AN ELDERLY couple have had £,5000 stolen by a conman three years after having thousands taken by burglars.

Frank and Ivy Cherington, of Longworth, near Abingdon, said yesterday they were devastated after a man, posing as a friend of a neighbour, tricked them into believing their home had been burgled, before making off with the cash on Tuesday night.

Police believe the thief was also responsible for a similar burglary in Ashbury, near Shrivenham, on Tuesday, when £3,000 was taken from the bedroom of a woman in her 90s, while she was watching the television.

Mr Cherington, a retired farm labourer, said the burglar entered the house through the unlocked front door, while he was watching television with his wife, and stole cash.

He came into the lounge, posing as a friend of a neighbour, to tell the couple they had been burgled and that the thieves had been caught.

He asked Mr Cherington to check if any money in the house was safe.

The 86-year-old, whose wife is disabled, showed him the tin containing about £5,000.

But when he looked away, the thief made off with the cash, leaving the empty tin on the doorstep.

He said: “It was a very clever plan – he was very convincing.

“My wife was devastated. She burst into tears, but I said to her there is nothing we can do about it now.

“I felt a bit stupid really. Why didn’t I realise?

“We will have to live day by day now and be a lot more careful with money. It has really affected the way we sleep, worrying about it.

“We haven’t had a holiday in three years and we were keeping the money to go somewhere, but that’s out of the question now.

“We wanted to go to Weymouth, to somewhere we can be looked after.

“We have worked all our lives for that money and that man needs to pull his socks up and go out and do a day’s work instead of picking on people who can’t look after themselves.”

Dc Christopher Leech, of Abingdon police, said: “Thieves like him are totally unscrupulous and they will keep targeting the elderly if they know rich pickings are to be had.

“We want the friends, families and carers of the elderly to seriously think of ways to persuade them not to keep large amounts of cash in their homes.”

Vale police commander Supt Andy Boyd said: “These offences are very rare and we want to ensure we minimise the opportunity for offenders to commit this type of crime in the future.”

The thief, in his 20s or 30s, was described as slim and wearing a woolly hat.

Anyone with information should contact Dc Leech on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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