A DISTRACTION burglar who targeted elderly people in their own homes has been jailed for five years.

Dean Matthew Turner, who is of no fixed abode, visited the home of a woman in her 80s in Heath Avenue, Poole, on Wednesday, December 21 last year.

He told her he was doing some fencing work for a neighbour and needed to access her property.

The victim led the defendant to her back garden, leaving the front door open.

Turner, 27, then made an excuse to leave the victim in the garden. When she returned to the house through the front door minutes later, she saw muddy footprints on the floor before Turner came out of her bedroom.

He then ran from the house and got into a car parked nearby. The car was then driven away.

The victim discovered the drawers in her bedroom had been searched and her handbag was missing.

Her bank card was later used to make two cash withdrawals totalling £500.

Less than a week later, on Tuesday, December 27, Turner went to the home of a woman in her 90s in Kingsmill Road, Poole.

He told the woman a similar story about needing to access the neighbour’s property through the back garden for some work he was doing.

Once in the garden he asked the woman to wait there while he went to get a tape measure.

After waiting for some time, the victim returned to her property, where she discovered that her handbag was missing from her bedroom.

Once again, the victim's bank card was used to make cash withdrawals totalling £500.

Police scoured CCTV from the branch of Tesco in Poole where the withdrawals were made. A woman later identified as the defendant's partner Kathy Hughes, who is also known as Kathy Hunter, was using the cash machine when the money was taken.

The 29-year-old, of Bells Orchard Lane in Wareham, admitted a charge of handling stolen goods in relation to the offence and asked for two further handling offences to be taken into consideration.

She was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Turner was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Wednesday, May 31 after admitting two burglaries.

Detective Constable Adam Carr, of Bournemouth CID, said: “Turner preyed on these elderly woman in their own homes, in the very place they should have been safe.

“Dorset Police takes this type of offending very seriously and I hope the sentence passed shows the courts will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.

“I would like remind all residents in Dorset not to open their doors to anyone they do not know.

“If you are unsure, always ask for ID and if you have any concerns about the caller’s intentions, contact a family member or neighbour and inform the police.”