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Pensioners robbed of £5,000 life savings

A TRIO of heartless thugs, posing as "waterboard workers", tricked their way into an elderly couple’s home, punched a 76-year-old woman and then fled with almost £5,000 in life-savings.

The two pensioners – one a disabled frail 75-year-old man – were left traumatised in the ordeal in which the woman heroically tried to prevent the offenders’ escape.

Detectives were this week hunting the gang, who fled at high speed towards Moss Lane from Cornbrook Road in an L-Reg Silver Renault Megane last Wednesday (November 2) at about 12.20pm.

And officers have warned the criminals that they have taken an extra special interest in bringing them to book.

Inspector Gary Simpson, head of Macclesfield’s Neighbourhood Policing Unit, said: "Burglary is always our top priority but this is different.

Vulnerable

"They target the most vulnerable members of society, taking cash and possessions of sentimental value from elderly people, most of whom can ill-afford to lose it and who can’t replace them.

"It’s fair to say this type of predatory offender gets our backs up more than most – of course they do.

"We have put the resources into place to bring these offenders to justice."

This is the fourth distraction burglary in recent months in Macclesfield. Although the other three crimes have been linked as the work of the same conmen, police have not confirmed a connection to this burglary as yet.

Insp Simpson said: "At this point, we have not linked them to the other ones but the modus operandi is similar.

"The offenders in the previous burglaries also posed as being from the waterboard. I want to tell people that the waterboard no longer exists and they should not allow anyone who says they are from it into their homes."

The woman was brushing leaves from her footpath at the front of her Parkgate Road address on the Moss Estate, when two men in their twenties walked up to her.

The conmen, posing as waterboard workers, told her they needed to check the pipes in her house.

Both were described as 21-years-old. One was 5ft 5in tall, of medium build with dark, short, brown/black hair, and was wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and trainers. And the other was described as 5ft 7in tall, of thin build, with fair hair. He wore a blue denim jacket and blue jeans, with white trainers.

The feisty pensioner told them to: "hop it" on several occasions but the fraudsters stayed leaning on her fence, until she relented.

One criminal told her: "We’re here to check your pipes, if you don’t, your house is going to flood."

Once inside the end terrace council house, the two men went with their victim to the kitchen at the back of the home. While they distracted her, a third man entered the property through the front door and went into a first floor bedroom where the 75-year-old man was resting.

The third offender, described as white, 5ft10in-6ft tall, of medium build with dark, curly hair, shaved almost to the scalp and wearing a dirty blue jacket and trousers with white trainers, told him he was there to check the pipes and left the room.

The elderly man saw the thief in a back bedroom, going through his unlocked safe. He went for help, using his stairlift to go downstairs, and unwittingly called on the help of the thief’s two accomplices.

Punched

All three escaped but not before the elderly woman tried to stop them. She was punched in the right shoulder for her troubles.

Investigating officer, PC Sarah Leese, said: "This was a big shock for them both.

"The woman was taken off-guard as she was in her garden, if she had been indoors, I don’t think, she would have let them in.

"If anyone saw anything, especially the learner driver nearby or if anyone finds or comes across any small, red metal cash boxes please contact us."

IF you have any information about this crime call PC Leese on 0845 4586371 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

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