath Road in Bournemouth, were found near the church. They had tools and a large amount of loose change with them.

It was later discovered that Jones had already raided the same church just days earlier, in the early hours of Friday, November 1. On the first occasion, he broke into a number of money boxes.

Last week, the pair appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court to be sentenced after Jones admitted six burglaries and James admitted a single count of burglary.

Jones also asked a judge to take seven more burglary offences into account when he was sentenced.

The pair were both sentenced to four years in prison.

Detective Constable Jo Regan, of Bournemouth CID, said: “Darren Jones and William James are heartless burglars who targeted premises that make a valuable contribution to the community.

“I am pleased that through a swift response by officers in the early hours of November 7, we were able to apprehend them near to the scene of the offence and bring them to justice for their offending.”