A SERIAL thief and burglar has been told he has “wasted years of his life” after being jailed for his latest string of crimes.

Lee Glenn Cummings committed a “spree” of offences over a four-month period last year.

This included a burglary of Bearwood Community Centre, the theft of a bicycle and stealing a woman’s CCTV camera from the wall of her home while it was recording.

Bournemouth Echo: Bearwood Community Centre. Picture: Google Maps/Street ViewBearwood Community Centre. Picture: Google Maps/Street View

Cummings, aged 34, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday via video link for sentencing.

Judge Jonathan Fuller QC told the defendant that while many of the thefts were of a low level, he held “the most appalling record” of criminal offences.

The court heard that Cummings already had 54 convictions for 149 offences on his record.

Prosecuting Timothy Naik described the crimes that took place between July and October last year as a “spree”.

Cummings stole a man’s bicycle worth £400 from outside a business at Knighton Heath Industrial Estate in Bournemouth on July 15 last year.

On August 20, he damaged the coin mechanism of a machine at Elite Laundry in Wallisdown Road, taking around £20.

His next crime occurred on October 4, when he ripped off the CCTV camera from a property in King John Close, Bournemouth.

Mr Naik said the camera was still recording and the victim was able to identify Cummings as someone who lived nearby.

The following day Cummings trespassed inside Bearwood Community Centre, pulling a television off the wall before taking stereo equipment but leaving speakers behind.

He went on to steal a single handbag worth £149.99 from TK Maxx at Ringwood Road Retail Park on two occasions – October 10 and October 16.

At Co-op in Ashley Road, Parkstone, he stole meat and coffee worth £15 on October 28.

Bournemouth Echo: The Co-op store in Ashley RoadThe Co-op store in Ashley Road (Image: Google Street View)

Cummings was also sentenced for a breach of a restraining order, issued in January, by going to King John Close on March 9, 2020.

The defendant admitted six counts of theft, two of criminal damage, one of burglary, one of breaching a restraining order and two of breaching conditional discharges at a Poole Magistrates’ Court hearing on March 10.

Mitigating, Neil Hinton told the crown court Cummings had faced drug abuse problems for a number of years and was homeless at the time of the offences last year.

He suffered from mental health issues and was considered a vulnerable adult, said Mr Hinton.

Judge Fuller told Cummings, of no fixed abode, he had failed to take advantage of opportunities offered to him to turn his life around. He highlighted the the “ransacking” of the “vulnerable” community centre, describing this as a “mean offence”.

Sentencing the defendant to two years in prison, the judge said he was effectively a “professional shoplifter”.

“You are a prolific offender. Nothing seems to prevent you from offending,” said Judge Fuller.

He added: “You have an appalling record. You have wasted a good number of years of your life.”

Dorset Police declined to provide a custody picture.