Heartless burglar steals jewellery from elderly woman

A man called at the 89-year-old’s home on Abbots Road at 10am on Wednesday, January 23 claiming to be a workman who had damaged a pipe and requesting access to the property to check the water.

The homeowner granted him access and the man was left unattended for a period in the kitchen.

Police confirmed that a number of items, including a jewellery box containing the wedding and engagement rings of the female resident, were taken from an upstairs bedroom.

The burglar, who is thought to have left the area in a blue car, is described as being aged in his 30s, around 6ft tall and of skinny build with short dirty fair hair. He was wearing glasses, navy overalls and a cream jacket.

In another incident, at around 5.20pm on Monday, January 28, a man claiming to ben an employee of the ‘Water Board’ attempted to gain entry to a house in the Lacken Gardens area of Rathfern. He was refused admission to the house, but police are treating the incident as an attempted distraction burglary.

The man is described as being approximately 20 years old, of thin build and was wearing a black cap, a navy coloured coat and navy coloured trousers.

Detectives have urged anyone with information that could assist their investigations to call them at Newtownabbey Station on 0845 600 8000.

Meanwhile, a PSNI spokesperson has advised local householders to always ask for and carefully check the ID of any caller to their home.

The 24-hour freephone QuickCheck service - 0800 013 22 90 - can be used to verify the credentials of doorstep callers.