An elderly pensioner in Beckley was robbed of hundreds of pounds on Monday by a man claiming that she owed him money for gardening work, says Sussex Police.
The 87-year-old woman was at her home in Whitebread Lane when a man knocked on her door at about 11.15am on October 20. The man told her she owed him £200 for gardening. Although she had not arranged for any work to be done she did not challenge the man and went into her home to get money for him. He followed her inside and accepted some money. Then while the pensioner’s back was turned, the man stole a purse containing several hundred pounds and left.
The man was white, in his 40s and slim. He had short hair, was 5ft 9in and clean shaven. He was wearing a dark jacket. Det Sgt Jason Tuck said: “The victim is very upset about what happened. I need to speak to anyone who was in the area and who saw someone acting suspiciously. It is very possible that the man has also targeted other vulnerable people and we urgently need to arrest him.”