Caleb Ollie Johnson, 21 from Poole, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court last month after pleading guilty to seven counts of theft, attempted theft and fraud by false representation. He was also sentenced for breach of a suspended prison sentence.

The first theft offence occurred on 12 February 2020 when Johnson entered HM Samuel at the Dolphin Centre in Poole and stole a necklace worth £499. Then, between 13-17 April, four theft offences and one fraud by false representation offence occurred and related to Johnson transferring or attempting to transfer quantities of cash from the bank account of a vulnerable victim he knew to his own on four occasions. The total transferred was £800. Other offences involved the theft of a £2,000 electric pedal cycle from outside an address in Poole on the morning of 16 Jun and theft of a bicycle on 11 July.

The attempted theft offence happened on 13 August when officers were called to reports of a person on the roof of the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum on East Cliff in Bournemouth. When they arrived they discovered that a large amount of lead had been stripped from the roof. Johnson was arrested nearby and later charged.

Detective Constable Christian Bryant, of Dorset Police’s Priority Crime Team, said, “Caleb Johnson was responsible for committing a series of offences over a six-month period. I hope the sentence handed out by the court will send out a strong message that we will investigate these crimes and do all we can to bring offenders to justice.”