Langford: Thief who stole bank cards from pensioner jailed

Lindsey Melvin, of St Ives Road, Woodhurst, Cambridgeshire, admitted two charges of burglary, two counts of fraud by false representation and a charge of racially aggravated harassment at Luton Crown Court.

She was sentenced to three years and three months in prison for her crimes, including a theft committed in Bedfordshire.

On May 23, the 33-year-old managed to get inside the home of a vulnerable 79-year-old man in Langford, stealing cash and credit cards.

She used the cards to buy food and £40 worth of scratch cards in a nearby shop, before buying fast food in St Ives.

Lynsey Melvin. (Image: Beds police)

Three months earlier, on February 6, Melvin posed as a door-to-door seller and persuaded an 86-year-old man to allow her to enter his home in Haslemere, Surrey.

Once inside, she stole his wallet, containing cards and £400 in cash, and made her escape while the victim was distracted making a drink.

After the crimes were reported, officers from the Bedfordshire and Surrey worked together to identify Melvin, linking the crimes using CCTV and DNA evidence from the mug she used in the Surrey crime and a drink can in Bedfordshire.

Detective Constable Andy Boston, of Bedfordshire Police’s specialist burglary team, Operation Maze, said: "We believe Melvin was coming to the region from the north and deliberately targeting vulnerable, elderly potential victims, so it’s really pleasing that she’s been given this sentence.

"Here in Bedfordshire, we have a specialist team focusing on burglary and we would always ask people to report suspicious behaviour. All information helps us build a picture and sometimes, like here, link cases to get a conviction.

"We would also ask neighbours and relatives to keep checking on potentially vulnerable people."