Elderly woman targeted in distraction burglary

A CONMAN who stole hundreds of pounds from an elderly woman has been described as "truly despicable" by police.

The incident happened between 8am and 2pm on Saturday (June 9) when a man, who claimed he was from the water board, arrived at her Bewdley Street address and said he wanted to check the water.

When he got into the house he told the victim, who was aged in her late 90s, to go upstairs and turn on all the taps while he stayed in the living room.

After about five minutes the woman returned to the living room and was told everything was fine before the man left her home. It was then discovered an envelope containing cash had been stolen from a cupboard and money had been removed from the victim's purse totalling £700.

Following the incident, police in Evesham are urging residents not to keep large amounts of money in their homes.

Detective Inspector Richard Rees from Worcester CID said: "Last week we appealed for people to look out for their elderly neighbours and to call us if they spot anyone they suspect of being a bogus official in their area.

"Not only would I like to reiterate that appeal, but I would also ask that if you do have any elderly friends or relatives who are inclined to keep large amounts of cash in their house, that you discourage them from doing so.

"Distraction burglaries like these - where offenders target the elderly and deceive them in order to get into their homes - are truly despicable crimes. We take them extremely seriously and we will do all we can to bring those responsible to justice.

"Our suspect in this latest case in Evesham is described as a thin, tall, white man who was wearing some sort of uniform which had a logo on the left of the chest.

"I would appeal to anyone who saw a man matching this description in the area of Bewdley Street on the day of the burglary to contact us."

Anyone with information about the incident should call Det Insp Rees on 0300 333 3000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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