IN A WEEK filled with shocking and serious court cases many defendants left the dock out the back door.

Over the past five days immediate custodial terms have been handed down to a number of offenders from Dorset.

And the Daily Echo has been at some of them to provide detailed reports on court proceedings, including an illegal puppy importer to a man who received a life sentence in a double attempted murder case.

This week's summary focuses on hearings at Bournemouth Crown Court and Winchester Crown Court

However, Poole Magistrates' Court continues to get through dozens of cases a day, with many of these being sentencings. The latest from those to appear in the lower criminal court can be found in our In The Dock section

For a summary of what has been reported on from the crown courts over the past few days in print and online, listen to the audio round-up below.

And to read more about these cases click on the following links:

If you are interested in court and crime news, you may want to join our dedicated Facebook group, which provides updates from across the county. To find out more, click here.