Man sentenced to more than four and a half years in prison for burglaries in Portsmouth

A man has been sentenced to more than four and a half years in prison for two Portsmouth burglaries which took place earlier this year.

Joseph Doyle, 34, of no fixed abode, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court yesterday (Monday 7 November) where he was sentenced to a total of 57 months.

The sentence relates to two incidents, one at an address on White Hart Road and the second at the Vodafone store on Commercial Road.

On August 21 this year, Doyle forced entry to a property on White Hart Road while the occupants were on holiday and stole jewellery, electrical items and car keys from inside the address. A Mini Cooper was subsequently stolen from the driveway.

On September 18 this year, Doyle forced entry to the Commercial Road Vodafone store by causing damage to the front door and stole two mobile phones and a smart watch. The total value of the items taken and damage to the doors was approximately £6598.

He will also serve three months for breaching a suspended sentence order that he was already serving when the offences took place.

Police Staff Investigator Cat Cole, of Hampshire Constabulary's Eastern Operation Hawk team, said: “We are pleased that Doyle is facing the consequences of his crimes and we hope that this sentence reassures our communities that we take these offences very seriously. We will always investigate all available lines of enquiry to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

“Residential burglaries are despicable crimes and the distress they cause to victims is immeasurable. Equally, staff at stores across the city should be able to go to work without fear of being targeted in this way. Our dedicated city centre team will continue to support and work with local businesses and shoppers in tackling crime of this nature."

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of some simple ways that you can protect your property, particularly now that the nights are getting darker:

https://www.facebook.com/PortsmouthPolice/videos/2325458864270814

https://www.hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime/