A MAN who sneaked into a pensioner’s home and stole Christmas cash from her bedroom while she watched TV has been jailed.

Richard Davis, aged 30, of Barnett Avenue, in Ledbury, admitted breaking into the woman’s Ledbury home and stealing £240 from a tin in her bedroom.

He was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Monday.

The victim, a woman in her 90s, was in her lounge when she heard a noise upstairs. She then saw a man run past her and realised afterwards that the cash - which she had set aside for Christmas presents - had been taken.

Det Sgt Tim Dugmore, from Hereford CID, said police had been able to reimburse the money from their PC Fund as the victim had no other means or income to replace it.

“We were able to reimburse her this money before Christmas, which meant that she could enjoy the festive period and buy presents for people as she had intended,” he said.

He added: “We are satisfied with the sentence handed to Davis and hope it sends a clear message to others who think it’s ok to sneak into people's homes and steal from them, that we will do everything in our power to catch and prosecute burglars.

“Burglaries have a long lasting impact on the victims and we take these offences extremely seriously.”