A man pleaded guilty to burglary after his DNA was found on a glass he drank from at the victim’s house.
Martyn Neill, 42, of no fixed address, was sentenced to three years in prison at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday (June 6).
An 81-year-old woman had left her kitchen doors open due to the hot weather on May 5 when she discovered Neill in her kitchen.
He had entered through the rear garden of the elderly couple’s property on St Austell Drive, Wilford.
He first asked if she wanted a window cleaner but she declined, saying her husband had already cleaned the windows.
Neill then asked for a drink of water and when the victim had her back turned, he took her purse from her bag.
The control room first took the call at 1.18pm and officers arrested Neill seven minutes later after he was seen fleeing on a bicycle. Forensic specialists later found Neill’s DNA on the glass he drank from.
Detective Constable Louise Jackson said: “With only seven minutes between getting the call and arresting Neill this was another great result for the burglary team.
“The fast response combined with the positive DNA result was a great team effort and I hope it offers reassurance to the public we will act quickly and investigate fully when crimes are committed.
“Neill purposely targeted an elderly couple, thinking it would be easy to distract them.
“Please look out for your elderly family members and neighbours and make them aware of these types of distraction burglaries.
“If anything seems suspicious, please call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency.”
