Having pleaded guilty at a previous hearing, Matthew Simon Crouch, 46, was sentenced to two years in jail at Bournemouth Crown Court for burglary at a Southbourne retirement flat.

At approximately 4pm on Wednesday 16 March 2022, a resident at the premises in Belle Vue Road entered a woman’s flat and saw an unknown man present.

The resident alerted the victim that the man, who was picking up a bag from the floor, was in her flat.

The victim confronted the man to say that the bag was hers and told him to empty his pockets. The man subsequently removed a pearl necklace and wallet from his clothing, which belonged to the victim.

The incident was reported to police and officers took a description of the man from a witness.

When officers drove past, Crouch tried to hide in the bushes. As he attempted to leave the area in the direction of Tuckton, he was arrested.

Investigations officer Max Surman, of Dorset Police, said: “Crouch entered the address of elderly residents in broad daylight and attempted to steal their belongings.

“Thankfully, he was stopped and the items were recovered by the residents. I would like to praise them for their incredible bravery shown during the incident.

“I would also like to pay tribute to the witness who provided an important description, which subsequently led to his arrest.

“I hope this case demonstrates that we take incidents of this nature seriously and will do all we can to relentlessly pursue offenders and bring them before the court.”