More than £3,000 taken from 84-year-old woman (From Basingstoke Gazette)

More than £3,000 taken from 84-year-old woman

5:58pm Thursday 18th March 2010 in

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A COWARDLY thief stole more than £3,000 from an 84-year-old woman in a distraction burglary in Basingstoke.

The man asked her to go upstairs to check on some work he had done to her home in Downsland Road.

When she returned he said goodbye, and left with £3,000 of her savings.

He first approached the woman at around 12.30pm on Wednesday, March 17, as she walked to the Morrisons supermarket in Worting Road.

The man claimed he had repaired the roof to her home a few years ago, and that in passing, he had noticed another problem with it.

He offered to fix it and she said she would think about it.

But when she returned, she saw the same man outside her house, claiming to have done the work and demanding £140.

She went inside and gave the money to him.

Officers believe he also left with the £3,000 worth of savings, after asking her to check on his work.

The police have released an efit image of the man.

PC David Cook, of the Basingstoke Targeted Patrol Team, said: "This was a wicked attack where the offender has targeted a vulnerable elderly woman in her own home.

"This kind of crime is despicable and cowardly and we want to find the person responsible."

Anyone with information can contact PC Cook at Basingstoke police station on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.