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THE family of an elderly woman are furious after a workman who helped himself to her life savings escaped with a caution.
A contractor sent by the council to carry out a repair for Enid Kellard, 77, rifled through her handbag and stole her cash and PIN number.
Police found the man, cautioned him and returned the £300 having decided not to take the thief to court.
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Mrs Kellard's son, James, said his mother is deeply upset by the theft. "She's absolutely devastated," he said. "My mother has a heart condition and is far from well. The money taken was her life savings."
James is furious at the leniency shown to the thief. "The police told me that the Crown Prosecution Service would not prosecute as it was the man's first offence and the amount stolen was £300," he said.
"We only know that it's the first time he's been caught. And only prosecuting where large sums have been stolen is tantamount to saying the poor deserve to be the victims of crime."
But a spokesman for the CPS denied it had taken the decision not to prosecute in this case.
A Dorset Police statement said: "A caution is an alternative way of dealing with criminal offences. The caution is recorded in the same way that a conviction is recorded and may be used before a court in the future."
Bournemouth council said it had launched a formal investigation and that a member of its contractor's staff had already been suspended.
Gary Josey, the council's head of housing landlord services, said: "Our primary concern is for the victim of this crime. We will be making regular visits to check on the welfare of our client."
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