Necklaces, rings and earrings were taken

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A fraudster conned his way into a woman's home in Peterborough in order to steal her valuable jewellery. The thief lied to the 97-year-old in order to access her house.

He knew she needed work doing in her house, so she let him in when he knocked at the back door on Saturday, April 2, between 10am and 10.30am on Fellowes Road, Fletton. The victim showed the man cracks in the wall - which he claimed he could fix.

But the man claimed he had forgotten something on the way out, leaving the woman to head back upstairs by himself. The victim asked the man for his name, and he said he would get a business card from his car but never returned.

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Heartbreakingly for the victim, the conman made off with a haul of gold jewellery. These included necklaces, rings and earrings.

The man is described as white, about 20 to 25 years old, and of medium build, with a round face. He had short mousey-brown hair styled with a fringe over one side of his face and was wearing a red and yellow jacket that looked hi-vis.

PC Verity Carrick, who is investigating, said: “I would urge members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour to us. Please look out for elderly relatives and neighbours and advise them on precautions to take, such as asking for identification before letting someone into your home.”

Anyone with information should contact police online or via webchat quoting 35/23110/22. Those without internet access should call 101.