Man sentenced to 40 months for distraction burglary in West Moors

Clifford James Dean Whittaker, aged 36 and of Abbey Road in London, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court today, 22 June, and was sentenced to 40 months in prison after admitting the burglary.

At around 1pm on 5 February, the victim, a man in his 60s, was at his home on Pinehurst Road with his wife, when a group of three or four men attended the address claiming to be from a company called Kennedy Water.

The men said there had been issues with the water supply and they needed to carry out some checks.They tampered with the taps in the property before saying they would have to shut off the supply. The victim started filling a large container with water in preparation and while he was doing so, realised the men had left the kitchen.

When he went to the window, he saw the men walking away from the property carrying a white carrier bag. Inside, there were coin trays that had been taken from safes in the bedroom.

The victim found that 98 sovereign coins and 6kg of silver, as well as various other coins had been taken from the safes. The total value of the items stolen was around £40,000.

CCTV enquiries identified the vehicle the men had got into after the burglary, which was linked to other offences outside of Dorset.

Following subsequent enquiries, Whittaker was arrested in the Thames Valley area on Monday 26 March 2018.

Detective Constable Ben Swain, of Bournemouth CID, said, “This burglary must have been deeply upsetting for the victim and his wife as they were targeted in their own home while they were inside the property.

“I am pleased we have been able to bring one of the offenders to justice and we are urging residents to take steps to help prevent themselves from becoming victims of offenders such as Whittaker.

“If you have any concerns about a visitor to your property, always ask for identification as they should have no concerns about showing it if they are genuine.

“Never let anyone you do not know into your property if you have any worries about their legitimacy and contact a family member or neighbour and inform the police.”