TWO men have been jailed for a ‘Goldilocks-style’ burglary on the house of two serving soldiers.

Janis Zalitis, 30, and Jonathan Richard Keith, 41, both of no fixed abode, admitted raiding the house in Seager Way, Poole, on July 18 of this year, stealing items such as a speaker, a watch worth £800 and a specially engraved bottle of whiskey.

Keith also pleaded guilty to arson relating to a mental health treatment centre in Bournemouth on July 25 after nurses said they weren’t able to find him accommodation.

Both defendants appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court for sentencing on Monday, December 20.

Prosecuting, Nicola Talbot-Hadley, said the defendants were discovered just after midnight after a local resident saw a pair of legs going through the window of the address.

Keith told officers in interview he was homeless and had been told he could sleep at the address.

Ms Talbot-Hadley said among the items stolen included army-issued sunglasses, two watches were £800 and £500 and two Apple TV boxes.

Zalitis was arrested around a month after the burglary and found with a bayonet and a pair of fishing trousers.

The defendant told police he helped Keith break in and was then pulled in by the co-defendant. The bayonet and trousers were his “reward”.

“He was also homeless at the time and found some comfort in the property”, Ms Talbot-Hadley said.

On July 25, Keith went to Hahnemann House, an NHS property, to seek help in relation to his homelessness.

He became angry after being told the nurses couldn’t provide accommodation and set fire to a coffee cup before pushing it through the letter box.

Bournemouth Echo: The lit coffee cup dropped through the letter box of an NHS building. Picture: CPS

“He told staff ‘you have two minutes’, he was going to burn the building down,” the prosecutor added.

Mitigating for Keith, Mark Ashley said the defendant suffers from mental health difficulties but has been known to exaggerate his struggles.

In relation to the arson, Mr Ashley said Keith found himself with nowhere to stay and was unable to deal with rejection.

Mitigating for Zalitis, Andy Houston said his client was Latvian and said a prison sentence of a year or more could see him deported.

He said Zalitis had “a lot to offer” to Poole and was about to start a job as a chef.

Both defendants had previous convictions, including some burglaries.

Judge Robert Pawson sentenced Keith to 14 months for the burglary and four months for the arson, making 18 months in total. Zalitis was sent to prison for 10 months.

The judge said: “You broke into the house of two serving soldiers. There was a thorough and widespread search, it seems one of you even slept in a bed, there is an element of Goldilocks and the three bears in this case.

“Most of the items were of significance to the losers. It took place at night and your victims were vulnerable, they were serving.

“[Keith] you have mental health issues, you were not mentally ill at the time of this offence. [Zalitis] deportation is a matter for the Home Office, not for the court.

“Sentences are both of immediate custody.”

Dorset Police declined to provide the custody image of Zalitis.