A prolific offender has been jailed for three years and four months after stealing a woman's purse from her home in Brighton.
Police said the 83-year-old woman noticed an unknown man in the front room of her property in Canterbury Drive, at around 2pm on January 17,
He said he was there as a 'home helper', but the victim was surprised because she doesn't receive home help.
The man seemed genuine so she engaged in conversation with him and allowed him to look around the property.
After a while, she queried his presence and asked him to leave.
She noticed her purse was missing which contained a small amount of cash and her bank cards.
Enquiries led officers to arrest Shaun Shirley, 59, of New Steine, Brighton, on suspicion of burglary and theft.
He was charged and remanded in custody.
He appeared in court on Wednesday (February 17) where he pleaded guilty to the offence.
Shirley was jailed for three years and four months imprisonment and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £156.
Detective Chief Inspector Cath O'Connor said:
"Shirley is a prolific offender with 28 previous convictions for 84 offences including burglary, theft and fraud.
"Deliberately targeting an elderly person in this way is despicable act and we will continue to pursue anyone that preys on vulnerable people. We are pleased with this custodial sentence to prevent him committing more burglaries.
"It is our priority to protect the communities from becoming victims of this impactive crime and our teams work hard every day to identify, target and catch those criminals that commit it."
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