A BURGLAR stole three Nintendo Switch gaming consoles from a Bournemouth University halls of residence on Christmas Eve.

Daniel Clarke trespassed in Lyme Regis House in Holdenhurst Road on December 24, 2020.

The 31-year-old took the consoles, which cost several hundred pounds, along with a selection of games and a case from bedrooms in the same flat.

Clarke, whose address was given as Durley Gardens, Bournemouth, admitted two counts of burglary from a dwelling, while three other charges were withdrawn but taken into consideration when he was sentenced at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, February 24.

District Judge Stephen Nicholls handed the defendant a community order, which set out that he must complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and 250 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay three complainants a total of £1,091.97 in compensation.

Lyme Regis House is located in the university's Lansdowne Campus area.

The residential block is run by Campus Living Villages in partnership with BU.

A spokesperson from Campus Living Villages said: “The security of our residents is of the utmost importance to Campus Living Villages. Our staff are onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week and we have CCTV systems in place throughout our villages.

"Our teams conduct roving patrols throughout the day and night, and all our residents have an out-of-hours mobile number in case they require support.

"We are aware of an isolated incident that took place in Lyme Regis House and fully cooperated with Dorset Police force in their investigation.

"We would encourage our residents to speak to a member of the team if they have any concerns.”