A BRAVE staff member was praised after his actions helped catch a man who stole two watches worth almost £14,000.

42-year-old Matthew Benjamin Wood from West Yorkshire entered Christchurch Jewellers in Saxon Square at 11.5am on March 9, 2023.

He asked staff to view two watches, one valued at £995 and another at £12,995, and was taken into a private room.

He then left the store, claiming he wanted to speak to his girlfriend before making the purchase.

Wood later returned at 12.30pm to ask to view the watches again.

But this time he grabbed both watches and attempted to leave the shop but was stopped by a member of staff who shut the door to stop him from leaving.

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Matthew Benjamin Wood Picture: Dorset Police

Wood struggled to leave for around 20 seconds before he eventually pushed the staff member against the door to make his escape.

A report was made to the police and crime scene investigators attended the shop.

Fingerprints were obtained from the glass display surface, which provided a match to Wood.

He was subsequently arrested in West Yorkshire and brought before Bournemouth Crown Court on July 16 where he pleaded guilty to robbery.

Wood was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison.

Detective Sergeant Kate Bleese, of Dorset Police, said: “Thankfully, the victim was not physically injured during the incident, but this was a terrifying incident for her and her colleagues.

“At the sentencing hearing, the judge identified that the actions of the victim were very brave in the circumstances as she took it upon herself to try and stop the defendant from making off with the watches.

“I am pleased that through our investigative work and examination of the scene, we were able to identify Wood as the defendant so he could face justice for his actions.”

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