A MAN who stole a purse, two remote controls, a watch and children’s toys has been jailed.

Rodney Gary Donald, 52, of Churchill Road, Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to burglary and appeared at Winchester Crown Court for sentencing.

He also had a further four offences taken into consideration when he was sentenced.

At 3.10pm on Friday, February 5, a woman left her address on Heathcote Road to go to a nearby shop.

When she returned at approximately 4pm, she noticed that a parcel in a communal area addressed for a member of her household had been opened.

It was further discovered that a search of the address had been carried out and a purse had been stolen, as well as two remote controls, a watch and three children’s toys.

The victims were later informed that one of their bank cards had been used at shops on Palmerston Road at around 4.35pm the same day.

Following CCTV enquiries at the shops, a 34-year-old man of no fixed abode was arrested in connection with the incident on Tuesday, February 16. He was charged with fraud by false representation and was sentenced at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, June 3.

Further investigative work revealed that he had been provided with the bank card by Donald.

Donald was arrested on Wednesday, March 10, and a watch matching the description of the one stolen in the burglary was seized from his possession.

He was sentenced to five years imprisonment.

Police Constable Chris Raspini, of Dorset Police’s Priority Crime Team, said: “I am pleased that through our investigation we were able to identify Donald as the offender and bring him before the court.

“A burglary causes real distress and upset to victims and we will do all we can to identify offenders and hold them accountable for their actions.”