Man steals purse in distraction burglary

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A MAN stole a purse from a woman in her 80s after conning her into believing he was a salesman at her Broadway home.

The distraction burglary happened between noon and 12.30pm on Thursday (August 16) when the man called at a house on Lime Tree Avenue.

The conman rang the door and said he was selling cleaning products before managing to persuade the woman to let him inside.

During his visit he was carrying a black bag from which he handed her some dusters and also showed her a mop before he began using distraction tactics.

The first was asking her if he could change a pound coin into two fifty 50 pence coins which she gave him from her purse.

Moments later he then asked for a drink. The woman then went into her kitchen and brought him a glass of lemonade. Once he had finished he then asked her to return the glass to the kitchen.

But when the women returned she found the man had gone and her purse had been stolen. The purse was six inches long, made of leatherette and was closed with a clasp.

The man was white, in his early 20s, around 5ft 9ins tall of medium build and had short brown hair. At the time of the call he was wearing a black jacket and police are urging any witnesses to come forward.

Det Cons Jamie Simon of Worcester CID, who is investigating the incident, said: "The thief has used a succession of distraction techniques to get into this lady's home and steal her purse.

"We believe he asked for the change so he could see where she kept her purse and then kept finding excuses to get her to leave the room so he could steal it.

"We would like to hear from anyone who saw this man in Broadway on Thursday and in particular we would like to speak to anyone in the south Worcestershire or north Gloucestershire areas who has had a man of this description call at their home. Please call us straight away."

Anyone with any information should contact Det Con Simon on the non-emergency police number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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