A MAN has been given a suspended prison sentence after being convicted of burgling the same property in Osmington on three separate occasions.

Darren Charles Reed, aged 47, was standing trial at Dorchester Crown Court over three charges of burglary relating to the same stable block in Church Lane between August and October last year.

Reed, of Khartoum Road, Weymouth, was accused of stealing a number of jerry cans of fuel, two digital cameras, a bottle of gin, a bottle of rum, two bikes and a satnav.

Reed was found in possession of one of the bicycles and a piece of cloth was found near the scene of the burglaries with blood on it that matched his, alongside one of the stolen jerry cans.

When he gave evidence in the trial, Reed denied ever going to the property in question and having any involvement in any of the three burglaries, claiming he had bought the bike and jerry cans from car boot sales.

The jury of five men and seven women reached a guilty verdict on a majority for each of the three counts after around three hours and 20 minutes.

Following the conviction, prosecutor Timothy Compton told the court that Reed had a total of 36 previous convictions for 142 offences including burglary and handling stolen goods, although the last of those offences dated back to May 2005.

Tim Shorter, mitigating, said up until the early part of the last decade Reed had been involved with drugs but had since moved from Bristol to ‘turn his life around’.

He added: “Quite what happened in 2013 when these offences were committed remains a mystery.”

Judge Roger Jarvis said: “If you haven’t by now begun to understand the impact upon householders of people who burgle, it’s about time that you did.”

The judge sentenced Reed to a total of 36 weeks in prison, suspended for one year.

Reed will also have to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and attend for ten days at an employment, training and education programme and was ordered to pay compensation of £696.82.