BURGLARS appearing at Dorchester Crown Court are facing the full force of the law.

Recently revealed figures show a higher percentage of defendants appearing on burglary charges at Dorchester are receiving immediate jail terms than in any other Crown Court in the country.

Dorchester, which is normally presided over by Judge Roger Jarvis, tops the table with 90.5 per cent of burglars heading straight to custody, compared to Newport Crown Court which sits bottom of the list at just 57.9 per cent.

Inspector Les Fry , of Dorchester Police, welcomed the fact that those who committed burglaries, particularly dwelling burglaries, were receiving strong sentences from the courts.

He said: “Dwelling burglary is one of the most intrusive crimes that victims can suffer.

“It’s good to see that those perpetrators who commit such a heinous crime are going to prison as a consequence of their actions and I’m very pleased to see this strong support that the judicial system gives us.”

Insp Fry added that, as well as sending a forceful message to potential offenders, the fact that burglars appearing at Crown Court were being sent to prison also offered some reassurance for victims.

He said: “You can be assured that for every person that is sent to prison there are potentially several victims as, to appear at Crown Court, it is unlikely to be the first time they have committed such an offence.”

The figures date back to 2010 and were revealed to Conservative MP Philip Davies through Parliamentary questions.

The Yorkshire MP raised the issue after a Judge Peter Bowers hit the headlines when he said 26-year old burglar Richard Rochford has showed ‘courage’ and imposed a suspended sentence.

Lyn Jacob, of Granby Close, Weymouth, was victim of a burglary just before Christmas last year when a thief broke into the family home She said she was upset at hearing the comments which had been made by the judge.

Lyn said that, although in her case nobody was charged with the burglary, she was pleased to hear that when offenders were caught in Weymouth and West Dorset they were often receiving immediate prison terms when they appeared at court.

She said: “They should be locked up shouldn’t they?

“You like to thing think that they are all caught as well but that’s not always the case.”

How different areas compare: Percentage of burglars given immediate jail sentences

The Top ten

1. Dorchester – 90.5 2. Chichester – 88.3 3. Northampton – 87.4 4. Warwick – 85.9 5. Derby – 85.7 6. Ipswich – 85.1 7. Swindon – 84.2 8. Merthyr Tydfil – 83.8 9. Guildford – 83.3 10. Wolverhampton – 83.0

The Bottom ten

1. Newport – 57.9 2. Portsmouth – 58.8 3. Basildon – 59.2 4. Lewes – 60.7 5. Harrow – 60.9 6. Durham – 61.1 7. Wood Green – 62.2 8. Manchester – 62.2 9. York – 62.2 10. Bradford – 62.4