A MAN’S brother reported him to the police after he stole children’s Christmas presents from a pram on Christmas Eve.

David Farrow took the shoes and presents, worth an estimated £1,500, from the communal area at a house of multiple occupancy in the early hours of Christmas Eve morning in a ‘particularly mean’ crime.

Following a media appeal in which Farrow’s image was circulated, his brother approached Dorset Police to identify him.

The 38-year-old appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court via a video link from HMP Winchester on Friday, April 19.

At around 2.30am on Christmas Eve, 2023, Farrow came to the property in Frances Road with a woman, said Lucie Taylor, prosecuting.

The woman then forced the door open and wedged it open with a mat, before Farrow arrived at the property with a suitcase and a wheely bin.

He left the bin at the door and went inside the building a total of three times, each time retrieving goods from a pram left in the communal space.

This included wrapped parcels that were children’s toys, and four pairs of high-value shoes, including from brand Balenciaga, which were placed into the wheely bin.

The pair then left together via an underground car park.

He was first identified by a police officer from the CCTV images of the offence, before his brother identified him to the force.

Farrow said he returned the Christmas presents but kept the high-value shoes.

He pleaded guilty to a non-dwelling burglary, and Ms Taylor said he had a number of previous convictions, including shoplifting, failing to surrender and failing to comply.

He is currently serving a 24-week sentence in prison for stealing a phone from a person in Bournemouth town centre, which also activated a suspended sentence, prosecution said.

Mitigating, Aleks Lloyd said Farrow had only recently been assessed for mental health issues for the first time.

He said it had been a ‘revolving door’ for Farrow, going to prison on numerous occasions, but that he always leaves prison ‘with the best intentions’, before ‘things go wrong’.

Mr Lloyd added that a suspended sentence would be a ‘leap of faith’ and that Farrow wants to be helped.

Judge Susan Evans KC said: “Even a member of your own family felt it appropriate to identify you because it was a particularly mean offence taking Christmas presents on Christmas eve which were for children.

“You say that you returned the Christmas presents. Be that as it may, it remains a very mean offence.”

Judge Evans sentenced Farrow to eight months in prison, suspended for 24 months, on the condition that Farrow does not commit any further offences and completes eight months of drug rehabilitation.

He must also do 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and must wear a tagged GPS monitor for six months.

There is also a mental health treatment requirement of 12 sessions.

Judge Evans warned Farrow that if he broke any of these conditions he would go back to prison, saying that she does not know if there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.