Young boy targets Telford pensioners' purse
Two pensioners in Telford had their purses stolen after a young boy got into their homes by claiming he was collecting money for a cancer charity.
The boy, who is believed to be aged between 12 and 14, stole two purses with between £20 and £25 in them from women, aged 76 and 90, in the Donnington area.
He claimed to be collecting sponsorship money for a cancer charity before following the ladies into their homes and stealing the purses.
Police believe the boy has been knocking on doors of houses in the area and are asking residents to be aware.
Chris Ammonds, a spokesman for West Mercia Police, said: "In the two most recent incidents on Ewart Road in Donnington and Snedshill Way, the offender has taken the victim's purse which contained money.
"Items from the purse and the purses are then discarded close by.
"The victims are mainly elderly but there is no definitive evidence that the suspect has specifically targeted them for that reason."
The boy approached the first victim's house in Snedshill Way some time between 6.30pm and 7pm on Monday.
When asked for money, the lady went into her house to get her purse and, when she turned round to go back to the door, the boy had entered the house of his own accord.
She gave the boy some money who then left but a resident living nearby found credit cards and a bus pass in a bush later that night.
The items were traced back to the first victim, who had not realised her purse was missing.
A similar incident happened the following night in Ewart Road, but this time the woman noticed the boy stealing the purse and went after him.
He denied stealing the purse and ran away.
Mr Ammonds added: "The boy has been described as about five foot three, medium build, smart in appearance, polite, with dark hair slightly curly on top.
"We would ask anyone who may have seen him or who knows him to contact us on the 101 non-emergency phone number.
"We also advise people to be careful when leaving people on their doorstep."
"If they want to give money then they should close the door or put the chain on before going to fetch some money."
