A 32-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for a number of offences in Dorchester and west Dorset – including stealing cars and arson.

Rickey Lee Thompson, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on December 22 after admitting two counts of aggravated theft of a motor vehicle, as well as charges of taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, assault, theft of a motor vehicle and arson.

He was sentenced to six years in prison and disqualified from driving for five years, with the ban not due to commence until he is released from jail.

Thompson admitted, on Friday, March 31 last year, stealing a tractor from the Litton Cheney area, which was later found damaged in the area of Maiden Newton.

Then, on June 9, a Range Rover was stolen from the Nottington Lane area near Weymouth before it was found in Abbotsbury, having collided with a wall.

On the evening of Wednesday, July 5, a white Nissan e-NV200 van was stolen from the driveway of an address in Martinstown, near Dorchester. The victim saw his vehicle being driven off and went to stop it, but it made off, making slight contact with the victim as it went past him that did not result in any serious injury. The van was found in Bridport on July 12.

The morning of July 6 saw a white tipper truck found on fire in Jubilee Close, Weymouth, and it was established the vehicle had been stolen from an address in the Burton Bradstock area.

Through joint work by the Rural Crime Team, neighbourhood policing teams and response officers, police were able to piece together evidence to link Thompson to the various offences and he was subsequently arrested and charged.

PC Glen Caddy, of Dorchester police, said: “Rickey Thompson is a prolific offender who showed no regard for other people’s property.

“We recognise the impact these kind of offences have on vehicle owners and I hope this case demonstrates that we will fully investigate reports of this nature and bring offenders to justice wherever possible.”