A “wicked” trickster stole treasured jewellery from a trusting 87-year-old woman and a couple in their 50s after pretending to be interested in buying two houses that were for sale.
The pensioner even thought he was “pleasant, nice and genuine” when he looked round her home.
He arranged viewings with estate agents but it was really a scam to make himself some easy money after falling on hard times and he took the jewellery during the visits.
His cynical ploy was to ask the occupier if he could go back and look at something again to check that it was suitable for his needs but he grabbed any jewellery that he spotted, a court heard.
Tom Fielding, 32, of Sorrel Road, Grimsby, admitted two burglary offences on February 11 and 13.
Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that Fielding arranged viewings of two houses with estate agents and used a false name.
He went to a house in Butler Place, Cleethorpes, for a viewing lasting about 15 minutes but asked to go and check another room on a higher floor under the guise of getting further information.
The owner allowed him to go upstairs unaccompanied.
“He was only up there for a matter of minutes,” said Mr Evans.
The next day, the female occupier realised that an eternity ring was missing and that, after searching everywhere for it, Fielding must have taken it, and a necklace.
Both were of sentimental value and their value was £450.
In the second incident, Fielding arranged under a false name to view the home of an 87-year-old woman in Oliver Street, Cleethorpes.
“He was allowed to go upstairs unaccompanied,” said Mr Evans.
The woman suffered mobility issues from a leg problem. Fielding stole three rings valued at £220.
The pensioner was contacted by the estate agents after the first incident came to light. She discovered that jewellery in a blue velvet bag inside a box had disappeared.
She said that Fielding had been “pleasant, nice and genuine” during the visit and the rings had sentimental value.
One of the rings was a wedding anniversary present and another was her mother’s gold ring.
Fielding even returned to the second house twice on February 14 and 16 and looked outside to pretend that he was interested in buying it.
Fielding had convictions for 17 previous offences, almost all of them for dishonesty.
Saleem Khan, mitigating, said that Fielding had two previous burglary convictions but had been out of trouble between 2007 and 2018.
He had lived a nomadic lifestyle, including living in Wales, but had never settled in any particular place.
He lost his job in December, was going through a divorce and had been prevented from seeing his two very young children.
“He was in a very low place and suffered from depression and anxiety as a result of being out on the street moving from one bed and breakfast to another,” said Mr Khan.
He came up with the “very stupid idea” to try to make some money to buy food and sold the rings for £170.
“With the proceeds of the sale, he spent the money on necessities, food and clothing, because he was struggling at the time and was not receiving benefit because he had just come out of employment,” said Mr Khan.
Newly-appointed Judge Ahmed Nadim told Fielding: “These were particularly wicked offences committed by you in a relatively sophisticated manner.”
Fielding had shown “a degree of effort and imagination” to come up with the scheme and had identified properties that were on the market for sale.
He was jailed for 20 months.
Reproduced by kind permission of Grimsby Live; written by Mark Naylor.
What kind of agent leaves an 87 year old woman to do viewings???
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My thoughts exactly Surrey1. East are Agents wonder why they get a bad name and you just have to look at the careless and unprofessional way some agents conduct themselves. Golden rule of viewings is you NEVER leave an applicant to roam unattended a property where someone is living.
My next Comment looks at applicant registration. He was on the street having never settled at an address and had no job. Did the agent not take 2 phone numbers? An address? As about finance? Did he have “just a mobile” it beggars belief this agent would have qualified him
so lazy agency, bad registration followed by not attending a viewing so the elderly agent got robbed
assuming he took a fee upon sale the judge should look at the other conman in this transaction
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Shows how naive i am, i thought all agents did accompanied viewings as standard.
Never crossed my mind to ask a vendor to do a viewing, let a lone one in the advanced years.
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This is one reason … A MAJOR REASON … why agents should think twice about virtual viewings.
You provide warts and all for criminals to select and see access, weakness of properties from the armchair and a very simple matter to go prepared to either steal during an inspection or help themselves in when they get confirmation from an agent that the vendor is not available (at home).
And before some Ejit says they can get that information from a photograph. Not if you take the trouble when taking a photograph to realise what you should or should not photograph, move items out of sight and not close up large pixel such as from a phone of entry points. BASIC estate agency practice.
Photographs should only ever be a sample of the property to encourage a viewing, dangling a carrot! Modern technology is being used to take short cuts and too much information is often a turn off from customers. How often does PIE posts some redicculous agents adverts …. no thought, not caring, hoping the photo will sell the property when it is the agent who’s involvement is paramount in selling the property. Encouraging “I want to know more” is when the selling starts, not “I’ve seen enough, no thanks” or worse still you are encouraging no contact with customers!
I wonder what the insurance industry will say about claims for burglary …. think about it.
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