Barnsley conman who stole from elderly jailed

Karl Greenwood, aged 49, of Priory Road, Lundwood, was handed a seven and a half year sentence at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday after admitting burglary and fraud by false representation.

He then used the contactless bank cards in nearby shops.

When visiting his first victim, a 92-year-old woman, Greenwood claimed he had left his mobile phone there on a previous visit.

When the woman went to look for the phone, he stole £200 cash and a bank card, which he then used a total of eight times.

He followed the pensioner in to her house and while she was in the kitchen getting him a drink of water, he took £200 from her purse.

His final victim was a 65-year-old disabled woman. After using similar distraction tactics, Greenwood stole £80 cash and the woman’s bank card which he used in two shops.

After the case, Detective Constable Steven Ramsbottom, of Barnsley CID, said: “Greenwood has repeatedly and shamelessly prayed on vulnerable members of the community and I’m pleased he’s now behind bars for a significant length of time.

“Incidents like this really do knock the confidence of victims, particularly the elderly. We will work as hard as we can to get suspects like Greenwood off the streets, but we need your help. “I’d urge you to remind elderly family members to be vigilant about who they let in and around their home. Take five minutes and have a quick chat with relatives about who has been visiting them recently; there might be someone who sounds suspicious or you feel could be taking advantage.