Zachary Southern jailed for three years over burglary spree in the New Forest

A 27-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for three years after admitting a raft of charges in relation to burglaries across the New Forest.

Zachary Southern, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to seven counts of burglary which took place between 18th December 2020 and 13th January 2021 at spots across the New Forest including Brockenhurst, Dibden Purlieu, Marchwood and Lymington.

Southampton Crown Court heard today (Monday) that Southern began his spree on Friday 18th December 2020 when a garage on Beaulieu Road in Dibden Purlieu was broken into and a number of bikes and a paddleboard were stolen.

He then burgled a house on Woodside Close in Marchwood between 3rd and 4 January 2021, where electrical items were taken. A bike was also stolen from a shed the same morning from a property on Spindlewood Way, Marchwood.

He continued his offending a week later when a garage on Kings Road in Lymington was broken into and a number of tools and a high-value bike were stolen. Several properties on Woodlands Road in Brockenhurst were broken into between 12th and 13th January 2021, when items including a bike, inflatable kayak and an outboard engine were stolen.

Southern pleaded guilty to all seven offences and was handed a sentence of three years in prison.

Following the sentencing, the officer in charge of the case, Charlie Buckingham from Hampshire police, said: “I welcome this sentence and hope it goes some way to providing closure for the victims. The distress that crimes like this can cause victims is immeasurable.

“We hope that this provides reassurance to local communities that we take crimes like this very seriously and investigate all available lines of enquiry to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

“Southern survived on committing these crimes until we were able to apprehend him and put a stop to his offending – he will now no longer be able to be a threat to the local communities of the New Forest.”