A WEYMOUTH man has been put behind bars after stealing two cars and burgling a home.

Matthew John Carr, 32, of Commercial Road, appeared at Dorchester Crown Court to be sentenced after admitting a charge of burglary and two counts of taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent.

Sadie Rizzo, prosecuting, said all three offences occurred on February 12 and began when Carr stole a Ford Fiesta from the Hambro Road car park on Portland.

Later that same day Miss Rizzo said Carr used a crowbar to force entry to a property in New Road, West Parley, some 40 miles away from the scene of the first offence.

The owners of the property were out at the time and the police were called after a neighbour saw Mr Carr leaving the premises in their car, a Citroen Saxo.

The homeowners reported that as well as the car, a jewellery box containing earrings and other items had been taken from the house.

Miss Rizzo said Carr was later arrested after the vehicle was spotted on the Portland Beach Road.

Carr admitted going to the address in West Parley with the intention of committing the burglary as well as taking the two cars.

Miss Rizzo said: “He stated the reason he committed the burglary was because he was living in very poor accommodation and he was hoping to steal enough to pay for a deposit on a flat.”

Nicholas Robinson, mitigating, said at the time of the offence Carr had relapsed into old habits of cocaine and alcohol misuse following two family bereavements.

He added: “He expressed to me that he felt awful for the losers in this case and showed a degree of insight and remorse into what he had done.”

Judge Roger Jarvis told the defendant: “This was clearly pre-planned and you committed another offence in order to get to the scene of where you wanted to commit the main offence.

“Then you committed another offences to affect your departure from the scene.”

Judge Jarvis sentenced Carr to a total of 13 months in prison for the three offences.