A BURGLAR from West Drayton who conned her way into the homes of her elderly victims and kissed them as she left has been jailed for five years.

Louise Elvin, 43, of Holly Gardens, West Drayton, was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court after pleading guilty to four burglaries.

In one burglary she had returned to the same flat twice and was recognised by the elderly victim.

Police had become suspicious about a number of distraction burglaries in October last year, all featuring a female offender, and launched an investigation to see if they were linked.

While conducting the review, two burglaries took place in West Drayton in January, which resulted in the arrest of Elvin.

On January 18 she was stopped by police in Horton Road, West Drayton after two calls from elderly victims relating to separate offences in the immediate vicinity.

Earlier that day she had conned her way into the property of an elderly victim at 8am by ringing the buzzer and claiming to be a carer.

The victim allowed her in, but then recognised her as the woman who had previously entered her flat and stolen £200 in cash.

She ordered her to leave, telling her she was going to call the police and she left. Half an hour later Elvin tricked her way into the property of an elderly man, also claiming to be a carer.

After asking the victim whether he kept money in the house, she spent a long time looking round his property. She asked him about his personal circumstances, which made him suspicious, and as she left, she planted a kiss on his lips.

Three days prior to this, also in West Drayton, she tricked an elderly woman into letting her in, and asked her for a glass of water. This time she stole £200 from a handbag and as she left she kissed the unsuspecting woman on the forehead.

DS Charlie Cairns said: "The arrest and subsequent conviction of Louise Elvin was a result of a lengthy investigation. The investigation was frustrated due to the vulnerability of victims and lack of CCTV and additional witnesses.

"The investigative team managed to review the crimes and establish links that undoubtedly led to Louise Elvin admitting these further offences. The sentence itself reflects how she showed complete disregard for elderly victims."

He added that elderly residents should be wary of people claiming to be from respected companies such as the water board.