Elderly man is the victim of a distraction burglary in Oakham

Elderly man is the victim of a distraction burglary in Oakham
Detectives from the county are appealing for public help after an elderly man was the victim of a distraction burglary in Oakham.
The incident took place at about 2pm on Thursday June 21 in Kings Road when the victim answered his back door to a man claiming he was from the council and needed to check the drains.
The man entered the house and the victim followed him into the kitchen.  The victim became suspicious and confronted the man who then left the premises.
The victim checked upstairs and found that a tin containing cash and personal items had been stolen from one of the rooms.
The suspect who distracted the victim has been described as being white, 45-50 years-old, about 5’9” tall, with dark brown hair and clean-shaven.  He was wearing a grey peaked cap, a yellow high visibility bomber style jacket and dark trousers.  He spoke with an Eastern European accent.
Detective Constable Sam Bates is investigating the incident, she said:  “The victim wasn’t harmed in any but was understandably left quite shocked by the incident, this is a despicable crime against an elderly person in their home and we need to catch those responsible.
“We believe from enquiries we’ve conducted so far that the victim may have been distracted by the man posing as a workman whilst another man entered the property and stole the items.
“There is also a possibility that the suspects may have been using a red vehicle, we would urge anyone who may have seen a similar vehicle or two people acting suspiciously in the area to contact us immediately.
“We would also like to speak to anyone who may have been visited in similar circumstances, as they may be able to provide information which could lead us to those responsible.  Any calls received will be treated in confidence.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact DC 4411 Sam Bates on 101*, follow the instructions to leave a message for a police officer and when prompted key in the officer's identification number 4411. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers, which is free** and anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

* Calls to 101 cost 15p for the entire call from both mobile phones and land lines
** Please note some mobile ‘phone service providers may charge for this call
 Crime reference number: LR/00829/12-9