Burglar jailed for four months - ONE DAY after his release from prison

Emmett Downes, of no fixed abode, approached the woman, who is in her late 60s, as she walked in Druitt Gardens on the evening of Wednesday, August 3.

He wrenched a shopping bag from her shoulder, searching through it and taking a purse before throwing it to the floor and running away.

Police issued a CCTV image of the suspect as part of an investigation, and an officer from the force recognised Downes.

The following day, before his arrest, Downes burgled a home in Waltham Road, Bournemouth.

The defendant, 37, broke into the house through a window sometime between 10.50pm and 3pm on Thursday, August 4, stealing an Apple iMac computer and its keyboard.

Later that day, he attempted to sell the computer to a man who discovered that it had been stolen and returned it to its owner.

Downes was sentenced to four weeks in prison on August 5 after failing to appear at Bournemouth Magistrates' Court.

He was arrested on suspicion of the theft from the pensioner and the burglary of the Bournemouth home on Thursday, August 18, when he was released from prison.

The defendant went on to admit both offences, and asked for three other similar offences to be taken into consideration by the courts.

On Friday, August 19, he was sentenced to a total of four months in prison at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Detective Constable Christopher Raspini, of Dorset Police’s Priority Crime Team, said: “The behaviour of criminals such as Downes will not be tolerated in Dorset and we will use all available resources to arrest and charge offenders.

“Although Downes’s victim was uninjured she was left very shaken and upset and I hope the knowledge that he is behind bars will bring her some small comfort.

“Finally, I would like to remind residents to ensure they don’t leave windows or doors unlocked when they leave their property. If you do, you could leave your property vulnerable to opportunist thieves like Downes.”