A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting a burglary and a robbery at the same home in Bournemouth.
Darren John Lane, aged 46 and of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday 4 January 2024.
On the evening of Thursday 30 November 2023 Lane attended the address of the victim, a man aged in his 70s, in Boscombe and convinced him to let him in under the guise that the defendant was representing the landlord and a local charity.
While inside, he told the victim he needed to give him money to stop local drug users from approaching him. The victim took out an envelope of cash and went to hand over £40, but Lane went to grab the envelope, which subsequently fell on the floor.
The defendant picked up the cash and made off from the property.
Less than a week later, on the night of Wednesday 6 December 2023, while the victim was asleep, Lane used a ladder that was located near the property to climb into his bedroom window.
The victim woke to see the defendant in his bedroom. Lane then put him in a headlock and threw him out of bed, causing the victim to sustain an injury to his eye.
Lane made threats to his victim, claiming he had a knife and demanded more cash. The defendant went downstairs and took an envelope of cash from a drawer where he had seen his victim get the cash from previously, but dropped the envelope as he left the premises.
Through CCTV enquiries, officers were able to identify the defendant getting in a taxi at a nearby taxi rank, and they subsequently attended the address he had been taken to, where Lane was arrested.
Detective Constable Christian Bryant, of the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Neighbourhood Enforcement Team, said: “Darren Lane targeted his victim on two occasions, putting him through two very distressing ordeals in less than a week.
“Through our investigative work, we were able to quickly identify Darren Lane as the culprit for these abhorrent offences and bring him before the court to face the consequences of his actions.
“We will continue to do all we can to ensure those who commit violent offences and target other people’s property are brought to justice.”
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